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View Full Version : Interview Ole Baguio Laursen



Wix
21-05-2005, 17:10
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The first in-depth interview we bring you is of Denmark’s and probably Scandinavia’s most successful professional Muay Thai Fighter Ole Baguio Laursen exclusively for the fans of Thai- & Kickbox SuperLeague. Ole took time out to answer my questions while in a training camp outside of Thailand getting prepared for his next Muay Thai fight. In this interview Ole opens up and lays out the truth regarding a lot of issues in his fighting life – some new untold secrets and some old.
Please read on and find out a lot of untold and exiting facts from the mouth of the popular half Philipino half Danish professional Muay Thai fighter Ole Baguio Laursen.

Larsenator: Hi Ole. How’s life treating you?

Ole: Hey Thomas, I’m all right thank you. I am not quite over my loss to Souwer at the S-Cup in Japan yet but apart from that things are cool. Right now I am in Friends Gym in Holland. I was only home with my wife in Thailand very briefly after the S-cup tournament to tell her that I needed to go away again for about a month for some necessary preparation before for my next fight. Will not be seeing my wife for about a month now which is sad but that’s life and it will not be the last time it happens.
I am actually still a little bit dizzy after two days of sparring with Albert Krauss (I think that they are trying to break me but it is not going to happen). I went to Friends gym in Holland to get some sparring and training with the fighters here but also to help a Thai fighter who will arrive tomorrow. He will be staying, just like me, at this gym, and possibly fight at the Thai- & Kickbox Super League event in Germany on October 23.

Larsenator: Ole can you tray to explain to the readers why you chose to make a living out of Muay Thai please?
Ole: Hmmm. Well it just started as a dream when I was a little boy, you know living your life like in the martial arts movies we all saw as kids and now it has completely taken over my life. It was a difficult deciding to live and breathe Muay Thai as there is not a lot of money involved before you reach the absolute top and the road to the top is long and hard plus there isn’t actually room for that many fighters at the so called top. I do not know exactly what it is but I just love to fight, the glory, the honour, being honoured by the fans after a good fight. I actually think that it is genetic as we have a lot of martial artists in our family. On my mothers side there are old Escrimadores, professional boxers, one of my uncles is a black belt in karate and kung fu and even my brother who originally trained in Taekwondo from he was 12 and later when he was 15 he started to train Muay Thai and go me involved as well.

Larsenator: You just fought in the Shootboxings S-cup and unfortunately you lost your first fight to the eventual tournament winner Andy Souwer from Holland. Can you please try to explain to the readers how the fight went?

Ole: Well, no excuses from my part! Andy was a better fighter this night – I wasn’t really as focused as I should have been. In the locker room I tried to psych myself up. Don’t know what went wrong – maybe it was the incredibly beautiful Japanese model that carried the big sign with my name on it on the way to the ring. Tried to ignore her but with no luck….come to think about it, maybe Andy Souwer sent her (laughing). No, seriously I was standing in my corner watching Andy entering the ring and I could not find the right energy. When the first round started I said to myself: OK. Think about it like three rounds of hard pad work. Actually I think that the fight went alright. Have watched it on video and it was OK as I land some nice combinations and I am calm and focused until I get hit with a left hook to my liver. It wasn’t really that big a deal but I didn’t expect the follow up technique which was a flying scissor knee that hit me right on the chin. It was very beautifully executed by a fighter with the attitude of a champion.
I got up again and was ready to fight but Andy knew that now was the time – the time to do what he had almost done. I actually do not think that I got caught that hard by the following shots but I was still shaky from the knee so the referee stopped the fight and my debut in Japan was over within the first two minutes of the first round. Major bummer! Didn’t feel dizzy after the fight and when I found out that fighters who got injured in their respective fights could not continue in the tournament I was running around backstage to try and convince the people in charge to throw me back in into the tournament But a KO loss means you are out for good – the same thing happened to the Chinese fighter and he was also running around begging to fight again.

Larsenator: What are the rules in Shootboxing and how do they suit you?
Ole: The rules in Shootboxing are like Muay Thai even with the elbows but for tournaments they have removed the elbows. On top of that there is throws, joint locks and chokes and these are pretty difficult techniques considering the fact that you are wearing boxing gloves so nobody actually tries these techniques in the tournaments. But in one of the super fights there was actually a fighter who got choked out!
I like the rules as they are very close to Muay Thai rules than for example the K-1 rules. We can go into battle with knees and throw the opponent – it suits me better.

Larsenator: So Ole how did you actually prepare for this tournament?

