Kyal Lin Aung (blue trunks) defends a fierce Win Tun kick during their fight at the Thuwanna Stadium on September 14, which ended in a draw.

KICKBOXING spectators at the Thuwanna Stadium on September 14 were entertained by a number of high-energy draws during the day’s 11 fights.

The most hotly anticipated – and last – bout of the afternoon was that between light-weight golden belt champion Win Tun and welter-weight champion Kyal Lin Aung. It was the third time the fighters had met in the ring, with Kyal Lin Aung carrying a 1-0 advantage into the contest.

Win Tun exploded into a fury after the ringing of the first bell, managing to land a number of punches to his opponent’s face. But to his credit, Kyal Lin Aung proved his toughness by nonchalantly shrugging the blows off.

In fact, far from being frightened by the early assault, Kyal Lin Aung chose instead to keep advancing on his opponent and took every opportunity to counter attack, catching and flooring Win Tun several times.

But the first round ended with a Win Tun flying knee that struck Kyal Lin Aung in the chest and gave the crowd ample time to roar and clap their approval.

Win Tun started the second round like the first and used his superior speed and movement to dance around and strike from unexpected angles. But the pace quickly wore him out and within 2 minutes he was visibly sucking in air as he endeavoured to find a way to win.

After landing a straight-right punch to Kyal Lin Aung’s, Win Tun closed the gap between the two and the pair locked themselves into a wrestling match, which ended with both on the canvas.

Both returned to their feet and exchanged heavy blows but Win Tun made the mistake of upsetting the crowd by strangely slumping to the canvas after landing a right double-kick to Kyal Lin Aung’s ribs.

In the third round Win Tun sought refuge on the canvas any time the situation and pressure for Kyal Lin Aung got too much and the crowd loudly voiced their displeasure every time he used the tactic.

Round four saw the judges explicitly warn Win Tun against the move and changed tack, relying on more punching combos. Kyal Lin Aung, however, chose to rely more on kicks, which increased his reach beyond Win Tun.

After a particularly punishing set of blows, Win Tun was unable to regain his fighting stance and the referee called for a count, which he was able to survive.

By the last round the fight’s tempo had visibly decreased and some spectators began to file out of the arena. The only highlight of the round was a second 10-count for Win Tun, who again managed to recover in time.

Match organiser U Sai Zaw Zaw commented after the bout: “Their strengths were not equal at all and Win Tun couldn’t face his rival properly, so he had to change his fighting technique.”

A fan at the venue was less diplomatic: “Win Tun should consider in advance whether he can really compete with Kyal Lin Aung or not. That tactic of lying down when the action got too hot for him was not impressive at all.”