Stephen Meleady (37-16) prepares himself, with less that two weeks before he headlines The Main Event in Birmingham; Barclaycard Arena, against double world muay thai champion Panicos Yusef (34-3) on May, 23.
WMC European champion Meleady will fight his second fight under the Bad Company banner, a gym that boasts world champions Liam Harrison and Jordan Watson: “I decided to move to Bad Company Muay Thai in Leeds because I had a good offer to move there,” said Meleady. “I decided to take it and in my opinion it is the best gym in the country and possibly Europe. It was always going to be a good choice to move there.”
Alongside co-headline IKF world title bout, Chad Sugden vs. Michael Wakeling, Mealeady vs. Yusef are clearly the two match-ups that have fans the most intrigued.
The Main Event released this exclusive statement regarding Stephen Meleady vs. Panicos Yusef: “This fight is one that has the Muay Thai purists excited like never before. Two of Europe’s most talented athletes putting it all on the line in what is guaranteed to be a technical chess match of hugely intriguing proportions. Both have exceptional technical ability, both have real heart and guts and either can finish a fight with a single shot. This one is worth the entrance fee on its own.”
Recently, Meleady won a hard fought unanimous decision against Chris Shaw in March; a fight that could be argued each way for both fights, in such a tantalisingly close affair. His first fight under Bad Company, Meleady attributed numerous factors to his performance.
Meleady said: “Yeah that was a good fight, it was very entertaining for the crowd. I wasn’t happy with my performance as I didn’t perform anywhere near the level I’m used to. But it was my first fight out of a new gym in Bad Company and I hadn’t fought against a non-Thai for a very long time so it was always going to be a bit of a re-adjusting to the pace for the fights over here in the United Kingdom.”
The Main Event are set to produce one of the biggest muay thai events the United Kingdom has ever seen, with the pomp and circumstance of lights, pyro and world class thai, Meleady described the current era of UK thai which is seeing the sport sky rocket in popularity.
“It’s a great thing over here at the minute. There are so many big shows happening in this country at the minute. So it can only improve the quality of Muay Thai in this country.
“More big show would be great thing to have, it means more opportunities to fight quality opponents and great for young up and coming fighters to get on and fight on the big stage.”
As for the fight with Yusef; who currently rides a 21-fight winning streak, Meleady predicts one of the best encounters of the night; and one that will be remembered for a long time to come.
“Any win is a big win and means a lot to me no matter who I’m fighting, so it’s no difference with this fight. It’s going to be great fight I think it will be fight of the night for sure, and it will be one of the best lightweight fights the United Kingdom has ever seen.”