Ole: Well the preparations started out good with hard training and with my cardio being the best so far this year already a month prior to the fight. But suddenly there was an epidemic with people getting Red Eyes which is called dah dang in Thai and this disease passes over from one person to another really easy. You really don’t feel well and are nausea and really weak. It spread out in the gym really fast until eight fighters had it which meant I could not go anywhere near the gym so I had to train in a local fitness gym which was not the best conditions at all.

Larsenator: Will you be fighting for the Shootboxing organisation in Japan again?

Ole: That is a good question. I don’t really know what people go to see of me before I got hit. It was not cool at all and I am actually a little bit ashamed that it went this way. They told me that I am going to do better next time here but maybe they say that to all the fighters. Who knows?! All I know is that I really want another shot in order to prove that HELL yeah I can keep up with the best of the best and what happened this time was just bad luck.

Larsenator: Quite some years ago you fought a Shootfighting fight in the Shooters organisation. You have often talked about your interest for Vale Tudo / MMA. Are we going to see you fighting under these rules in the future?

Ole: Ahh yeah. That is quite a lot of years ago but NHB has always had a hold on me. I still love it and I think that it really is ultimate – not the style but the rules. You have people with different backgrounds competing under the same set of rules and they all show their strengths. I would like to fight NHB and I hope that I will receive a decent proposal one day. I was scheduled to fight at EVT in Copenhagen on December 4th but unfortunately this is not possible as I am fighting a Muay Thai fight on December 17th and. I am a Muay Thai fighter right now and it takes a really good fight proposal for me to cancel a Muay Thai fight because of an offer to fight NHB close to an already scheduled Muay Thai fight. My dream as a little boy was to become a UFC champion way before I wanted to become a Muay Thai world champion so to fight for the UFC would be really cool.
I am working on it a little bit so I have spread the word about me being able and willing to fight under these rules and several promoters have already shown interest so now we will have to wait and see what happens.

Larsenator: Your next fight is October 23rd at the Thai- & Kickbox SuperLeague in Germany against the Moroccan fighter Kamal El Amrani. El Amrani is known for his spectacular kicks – especially the powerfull back kick to the body. Is there anything in particular that you practice and prepare before such a fight with an opponent like El Amrani?

Ole: In the 73 kilo division El Amrani has won all his fights – even his fight against Wayne Parr - he even won on KO over Michael Shane �Chopper� Chapman from New Zealand. I know that he lost his last fight in Thai- and Kickbox SuperLeague but...well. I have watched a couple of his fights and El Amrani is a tough man and in Switzerland he was at the top so his loss was crap ’cause I was sitting ring side and the victory was his.
Yes I do train specifically towards fighting him. I think I have to be real strong and at all times stay close to him not leaving any room for him to play around with his kicks. Wayne Parr has also told me that he has heavy hands and that he is difficult to catch. This information helps me to develop the right game plan which is coming together these days.

Larsenator: It looks like Patrick Eriksson will finally stop fighting which means that you are the only Scandinavian fighter left in Thai- & Kickbox SuperLeague. How does it feel to be fighting for this organisation?

Ole: It is ganske bra ('ganske bra' is Swedish and translates to 'pretty good') (laughing). I am happy to be one of the few fighters in SuperLeague and pretty soon the only fighter to represent Scandinavia. This promotion is the best there is in Europe – bar none and it shows when we arrive at the venues. Everything is super professional and well organised and they take good care of us.

Larsenator: How did you get in contact with the SuperLeague organisation?

Ole: Hmm. It was after my two KO victories at the Kings Birthday in Thailand that I got an e-mail explaining what it was they wanted to do with the SuperLeague and I thought it sounded interesting. They have built up the promotion and done everything they said that they wanted to do. In the beginning there was no contract about a certain amount of fights - it was up to me to prove my worth during my first fight against Michael Chapman. I fought a tough fight against Chopper and they were interested.

Larsenator: You could almost say that all the Super League fighters are colleagues. What are the relationships between you fighters like before and after the fights?

Ole: We are all getting along REAL well. Of course I am closer to some of the fighters. I am really good friends with Wayne Parr, Michael Chapman, Malaipet Sitprapom, Peter Crooke and Albert Krauss and I have always been polite towards El Amrani – he is just so cool. We all chill out in the hotel lobbies and talk our bull shit which is cool. Eventually we will face each other in the ring but it doesn’t matter. Me and Chopper have been hanging out on several occasions in Bangkok after our fights and Wayne Parr and I frequently chat over the internet.

Larsenator: In Thai- & Kickbox SuperLeague the fights are fought under modified Muay Thai rules – i.e. without elbows. What do you actually prefer yourself?

