Interview with Erin Linley 2004

Erin Linley of Canada is a current double world womens champion. She holds titles with both the WMC and WIKBA. Trained by Mike Miles of Nationa Kickboxing Erin will be fighting here in the UK on May 16th against Nicola Fearnley.

How did you first get involved in the sport?

I started training about 4 1/2 years ago. I started training recreationally for the fun of it with a friend of mine. My friend started first and I tagged along. I never had any plans on becoming a competitive fighter. On my first bout, I was asked to fight on three hours notice. I said yes, and I have been involved as a fighter since.

Did you ever compete in any other sports at a high level?

No, I have never competed at a high level in any other sports as Thai Boxing. I have done Gymnastics and diving but not at the same level.

Please can you tell us your current full record?

I have had 17 fights. I have 15 wins and 2 losses. The 2 losses have been in international bouts.

You fight under both kickboxing and thaiboxing rules, do you prefer one over the other?

When I first started kickboxing I wanted nothing to do with the knees. It was with great reluctance that I decided to fight with knees. Once I had a fight using knees it became my favorite way of fighting. Then I went through the same thing, I wanted no fights using elbows. I loved it. I love full Muay Thai because there are just so many more weapons you can use.

You now train and teach full time don't you? Could you imagine ever having an office job?
No I do not teach full time. I am working full time (serving at a restaurant), training and going to school. It is a lot and at times I am not sure I can handle doing all of it. I have never worked in an office job and maybe in the future I would, I don't know if I will be able to sit still in front of a computer all day!

What s a typical days training for you?

A typical day of training would be about four hours, doing pads with Ajarn for an hour, then doing fighters class in the evening, practicing techniques, or sparring then finishing off with a run and abdominal exercises.

Have you ever been knocked out?

No, I have never been knocked out, and don't plan to be ever.

What was it like winning the WMC title? Can you talk us through that fight?
I trained extremely hard for that fight andI think I over trained. The fight with Siriporn (Somplod) was close but I decided during the fight I would outscore her. I would try and double back the amount of successful blows she hit me with. In the end I was very happy! I finished the fight stronger and in better shape than her. You know the old saying, "it's not how you start the race, but how you finish." She was strong with her kicks and she only landed one knee that had power on it. She threw no elbows and had no punching power, at least not what I am used to. I was one step ahead of her most of the time in the clinch. She put me to the canvas once but I returned the favor to her as well. When she dropped me in the clinch I did not expect it. It was very explosive of her. She had me under the arms and I was trying to arch my back to get out and then she pulled me off balance quick. My knees and clinch felt very good this time and I do not feel her clinch or her knees improved for the second encounter. It was a very close fight and definitely one of my most challenging fights.

Did you have any other fights before then challenging for the vacant WIKBA title?
No I did not. After Bangkok, I just wanted to fight again and I received the challenge for the WIKBA World Title from Ria (Ramnarine) as well as the offer from the president of WIKBA. We (my coach and I) decided to go for it!

How did you feel fighting in your hometown for the WIKBA title fight?
I was very excited to fight for a world title in my home town. I was also very nervous because I felt there was more pressure because my family and friends were there.

What do you feel won that fight for you?
I expected her to move laterally. She threw some nice sidekicks but they did not really hurt, more just surprised me. I kept expecting her to move and more so, to move away, but she moved forward mostly allowing me to engage in the clinch. I was surprised by her game plan. When we clinched, I kept kneeing her arms because she placed them in the way. She has had K-1 style rules fights which allow knees but try and keep the clinching to a minimum. She would rush in when we clinched and try and punch my body to slow me down. She would sometimes get into an awkward position and twice while kneeing she put her head into the path of my incoming knee. It was accidental on my part. The second knee really hurt me as I caught the top of her head (in round four). But during the fight, now that I think about it, I am not sure if she clinched because she wanted to, but maybe more so, because she had to. Needless to say she did not hurt me at all in the clinch. My battle plan worked very well and I am sure I surprised her.

What has been your hardest fight to date?
I think the toughest fight I had was against Anastasia Touktaulova from Russia. It was for an ISKA World Kickboxing Title. I weighed very light and got on the scale fully clothed. She is a champion boxer (European Boxing Champion). I was surprised because she had massive experience over me in both Kickboxing and boxing. I thought she was going to really take it to me. It was an 8 round fight so I knew I would have to work my cardio-endurance. We knew (coach and I) that I would have to be real smart with our tactics to win the fight. I personally thought I won as well but I was not sure as we were in another country (Russia). The two Russian judges gave it to her where as the English judge gave it to me. I thought it would go the other way and it did. I was happy with the way I fought and that is what counted.

Are there any other titles you would like to challenge for?
The titles are not as important as the fights. I just want to fight good fights and will for any sanctioning body and their belts (for the appropriate money).

What has been the most satisfying moment in the sport for you?
ETo this date, the biggest point and most satisfying moment was winning the WMC world title in Bangkok, Thailand.

How do you feel about fighting with elbows, do you prefer them?
I love using elbows. I love fighting full Muay Thai. But I will fight without using them just to try and stay active!

Is there anyone in particular out there that you would like to fight?
I would like to eventually fight Lisa-Houghton Smith (UK) and Ilonka Elmont (Holland). I guess Laura Skinner (Australia) and Sachiyo Shibata (Japan) are up there as well. I would like to rematch Anastasia as well but I have heard nothing about her anymore. I do not even know if she fights anymore.

Is there anything you would like to say in closing?
I am 22 years old and I want to fight for as long as I can. I want to travel around the world and fight and I want to be the top female in my weight division and then possibly move up a division at a time. So many possibilities and so much to do and achieve.