The main event of December’s Phoenix 1 in Beirut, held between two men at the pinnacle of Muay Thai, is truly a fight for the ages. We will get to see long-time legend, Buakaow, and 18-time world champion Andrei Kulebin finally do battle after years of dominating in their respective countries. This will be the biggest martial arts bout to ever take place in the middle-east and the world will be watching closely. Phoenix Fighting Championship CEO Chahe Yerevanian promised after making this fight that there were more exciting announcements to come, and he hasn’t disappointed.
The co-main event has been set in stone, and will feature two men seeking legendary status in Muay Thai, who are among the finest Muay Thai practitioners on the planet and two of the most feared men in the sport, Morgan Adrar and Anvar Boynazarov.
Between these two fighters there are already some lofty accomplishments in the sport, but you get the impression that these are two men who are seeking more than belts and trophies; these men want greatness.
Frenchman Adrar is the current WBC World Champion and has a host of other belts to his name, boasting an imperious record of 45 wins from 54 fights. He has a full range of weapons in his arsenal, mostly devastating counter-elbows and brutal leg sweeps.
His opponent, Uzbekistani Boynazarov, is also a highly decorated fighter and a two-time world champion with 79 wins from 101 Muay Thai fights, five-time Bangla Stadium Champion in Thailand, where he honed his skills, and in Thailand’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium he boasts a dominant 7-1 record. Both men have a very high profile opponent, Thai superstar Saenchai, whose flamboyance and charismatic brilliance in the ring have gained him a worldwide following. Both Adrar and Boynazarov gave Saenchai all he could handle in their fights, at times getting the better of the confident Thai legend.
Anvar Boynazarov video highlight:
Boynazarov has been described as: “A technical fighter, but also a powerful puncher”. He is capable of stopping the fight by KO with one blow and his power in the ring was certainly a handful for Saenchai. In their fight, which Saenchai won, Anvar can be seen imposing his will, landing chopping kicks to Saechai’s legs and hurting him on several occasions, although ultimately the Thai fighter out-classed him over five rounds. Anvar has called for a rematch with the Thai superstar, but in December he has a different kind of problem on his plate – the classy French champion Morgan Adrar.
Morgan Adrar Video Highlight:
Please do not forget to give credit when you use somebody else’s photography.