OKEECHOBEE — Local RCK (Ray’s Combat Kickboxing) fighters brought pride to their teammates and the Okeechobee community at the 21st annual IKF World Classic tournament Muay Thai/ Kickboxing 2019 Championships.

Special to the Lake Okeechobee News
Back row, from left to right, are: instructor Susan Ray, fighters Matteo Tullio, Jillian Crosby, and instructor Coleman Ray. Front row, from left to right, are: fighters Matthew Shockley, Ryder Williams and Sebastian Levesque.

Starting with the Junior Boy Novice Division, first up on Saturday was Ryder Williams in the preliminary rounds. Ryder lost his bout fighting full contact hard against a tough opponent in the third round.

Next up for the Junior Boys Novice Championship rounds Saturday evening was Sebastian Levesque, fighting full contact for all three rounds. Sebastian won by unanimous decision and took home the championship trophy.

Last up in the Junior Boys Division was Matthew Shockley, fighting in the IKF PKB event. He won his fight in the second round by referee stoppage.

In the Womens Novice Division, Jillian Crosby won her first fight in the preliminary round. She had a tough opponent and by majority rule had to go a fourth round to win by unanimous decision, advancing into the championship round on Sunday. She fought hard in all three rounds and lost a close split decision.

In the Mens Open Division, Matteo Tullio had a competitive bracket with six competitors fighting for the world title belt. He lost to a tough opponent.

A special thank you goes out to assistant trainers Gerard Shockley for helping out with the PKB event and Robert “Tiger” Broughton, and instructor Susan for being there to make sure all the fighters were taken care of during all full-contact fights. A thank you also goes out to the sponsors, students, family, and friends for coming out to support the team.