By CHARLIE DUMAVI
PAPUA New Guinea Kickboxing Federation (PNGKBF) is set to send a total of ten Mix Martial Arts fighters to the United States, a fight that will pave way to the rise of more “head hunters.”PNGKBF President Stanley “the head hunter” Nandex made this announce on Friday at Primal Capital Fitness, Sir John Guise Stadium.
President Nandex said currently there are ten fighters; eight male and two female who are listed to travel to Miami on September for the invitational battle.
However, he said they are having issues with traveling documents and sponsorship, therefore, they will announce the final list when they confirm everything to travel.
“I’m the only head hunter but now I have almost fifteen thousand fighters in this country. “These are the youths. When you look at them they don’t have much of education, but we can use them in terms of exposure in marketing the country and also provide an opportunity for them,” Nandex said.
“If we have a strength in terms of sports like kickboxing, boxing or Karate, we have so much of discipline. We need to embrace them and help them because in doing so, more will come.”
He said the fighters will be travelling to USA for the first time and PNG need to support the trip for the fights as they will be travelling to showcase their talent and possibly secure international contracts.Nandex added that this fight is an opportunity for the fighters to find their way out to becoming professional fighters to make way for amateur fighters to come up the rank.
He said currently in P NG, there are many fighters who should have turned professional fighters but are still in the armature level by only winning medals in the pacific games.
Moreover, the PNGKBF president is calling on business houses and government agencies to assist him to send the fighters overseas to give them the opportunity in life to represent PNG and have a better life.He said the fighters are all tirelessly training under him at the moment and he is confident that the support put to take them to represent PNG in USA will be a rewarding one.
The ten fighters were selected in the recently held PNGKBF clash of the regions between Southern region and Highlands region hosted in Port Moresby.
