Three young boxers from Oldham and Middleton have been selected to represent Great Britain in the upcoming Muay Thai Federation World Championships in March.
Mackinlie Rushton-Carroll, 20, Ubaid Ali, 16 and Haidar Ali, 12, train with Gordon Estlick at the Thai Boxing school based in the Physique Gym in Walsden, West Yorkshire.
The young men have launched a fundraising campaign to fulfil their dream to compete as part of Team GB from March 12 to 19.
Mackinlie, the eldest, has been taking part in the sport since he was six and credits Muay Thai with helping him to overcome mental health issues after being bullied at school.
“When I was younger going through primary school I had lots of issues with name calling and now I look back on it, it does have some sort of an impact on me,” he said.
“It got to the point that my dad signed me up to start coming to the gym and it [Muay Thai] became my hobby when going into high school.
“I always used to tell myself don’t get in trouble or do anything stupid, just get ready for Saturday and you can go to training and let it all out then.
“And it paid off because it has really helped my mental health and I can’t live without it.”
After encountering a challenging year last year, Mackinlie, from Rhodes in Middleton, now works as a school behaviour mentor.
“Last year was a big struggle financially because I didn’t have a job and I was struggling for work.
“But now I am working in my dream job in a school and I am able to teach my skills to kids. It is something I can pass on to them while I am still aiming to be the best.”
Gordon Estlick has been coaching Mackinlie since 2022 but has been involved in the sport for over 35 years as he runs his own Martial Arts Club.
He turned professional in the sport at 18 and is a former British heavyweight Thai boxing champion.
After securing a bronze in the Muay Thai World Championships in 1999, the instructor is excited about coming back, this time with the team he has personally trained.
He said: “I try to lead by example as a coach but you couldn’t ask for more from all three of the boys, they want to do it and they have the appetite for it.
“I have been involved in the sport for 35 years now but even I am still learning new things which makes the sport really exciting.
“For me, it is more important that these kids can defend themselves than to win trophies as juniors because your career resets when you become an adult. I treat them like adults so they have no problem transitioning.”
Brothers, Ubaid and Haidar, are attending the World Championships for the first time this year after both winning several British Open Championship titles.
Haidar is the youngest to compete and he believes Muay Thai has taught him valuable life skills at such a young age.
“In July 2023, I won the Intercontinental Championship Challenge Belt against a powerful opponent from Ireland.
“I have learnt a lot from Muay Thai including discipline, respect, inner strength and how to work on my weaknesses and my strengths.
“It has always been my dream to be able to go to Thailand and fight. To be as good as the fighters in Thailand, it is their sport.
“When I train with my brother there is no competition, we just try to build on our progress together and learn from each other.”
The trio have to raise a minimum of £3,000 to enable them to fly to Thailand and compete in the tournament and are asking for help via their Go Fund Me pages to help support this once in a lifetime dream.
To donate, visit here and here.
