Brendon Wallace kicks Hamilton's Rangi Haggie at the first Night of the Assassins show in March 2017. Wallace will main event next Saturday's show against Wellington's Navajo Stirling.
Brendon Wallace kicks Hamilton's Rangi Haggie at the first Night of the Assassins show in March 2017. Wallace will main event next Saturday's show against Wellington's Navajo Stirling.
The Night of Assassins 3 card is coming together with a real 'Whanganui vs Outsiders' theme at Springvale Stadium next Saturday.
With a 16-fight card of amateur and novice Muay Thai fights, 14 of them will involve a local product taking on fighters from around the North and South Islands.
One of the features will be Assassins Muay Thai favourite Mike Makatea-Leylander stepping into a four man elimination middleweight tournament.
Two of the originals entrants – Jesse Morrow-Wilson and Alex Tzinavos – have pulled out, but organiser Kyle Gallacher was quickly able to secure replacements in Christchurch's Iain Blade (Elite Fight Complex) and Northland's Clayton Halliday (TOA).
They will join Makatea-Leylander and Tiwai Tomoana (Jackals) with the first two fights decided by draw, and the winners then progressing to the final.
"Mike's ready to go, man. Especially elbows, because he loves the elbows," said Gallacher about the contact rules for these middleweight bouts.
"Elbows all day, we train them so we got to use them."
A year and a half ago when Gallacher organised the first Night of Assassins, putting on a mini tournament within the main card and losing two fighters would have given the former New Zealand cruiserweight champion a real headache.
However, the success of the promoter's two shows and a growing reputation in the fight game nationally means Gallacher is not short of finding quality replacements or flustered by card changes.
"It's a huge Whanganui card," he said.
"The whole process is way [easier] because I've done it before.
"I can enjoy the process and focus an how these fights are going to perform."
As well as the tournament, the main event on the card will be IKBF NZ middleweight champion Brendon Wallace moving up a couple of weight divisions to meet Wellington's Navajo Stirling (TLP) for the NZMF North Island heavyweight title.
Wallace, who won his title at Night of Assassins 2, is now on an 11-fight winning streak. Eager for redemption will be Awa Kings president Lee Kara as he gets a rematch with Moe Hussain, formally with the Jackals gym but now with SMAC Featherston.
Both men have been collecting NZ Super Heavyweight titles – Kara claimed the WKA belt in September 2017, but then lost a points decision to Hussain for the IKBF crown in Whanganui that November.
Now, the rivals square off again for the NZMF Super Heavyweight title, over 95kg, in a five round fight, with the challenge on Kara to show he learned the lessons of 12 months ago.
Two real crowd pleasers could be Castlecliff's own Swade Wallace taking on Napier's Ethan Bickers (Jackals) and Brian Alderton (Whanganui Kyokushin Dojo) meeting Daniel Watters (Pitbull) under modified rules.
The popular local musician Wallace has dipped his toes in the fight game – as he and fellow amateur Dylan Pearce had a fantastic boxing fight at the 'The Come Up' show in May.
Gallacher is confident Wallace will be able to handle going straight into a full Muay Thai fight, rather than a novice bout for new fighters which automatically end in a draw.
"We were got to put him in for a novice, but we put him in a novice with Mike and Brendon in the gym, and he held his own."
Swade Wallace will switch from boxing to Muay Thai fighting next Saturday.
Alderton was a fixture on the River City Rumble fight cards held at the War Memorial Hall, and a crowd favourite for his no backward step, constant pounding style - literally mauling his opponents.
"He's a rare breed, man. He just comes forward for the whole fight. It's going to be cool," said Gallacher.
One of the better technical bouts could be the champion vs champion 72kg fight between Shaun O'Connor (TPK Whanganui) and Masterton's Brent Sugrue (Fortitude).
O'Connor holds the WKA light middleweight championship and has competed in Thailand, while power-based fighter Sugrue is the reigning NZMF North Island middleweight champion.
Other noteworthy bouts are Assassins fighter and Boxon rugby league standout Corey-Lee Robertson meeting Seaz Wilson-Tamiti (Rhino Fight Club) and local lad Jesse Broughton (TPK) meeting Wellington's Stacy Te Kuru (TLP).
Tickets are $25 and available from Inspire Health and Fitness, or $30 on the door of the venue. VIP tables are also available.
