Interview with Rex Redden (June 2003)

Rex is the current New Zealand Welterweight and WKBF World Champion.

What made you start thaiboxing?
Well I actually grew up in the boxing gyms as my father was a pro boxer in the 60's and used to take me to the gym as a boy as he wanted me to be a fighter too. I liked boxing but it not a big sport in new zealand and there just wasn't much happening in the sport so I never really got into it. Then when I was about 16 I went to watch a bjc muay thai class,then I gave it a go and have never looked back!

How did you win the NZ welterweight title?
I got my first New Zealand title when I was 18 years old, to me it was good but I really wanted the professional title one day. Then last year I got the chance to fight Kiyo Kitamura for it. He had won it off Jordan Tai a few months before. I KO'ed Kiyo in the first round with an elbow.

What about your world title, can you talk us through how that came about and tell us the fight itself?
Well last year my promoter Dave Hitchens said that he might be able to get me a world title shot under the WKBF sanction. It was in my home town which was great as my home crowd hadn't seen me fight for a year or so because I had been travelling a lot. The crowd was very supportive of me that night and there was at least 3000 people there. My father had passed away a few months before this fight so I was dedicating this fight to him so my training for this fight was great and I was in the best condition of my life.

Krongsak Lek came out very fast in the early rounds and I started pretty slow and just counter fought. I was told to not throw any hands so that his confidence would build and his guard would start to drop. Then in round four they finally did and I hit him with an uppercut which floored him and he was unable to continue fighting.

What do you think of the recent WMC push into New Zealand?
I think its great.Its a genuinely good sanctioning body and I think it can help New Zealand Muay Thai in a big way.

Do you train and fight full time as a pro?
No I have a full time job unfortunately.I am in advertising for the auto motive industry. I would love to be a full time fighter but the money just ain't good enough.

Rex Redden can't be a common name, did you know you share the same name with a tight-wire ax-thrower?
That's my part time job!

Who gave you the nickname "rumble"?

Lollo Heamuli did. He gave that to me early in my career. I think it had something to do with the amount of fun I looked like I was having in the ring. I just liked to fight and couldn't and still can't wipe the smile off my face. The name has stuck ever since.

What other hobbies and interests do you have?
I am an adrenaline junkie so anything that can scare me is fun. I do a lot of motocross riding and spend heaps of time on my boat wakeboarding and diving. Girls are probably my biggest interest! haha!

There's a lot of full thai rules fights in Australia/New Zealand, bearing in mind how little you get paid as a professional sportsmen compared to other sports, do you feel these fights are worth the risks regardless of any money?
Well I don't fight any other than full thai rules and I love it. The money is only a bonus to me as I enjoy the fights so much. I think the risk is just part of it.

How do you think the standard of muaythai in New Zealand compares to other countries?
I think we are up there with the best of them. Our heavyweights have proven themselves in the K1 and we have lots of good up and coming lighter weight fighters in New Zealand starting to fight all over the world now. There are at least 3 fight nights per month happening here at the moment which is lifting the standard so much.

Where do you like to train in Thailand when you go there?
I want to go back and train at Sangtien Nois gym in Bangkok. Its always been my dream to fight on the Kings Birthday and fight at the major stadiums in Bangkok and Sangtien's seems to me to be the best place to prepare for those fights with people like Samgor training there. I also loved training at Lanna muay thai in Chiang Mai it was great fun and I met so many cool people.

What would you say was your hardest fight to date?
I would say Jombing was my hardest fight. I hit him with everything but nothing fazed him. He was the toughest person I ever stepped in the ring with. We went toe to toe for 5 rounds under full thai rules and neither of us backed down for five rounds. I lost on a split points decision. I really want a rematch with him.

Who in particular would you like to fight?
Jombing again, Pixie Burton from Australia (this one is lined up for 26th of june for my title) Preacher (Bruce Macphie) is another fight I want,and just want to keep fighting every month against good hard fighters. I love fighting Thai's to be quite honest as its more fun.

Is there anything you would like to say in closing?
I would just like to thank a few people who have given me inspiration along the way in my fight career- Dave Hitchens, John Wayne Parr, Hurricane, and all of my students.