16-year-old Syafiq Bin Abdul Samad wins under-71kg class at Muay Thai Asian Championship

Interview by Warren Marc Lim

What school are you in?
I am currently attending school at ITE College East.

What other sports do you do besides Muay Thai?
I enjoy playing Football and Sepak Takraw when I am not practicing my Muay Thai at Fightworks Asia.

Have you ever represented your school in any sport?
Yes. I played football for my secondary school.

What made you decide to take up Muay Thai?
I was inspired by Contender Asia and decided that I wanted to take up Muay Thai after watching it.

When did you start training for Muay Thai? When did you start competing in actual fights?
I started training about 2 1/2 yrs ago when I was introduced to the sport. My first fight was in July 2009 where I represented Fightworks Asia.

Why do you fight?
I enjoy it most when I am in the ring and the recognition I receive when I win my bouts after all the hard work I have put in is what makes me want to compete in Muay Thai.

What obstacles do you face? How do you overcome it?
Having to take care of my sick mother and balancing with school work are some of the daily obstacles I face. I use my family, especially my mother, as my inspiration to overcome these obstacles.

How often do you train?
I train at my gym Fightworks Asia at East Coast Park 5-6 times a week.

How and when were you selected to represent Singapore at the Federation of Amateur Muay Thai Asia (FAMA) Asian Championships in Uzbekistan?
I was selected for the event by Mervyn Tan, General Secretary of Amatuer Muay Thai Association of Singapore (AMAS), after he saw me training and representing Fightworks Asia at several local tournaments.

What was the feeling like to be the only Singaporean at the championships?
I had a huge sense of accomplishment and felt very proud to be Singaporean. It just goes to show that Singaporeans can do it!

How did you win the gold medal?
I was involved in two bouts. The first fight I won by a referee’s decision. The second fight which was for the gold medal was against a much heavier Indian opponent in the Category A under 71kg class. In that fight I managed to knock him out with a devastating kick to win gold at the tournament.

What other award did you win at the championships?
I was given the Best Young Prospect Award for my hard work and accomplishments during the tournament.

When is your next big fight? Where? Against who?
I will be competing at the World Championships 2010 in Bangkok, Thailand after having qualified through my gold medal winning performance in Uzbekistan.

How far do you want to go in Muay Thai?
As far as possible and hopefully eventually I will become a Professional International Muay Thai fighter.

Profile
Full Name: Syafiq Bin Abdul Samad
Age: 16
Nationality: Singaporean
Years Fighting:
• Fight Record: 8 fights 6W 1L 1D
• Singapore Olympic Style Boxing Tournament 2009 69kg Cat Youth (Silver)
• National Amateur Muay Thai Championships 2009 69kg Novice (Champion)
• National Amateur Muay Thai Championships 2009 69kg Novice 2nd Quarter (Champion)
• SABA Invitational Boxing Championships 2009 69kgs Cat NOVICE (Champion)
• National Amateur Muay Thai Championships 1st Quarter 2010 69kg Novice (Champion)
• National Amateur Muay Thai Championships 2nd Quarter 2010 69kg (Champion).
• SABA Invitational Boxing Championships 2010 69kgs Cat NOVICE (Champion)