Ole: Well I am fine with fighting without elbows – it means less blood. I know that some fighters fight better with elbows and obviously they feel that they would fight better if we were allowed to throw elbows as well but for me it makes no difference. But for the spectators in Europe – a lot of them watching for the first time, I think that it is important that they see another side to Muay Thai than to guys all covered in blood instead of five technical rounds. Not that the fights with elbows are not technical but I know that this is what the new viewers will focus on and maybe this is all they will focus on!

Larsenator: Are we ever going to see a SuperLeague event in Scandinavia?

Ole: I don’t know. There has been a lot of talking about that but as far as I know it is not going to happen in the near future. Sad as I would love to come “home� and make a good performance.

Larsenator: You have also fought in the K-1 World Max in the USA. Can you please share that experience with the readers?

Ole: World Max USA was (Ole pauses and thinks about it), an experience.... A lot of things happened at the same time. I was living in San Diego when I got the offer to fight in the K-1 World Max. The owner of the gym I was training at sent me to Fairtex in San Francisco to train three weeks before the tournament. At this time I had already seen Bang (Duane Ludwig) fight before as he fought in some of the under card fights when I fought in Los Angeles. I was training as hard as I could under these conditions but I had a serious problem that I could not ignore. Four wisdom teeth were working their way out of my jaw resulting in me having high fever and ten days before the fight I had to start taking penicillin – it was to close to the fight to actually have the teeth removed.
On fight nigh Bang fought against a new entry as one of the original fighters had cancelled. I have been asked many times about this event and have always been humble not complaining too much but now is the time to set the record straight. The promoter was the manager of Duane Ludwig and the show was in Bangs home town seven kilometres above sea level. He won his first fight on KO in the second round I think – I won my first fight via KO in the first round and so we met in the tournament final.
In the first round I got him with a left, right (punches), left knee combination which sent him down. I wasn’t able to finish him off in this round. The second round was even and I was super tired. Seven kilometres above the sea level was taking its toll and the third and last round was a clear win for me in my own opinion but the judges scored it a draw and so we had to fight an extra round. I was really sure that I won the extra round but Ludwig was declared the winner and new and rising star in Japan.
Bang and I have never had any personal contact since this event – I don’t really know what I think about him to be quite honest. But I do know that being a star in this sport is something that you have to hold onto with both hands as it can suddenly all be taken away from you which is why I can appreciate his view on things and he can probably see where I am coming from as well.
Larsenator: The Australian Muay Thai fighter Wayne Parr is very successful. Just like you he lived in Thailand for several years. In your opinion is it necessary to move to Thailand to be among the world’s best in Muay Thai?

Ole: It’s a question about love for the style. I am in love with Muay Thai – the techniques, the executions of the techniques, the culture and can not imagine myself training anywhere else but in Thailand. But I will still travel to other countries to train like right now where I train with Albert Kraus and Petnakul. It is good for me to come here and see that they do everything so differently.
Don’t know if it is necessary for everybody but for people like me who comes from tiny Denmark where I could not develop as a fighter it was a necessity. In my camp everybody is there because they take Muay Thai seriously. There are a lot of Japanese fighters who have been there for just as long as I have. They are very dedicated and they fight every month – sometimes more than that.

Larsenator: But you have also gone to the Philippines to prepare at one time. Can you please tell us about your time in the Philippines?

Ole: Yes. Well I got an offer to fight for the first time for the world title in Los Angeles. This was for the IMTC Super Welterweight title against Khunpol Kaewsamrit. I got hold of a video tape and could see that he was really good with his hands. I knew that I wasn’t as good and only had three months to prepare so I went to Phili where I know they have super good boxing. I trained there for two months and went back to Thailand to train and then straight to LA where I won the fight via unanimous decision. Actually it was my uncle who was one of the trainers at the gym in the Philippines.
I am actually planning on going over to the Philippines a couple of days after my fight against El Amrani to have an upgrade on my hands.

Larsenator: Because of your roots from the Philippines you have a good relationship with Melchor Menor who lives in the USA. Can you tell us how you got to know each other and about Menor as a fighter?

Ole: My brother was heavily following the NHB scene and got a video tape from Super Brawl from Hawaii. On this tape there was a super fight with an American Pilipino by the name of Melchor Menor. This was the first time that we saw a Pilipino who was doing what we were doing and we looked him up on the internet. We e-mailed forth and back for years – all the way back from when I was still an amateur fighter. He was told that I was on my way to the States to fight in LA and I asked him if he wanted to be a part of my corner crew to which he said: Sure! So ever since I got to the USA he has been there for me – right from my first fight after which he asked if I was interested in staying in the States and work as his Assisting Trainer.
I went back to Thailand to think about it. Two months later I was back in the USA.

