A FIGHTER has made history by becoming the first ever person to hold two world titles in different Burmese boxing categories at the same time.
Gaz Corran, from Darwen, went up against former British Lethwei champion Dean Robinson for the light-heavyweight Lethwei world title on February 26.
The fight, held in the Midlands, saw Corran, who already holds the cruiserweight bare knuckle boxing title, win by knockout at the end of the first round, giving him not two, but three titles to his name.
He said: “I now hold the light heavyweight Lethwei world title, the light heavyweight British Lethwei title and the cruiserweight bare knuckle boxing World title.
“We actually made fight history as no-one has ever held a Lethwei world title and a bare knuckle boxing world title consecutively anywhere in the world, and we did it at two different weight classes with the extra British title as well.”
Lethwei is a 2,000-year-old fighting style from Myanmar (formally Burma) which has recently been made legal in the UK.
Known as ‘The Art of Nine Limbs’, the rules allow for bare-knuckle punches, kicks, knees, elbows, headbutts and throws or slams, with only eye gouging, groin strikes and biting prohibited.
If a fighter is knocked unconscious their team has a two-minute interval to get them ready to fight again.
At the end of the fight, if both men are still standing it’s a draw.
To win you must make the fighter quit or the referee must see fit to stop it.
As well as winning the titles, the 41-year-old has been made the subject of a new documentary about the Lethwei style of fighting, and is currently in talks with several major distributors.
He added: “The documentary we've got coming out is called Road to Lethwei, it has been directed by Joshua Leo Dorfman Film and Photography from Manchester and Producer Paurick Gaughan from Gel Clear in Darwen.
“We’re currently in talks with different distributors as to where it will be shown but it will be coming out in Summer.”
That’s not all though, for the Darwen dad also features in a book called Bare Knuckle - The Gloves Are Off by French photographer Sylvian Poquet.
He added: “The book is a best seller on Amazon and has been put together by famous French photographer Sylvian Poquet and is going mad in Japan of all places.
“He asked if I could be put on the front cover and I said yeah why not, and there I am.”
Mr Corran is now hoping to set-up a huge fight in the USA this summer.
For more information visit Bare Fist Boxing Association on Facebook.
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