Muay Thai- More than a sport

December 4, 2009

Muay Thai- More than a sport
By Breanna Armstrong

For Joey Pagliuso, Muay Thai is more than just a sport; it is his lifestyle. He is the owner and trainer of the United States Karate Organization in Riverside. He has been an active martial artist from his early childhood and is a professional Muay Thai fighter.

He competed in Karate matches all throughout his childhood and earned his black belt in Karate. Pagliuso started training Muay Thai when he was in his early twenties. His father, Joe Pagliuso, founded USKO in 1972, it has been a family ran organization ever since.

His father, mother, Sandy and sister, Shawn El all has their black belt in karate as well. Pagliuso has found much of his inspiration from them.

“My mom was always a really aggressive fighter. When she was in her twenties, she would go to Hawaii to fight, and there were no girl divisions then so she would fight against the guys. So growing up with her and having her teach me, really made me want to fight and get out there to do it. And by watching the fights and training with my dad, it really brought us all together,” said Pagliuso.

Now, at thirty-two years old, he has implanted that same dedication into his family life. Pagliuso and his wife, Desiree have three children, Dominick-7, Malia-3 and Kiana- 4 months. As a family, a big part of their life revolves around Muay Thai and martial arts. Dominick is already an aspiring martial artist, as he won first place in his last sparring tournament and Malia is just learning her basics in karate.

“I would suggest Muay Thai and the lifestyle for anyone. From Karate training as a child I learned a lot of self-discipline, respect and confidence. And as I grew up I could relate the hard training before a fight to business because it is so intense and you have to devote so much to it. It is empowering but it also translates into our family life and everything that I do. It brings us closer as a family and everyone comes together for support,” said Pagliuso.

Pagliuso (11-2-3) is currently training for his next fight against Scott Leffler (17-2) for the IKKC Muay Thai Welterweight bout in Dennis Warner’s World Championship Muay Thai event at the Buffalo Bill’s Casino on Dec. 5.

Pagliuso has fought in 15 of Warner’s World Championship Kickboxing shows all around the world. The WCK is the largest Muay Thai organization in North America and holds the largest international fight cards as well; his goal is to have a World Boxing Championship title in 2010.

Training for a title fight against his opponent Leffler, who has had 14 career knockouts so far, keeps this family man busy.

“At this level, these fights are not that different, Scotty is very aggressive and likes to clinch and move forward. It’s not like I’m just fighting another person, my work goes towards improving myself more than fighting an opponent,” said Pagliuso.

To prepare for this fight, “I have been doing a lot of cardio and running sprints along with that, Muay Thai training sessions on the pads with my dad or master Tom. And I teach classes Monday thru Thursday, at the same time we have other fighters that go to our gym that I need to spend time with as well. The last few weeks before my fight, other trainers really step in to help out,” said Pagliuso.

“I have been training Joey for seven years. And this time around, this is the hardest that I have ever trained him because he is training for the belt,” said Master Tom Khamvongsa, USKO’s Muay Thai instructor.

Also on the fight card for Saturday’s fight night are USKO’s Shelia Telliard (2-1) and Michelle Percival (3-0). They have been training and conditioning alongside of Pagliuso to prepare for their fights four to five times a week.

Percival will be fighting against Kristin Shepard for the IAMTF Women’s Lightweight title and Telliard will be matched against Tandi Schaeffer for the IAMTF Women’s Super Featherweight title.

In the main event of the night is WBC International Super Welterweight Champion, Malaipet “The Diamond” Sitarvut (138-28-5) who resides in Chino Hills and trains out of his gym, Sitarvut in Highland. Malaipet reclaimed his title from England’s Richard Fenwick earlier this year and will be defending it against James Cook (41-13) from San Francisco.

“So many people want the WBC title because its not easy to get so I feel good knowing that I am the two-time WBC champion. The best thing about Muay Thai to me is respect. There is a lot of respect in Muay Thai for your culture, family, teacher, fighters, and friends. I also like it because it makes you into a real man,” said Sitarvut, who has never been knocked out.

The WCK’s World Championship Muay Thai event will be in celebration of the King of Thailand with weekend-long festivities to represent the culture with food, massages and dancing to go along with the 16 Muay Thai fights on the card.

For more information go to: www.kickbox.com