by 2 PH kickboxers bag gold in World Championships
TWO Filipino kickboxers won gold medals in the World Kickboxing Association (WKA) World Championships held at the Mira Boxing Stadium in Bali, Indonesia, on June 23.
Jethro Saba, fighting in the 61 to 63 kilogram class, bagged two golds after beating Indonesian Joydi Sigarlaki and American Dean Rosenwald, both by unanimous decision.
Saba used a vicious combination of straight punches and back kicks to dominate his opponents.
Jethro Saba (left) and Andrei Amerkhan CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS
Andrei Amerkhan, competing in the 63.5 kg class, defeated Australian Rahullah Sarwari via unanimous decision.
Amerkhan thrilled the crowd by unleashing two flying knee strikes and a straight punch to his opponent’s jaw en route to his win.
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“Every time I fight I utter a short prayer that says: All my heart all for God’s glory,” said Amerkhan who also secured an international professional contract with the WKA or the World Kickboxing and Karate Association.
Founded in 1976, the WKA is one of the oldest and biggest amateur and professional sanctioning bodies for kickboxing and karate.
Dave Sawyer is president of the association, which has its headquarters in Auckland, New Zealand.
Eddy Lee is the regional director of WKA East Asia, while Ramil Serit is president of WKA Philippines.