Adding another belt to his notch, Carterton's Bryce Baron showed tremendous fortitude in his title fight at the "Bash at the Beach" in Tauranga last week to win despite broken ribs. Taking home the Thai Kickboxing Association North Island Cruiserweight title, Baron was victorious but not unscathed. He suffered a coupleof fractured ribs for his efforts. He knocked his opponent Gerrish Ray from Dunedin down for an eight-count in the first round, but the South Islander showed tenacity to go the full five rounds, losing on a points decision. Baron said it was a good win but he still harboured some disappointment that he was not able to fight for the national title because the fighter he had originally been lined up against had bailed out. He had been looking forward to a rematch against national titleholder Joey Bisco to have a shot at his belt, but he will get another chance at a national title on July 23 at a fight night in Taupo. Baron said his opponent in Tauranga was fit and tough, but he was pleased with his own performance against him. "I knew he had a really good record, but I was getting in some good clean shots," he said. By the end of the third round he was pretty sure he had the fight in hand but he still had to keep the pressure on and stay away from Ray's arsenal. He was careful to keep his hands up because of warnings of Ray's lethal headkicks, which had knocked out seven out of eight of his previous opponents. Baron has been busy in recent months with at least five fights this year. He says the possibility of "going pro" could come up if he runs out of amateurs that are willing to take him on. Baron runs 50km a week and follows a rigorous weight-training regime. He trains out of Harley's Kickboxing in Masterton's, which has produced several New Zealand titleholders in recent years. His next mission is to recover from his current injuries as quickly as possible so he can be ready for a fight later this month in Auckland. Although there is a cloud hanging over his fitness he says he still intends to get in the ring because he doesn't like to back out of a fight. He lives by the kickboxing mantra, "Fortitude is our Strength".
