Interview with Lynda Loyce April 2004

Lynda Loyce is a respected American athelete training and working at the well known Fairtex USA camp. She is currently world ranked with 3 of the better known sanctioning bodies

What is your age (never the question to ask a lady I know) and your complete fight record?

Well Dan my birthday is in September and I’m registered at Tiffany’s. *wink wink* My record is 12-4-1/1

Do you have a nickname in the gym?

No not really.

What attracted you to the martial arts?

I originally wanted to box and I found a Fairtex flyer one day. I tried a Muay Thai class and the rest is history as they say.

How did you get involved with Fairtex and end up working there?

I’ll never forget my very first class there. For someone like me who has always played sports and been athletic I was surprised that Muay Thai posed such a challenge. It’s as much a mental challenge as a physical one. When I first started I wanted to just become proficient in Muay Thai but a combination of incredible trainers and great students, being so friendly and helpful, it just easily became my passion. It may sound a bit corny but I have been given so much, working there just seemed to be a way I could return the favour.

There’s been some recent restructuring at the Fairtex USA gym hasn’t there?
Not so much restructuring as a return to our roots and the quality that the Fairtex name has always stood for. We are now one cohesive unit, run by Anthony Lin. Our U.S. camp, Thailand camp as well as the manufacturing of Fairtex equipment and Fairtex Gear, Inc. are all under Anthony’s leadership.

What does a typical day at Fairtex consist of for you?

Probably similar to most other fighters but in order:
Running
Shadow Boxing
Bag Work
Pad Work
Sparring (alternate days boxing/kick sparring and most every day knee sparring)
Bag Work
Shadow boxing
Sit ups/Push ups/Pull ups

You beat Bertina Lee to win the WKA US title - was that your first title fight?

No, but it was one of the more satisfying ones as I took the fight on very short notice and beat her in her home town.

My first title fight was in July 2000.

Angela Parr is quite a big name and you have fought her twice now, can you talk us through both those fights?
The first time was my 4th fight and I knew about her as she’d already beaten a stable mate of mine twice. She had significantly more experienced than me so I knew it would be a challenge. It turns out we were very evenly matched. Her aggressive style forced me to work hard. The decision wound up a draw. We only fought 4 rounds and I firmly believe we should have fought a 5th round. I was disappointed with a draw. So much effort by two fighters to result in a “tie”, I would have preferred a deciding round.

The second fight was 2 months later; I was originally going to Thailand and changed plans for the rematch. I made quite a few rookie mistakes and without making excuses Angela completely dominated that entire fight.

You have also fought under San shou rules - how did you find fighting under a different rules system?
It was merely a means to an end for me. I would not do it again.

Who is your toughest opponent so far?
Keri Crothers.

You lost a few of your early fights in a row - how did you pull through those losses to go on to have some of the great wins that you’ve had?
Old fashioned hard work by my entire team.

You are now world ranked with WPKL, WIKBA and IKF; do you have your sights set on a world title fight?
Titles don’t mean a ton to me. I just want to fight all the girls in my weight class. If a world title fight comes along that would be great. I do feel that I am deserving of a shot and would absolutely put up a tough fight though.

What do you think of the current state of women’s Muay Thai both with regards to the US scene and on a world level?
We are at a distinct disadvantage in the U.S. we don’t have the same number of opportunities to fight. I think we are just as skilled as the rest of the world just overlooked. We are rather isolated here. It’s a bit easier to travel and fight through Europe thereby gaining much more exposure.

Have you ever fought with elbows?
Once in Thailand. I firmly believe that women absolutely should fight with elbows. I do not train any differently than the men in my camp as I am sure most women do. I think if you want to fight muay thai you must fight elbows, if not then you should choose another rule style.

How do you feel about your upcoming bout with Vivien Leung?
I look forward to it. She’s a tough highly respected girl. She came out and trained at Fairtex briefly some time ago so we had a chance to work together briefly. We’ve kept in touch and I know she will bring her top strategy.

What else have you got lined up for this year?
May 14th I will be fighting in New York City. Then if all goes well I plan to fight in Thailand again in the summer.

Who are you favourite fighters?
My favourite female fighter is Lucia Rijker bar none. Male fighters there are so many Armando Ramos, Ra’Karma Young, Masato, Ole Laursen, Jongsanan, and Albert Kraus. There are loads more but those are some of my favourites and to list them all we’d be here all day.

Is there anyone in particular you would like to fight?
In order:
Mary Hart, Rungaroon Sirifignom, Holly Fernely, Jennifer Cutbill, Sarah Ponce, Nicole Hess. I would actually like to have these girls be my fights for the year.

What are your ambitions for the future?
I really want to fight abroad. Aside from one fight in Thailand I have no international experience. Beyond that to continue fighting and teaching for now.

Is there anything you would like to say in closing?
That I appreciate the entire team of people who help me prepare and the sacrifices they make on my behalf. Thanks to my trainer Ganyao Fairtex, my stable mates, the rest of the trainers, Fairtex, my friends and my mom for always being a source of strength and inspiration.