K-1 World MAX Final: Enriko Kehl def. Buakaw Banchamek via forfeit (4th round)
A controversial walk-out from one of kickboxing’s greatest, Buakaw Banchamek left a dark cloud over the 2014 K-1 World MAX Final, which otherwise could be called a great outing at the Indoor Athletic Stadium, Pattaya, Thailand.
In an evenly contested main event, Muay Thai and K-1 legend Banchamek looked for his record third MAX title, against the future of K-1 Enriko Kehl at -70kg.
Buakaw started proceedings by tagging the young German with a crisp left hook, following with a knee but Kehl would give as good as he got, scoring well, landing the cleaner of the shots, but Banchamek was controlling proceedings in the clinch with a noticeable strength advantage.
At the beginning of the second stanza it was the two time Omnoi Stadium champion who would immediately take control of the centre of the ring doing some good work on the inside as well as at long range. However the 22 year-old German would fight back, landing the cleaner strikes and also attempting an ambitious superman punch, which was shortly followed by a spectacular attempt at a spinning back kick resulting in Banchamek being sent hurtling out of the ring.
In the final round, Banchamek started with some good clinch work, sending Kehl crashing to the canvas again. Buakaw again attempted another spinning back kick which was immediately countered by the Kehl, who unleashed another crisp combination, which gained a nod of approval by Banchamek. In the dying ambers of the final round the young German would start out striking his opponent at range but with Buakaw coming out on top in the clinch before the bell.
With the fight going to the judge’s score cards the bout is ruled a draw after 3 rounds resulting in a sudden death 4th round. This news resulted in the 2x Max champion leaving the ring in disgust, which would result in him forfeiting the fight meaning Kehl being crowned the 2014 K1 MAX -70kg champion for the first time.
Paul “Semtex” Daley def. Mohammad Ghaedibardeh via Unanimous decision
In the opening round it was Ghaedibardeh who had the advantage, utilising a distinct reach advantage to keep the Nottingham slugger at range by landing stinging leg kicks, knees and punches but Daley would cover up well throughout to avoid any real trouble.
As round two begun it was Semtex who looked the fresher of the two as his Iranian opponent didn’t look like he had recovered in time. This resulted in Daley landing his first meaningful combination which in turn sent his opponent crashing to the canvas for a standing eight count. Daley would continue to pile the pressure, putting his opponent down for second time with a well-timed body shot to dominate the proceeding in the second round.
Moving into the final round it would be Daley who looked fresh as a daisy and would continue the good work of the previous round knocking his opponent down for a third time on the way to picking up an impressive win in his K-1 debut.
K-1 World MAX Final Results:
Enriko Kehl def. Buakaw Banchamek via forfeit (4th round)
Paul “Semtex” Daley def. Mohammad Ghaedibardeh via Unanimous decision
Maximo Suarez def. Tural Bayramov via 2nd round TKO
Andre “Dida” Amade def. Li Yankun via Unanimous decision
Photo Credit: K1