Larsenator: Because of the Thai- & Kickbox SuperLeague more and more people are watching Muay Thai on Television. One thing that which is for sure when watching Danish Ole Baguio Laursen entering the ring is a true war. You have a sort of “never say die attitude�. Where does it come from?

Ole: Definitely from my mother – she is a true warrior.

Larsenator: Is mental training a part of your training regimen, and how does a normal week of training look like for you Ole?

Ole: Of course I train my mentality as well. But it is not only in the gym that I am getting ready. For example at home in front of the TV or when I get sudden ideas on the way to Seven Eleven that make me shadow box. Sometimes I wake up in the night with impulsive ideas that I have to write down so that I can read them the next day.

Larsenator: Earlier this year you fought in the S-1 World Championships which is promoted by the biggest promoter in Thailand Mr. Songchai. How did that come about and can you please tell us a bit about the experience?

Ole: It was about ten days before the tournament and about a month before my fight in Italy for Super League that I got a call from Songchai Jr. (Songchais son). He asked me if I wanted to fight at the S-1 and I thought: “What the fuck?! One week of training – would that be enough?!�
There were some real tough fighters in this event but 1 million baht was up for grabs so I called back and said:�OK, I’m in!� I trained for a week and went to Bangkok for the press meetings, interviews, pictures and so on.

Larsenator: In the first fight you fought the Thai Nuangtrakarn Por Muang U-Bon. You lost on points but a lot of people thought that you should have won the decision because of your high work rate and among other things your flying knees. Why do you think you lost the fight, and are there special things to consider when fighting in Thailand?

Ole: Well I think that I lost the fight – but it was really close.
The Thai rules and the way they score is very different and even today when I watch it live I do not get it at all – why does the fighter win when I was convinced that he lost?!
Nuangtrakarn and I are friends. We come from the same village and we do our running in the same park and here we also chat to each other. All the gyms in the village run in the same park so from 15 – 16 there is a Muay Thai fighter gathering in the park. Actually I think that Songchai would have wanted a Thai fighter to win the tournament as this would have saved him a lot of money since he probably wouldn’t have had to pay a million baht to a Thai fighter.

Larsenator: You are still the reigning professional super-welterweight world Muay Thai champion in the IMTC. Are we going to see you defend this title in the near future?

Ole: Don’t know. If you want my honest opinion I never think it is going to happen.

Larsenator: And what about your IKF European Champion title?

Ole: Funny enough I have been wondering about this my self and I think it is the same as with the IMTC title. But I actually got an e-mail from the IKF organisation a couple of days ago asking me if I wanted to fight for a Kickboxing world title in Mexico. The fight is ten rounds of two minutes and if I do it, it is the first time ever under these rules. It could be fun though.

Larsenator: As a human being and a fighter you have gone through a tremendous development the last ten years. How would you describe your self as a Muay Thai fighter today?

Ole: Yeah that’s true. But we all go through this development over ten year no matter if you are a fighter or not. What I am today has a lot to do with what I have been going through to actually be where I am today – but I am still developing and going through stuff and therefore developing.
I take what I do for a living very serious. Even after ten years I leave my wife and my cosy home for a month – maybe more because I know that it means everything to me. My wife knew from the beginning that until my career is over she is priority number two.

Larsenator: What ambitions do you have sports wise and for how long do you plan on fighting?

Ole: I think that I will fight for a couple of more years. There are still things out there that I want to accomplish. I have been to close too many times to let it go – got to keep going!

Larsenator: What are you going to do when you retire from fighting?

Ole: My plan has been for many years to get my own camp. I really want to help people who are dying to achieve their goals. I want to build a camp where the training is not like in normal gyms but where the training is built for the future fighters. I want the best trainers for boxing, kneeing, clinching, kicking, strategy – also within the NHB game. I want the best coaches possible to help build a hybrid fighting team. At least that is the dream and I am sure that it will happen. Please check out my web site www.all4glory.com. – I will do the best I can for promising talents and I will use the network I have established through the years as a pro fighter.

Larsenator: And lastly a question which a lot of the fans of Thai- & Kickbox SuperLeague probably have for you Ole: When are we going to see you fight in Sweden or Denmark again?

Ole: Don’t know. Maybe there will be a K-1 World Max Scandinavia in the near future? As I mentioned earlier I was scheduled to fight at the European Vale Tudo event in Copenhagen on December 4th but the fight is to close to another fight I had already lined up.

Larsenator: Ole I wish you all the best in your new role as a husband and of course as a pro fighter. Is there anything you would like to ad before we finish the interview?

Ole: To all the up and coming fighters out there: Good luck!

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Jeru
21-05-2005, 17:18
Damn dat is wel een lang interview...

De website van zijn gym in Ubon, Thailand

http://www.legacygym.com/