Boy Prata (front, second left) and Addyqa (standing, third right) with fellow Sarawakian fighters, other contestants and event officials in a group photo.
KUCHING: Pratasarthee Punniyamoorthy and Ayu Addyqa Azmie proved they are a force to be reckoned after a recent outing in Sabah.
The two boys were among eight exponents from Sarawak taking part in Elopura Fights II: Defenders of Elopura 2018 held at Hakka Association Hall, Sandakan last weekend.
The two-night event was hosted by Sandakan District Muaythai Association with sponsorship from Denz Artisan Coffee Roasters and supported by #AskarHantu66 and Four Points by Sheraton Sandakan.
Sixteen-year-old Pratasarthee – fondly known as Boy Prata by his team-mates – took down Fared Kickpro from White Tiger Kickpro in the Boxxtomoi Asia Cup 51kg encounter.
Pint-sized Addyqa beat Faiz ‘Harimau Kumbang’ from hosting team, 66 Unicorn Sandakan.
Boy Prata and Addyqa are among the state’s junior squad under the Sarawak State Sports Council (MSNS) in preparation for the 19th Malaysia Games (Sukma) in Perak this September. Muaythai is likely to be among the sports to be competed although the list has yet to be finalised.
The other Sarawak fighters who took part in the Sandakan outing were Mohd Eswandy Hassan, Hunson Kayan and Addyqa’s older brother Ayu Arasy Azmie from Kuching; Aman Koboi from Bintulu; Morris Hii and Fadzly Julai from Miri.
Elopura Fights II: Defenders of Elopura 2018 involved 38 contenders, including three from Thailand and one from India, who battle it out in 19 professional bouts spread over the course of two days. There were also an additional 32 amateur fights and three semi-pro women’s bouts.
The Elopura Fights series followed the ‘Dynamite Naksoo: Asia Fight Tour’ in Sandakan, staged on Dec 12, 2015 in collaboration Australia’s Counterpart Dynamite Muaythai. The success of that event led to the first Elopura Fights on Aug 12-13, 2016 held in partnership with Boxxtomoi Asia and KL7.
The trademark ‘Elopura’ is taken from Sandakan’s old name.