Coaches and fighters from The Combat Academy in Barugh Green are delighted with their success at the ‘Kings of Combat’ show held at the Metrodome, which had 1500 attendees."

“This event is our major home show,” explained coach Tommy Crossland. “It was the fourth kings, which we arrange every two years. There were about 80 fighters in kickboxing bouts, with some from overseas, such as Ireland and France. Our fighters all love the opportunity to showcase their skills together in front of an enthusiastic and supportive home audience, especially when they win title belts from official bodies such as ISKA.”

Gasan Gindra and Blaine Wilson are professional kickboxers and full-time TCA coaches. Gasan, 24, defeated Portuguese fighter Vasco Pinto to take the ISKA world title at 65 kg, and Blaine, 23, defeated his Romanian opponent to win ISKA’s 61 kg European title.

Younger fighters who also coach at TCA include Lily Thompson, 15. Lily collected her second world title belt this year on Kings, adding the ISKA 57 kg belt to the WKU amateur title she won in March. “Kings is our major event and lets us all demonstrate just how high the competition standard is at TCA,” explained Lily.

Guyvin Dawkins, 17, has completed a year as a TCA full-time junior instructor. “I’ve been involved in kickboxing for 13 years. I won an ISKA British title at Sleaford in April, and at Kings I picked up a further British title at 70 kg. I’m so proud of Kings. It belongs to us in Barnsley, and it’s earned the reputation of being just about the best kickboxing show in Britain.”

At just 13, Riley Clugston is TCA’s youngest junior coach and secured the ISKA 35kg English title. “I love getting in the ring and winning with all my teammates on the same show. It’s brilliant and reminded me of how we were all together in Australia last year as a team at the world championship.”

Taylor Bowen turned 16 this week and is TCA’s most decorated amateur champion. “This was my third Kings, and I won the ISKA 55 kg world title. I’ve trained at TCA for eight years and now have eight British and world titles. I was in fight camp up until March and then back in quickly with two hours of training daily plus many long runs and strength and conditioning. There’s fortunately never a dull moment.”

“I felt under a lot of pressure before Kings,” said Mason Decaro, 17, who starts an apprenticeship at TCA in September. “I’d been scheduled for two bouts in April. It didn’t go to plan largely because of a late change in my first opponent, resulting in me losing to a heavier, older, and somewhat more experienced opponent. On Kings, I defeated Lincoln’s Jozef Mach to win the ISKA 64 kg British title. It was a challenging fight and went the full distance, five two-minute rounds. I kept my distance but moved in with hard punches, setting up winning kicks.”

Jack Alderson has trained at TCA for nine years and won the ISKA 69 kg English title on King's. “It’s a high-pressure environment. You feel under pressure to perform well, so you turn the pressure on the opponent. The strategy works, as I was awarded the win after the five two-minute rounds. You must push yourself. I’d lost my previous fight, so I was determined to win this time. I was helped by being surrounded by encouragement from teammates.”

Jake Allott was TCA’s Fighter of the Year for 2024/25. “This was my third king. It was the biggest and best event, and it was run very smoothly. Participating in this event helps a junior fighter gain recognition on the national scene. I won the 44kg ISKA European title by decision over five 90-second rounds. I love the family atmosphere in our club. If I’m ever feeling a bit down, a training session soon sorts that.”

Ian Anderson was “proud to have competed on this major home event following a similar show in Sunderland recently. I came to TCA having achieved a karate black belt. Kickboxing is helping me stay fit, focused, and more confident.

Matthew Robinson also started at TCA to improve fitness. "It took me a while to get mentally prepared to compete. “I loved being on Kings and especially watching how the professional kickboxers dealt with a day of intense competition. That’s now my ambition too. To become a professional athlete.”

Kings' medal-winning eleven-year-olds Joe Penty and Koby Connell have trained at TCA for 8 and 4 years, respectively. Joe explained that he’d “dropped weight to 32 kg for the Kings bout, but then my opponent dropped out, with the new opponent being older and heavier. " Joe’s mother, Tin, described how “competing has helped Joe mature, as he’s disciplined and physically fit.”

Koby was delighted to win the ISKA 30kg British title. “Everyone had fun. Kings was a great laugh,” said Koby, with Dad Jamie commending his son for “his hard work and his win, which have helped him come out of his shell to become much more confident and articulate. He coped well on this, his biggest stage yet.”

Almost all Kings TCA fighters are looking forward to representing The Combat Academy as part of Team England at the ISKA European Championships in Madrid this coming November. you can potentially offer sponsorship for the Madrid trip, call 01226 755794 or contact us sponsorship for the Madrid trip, call 01226 755794 or contact via Instagram @TheCombatAcademy or e-mail info@thecombatacademy.org.uk.