Varty snatches 4th NZ title | Wairarapa News | Local News in Wairarapa

Masterton kickboxer Brendan Varty has seized yet another national title after putting down a previously undefeated champion at the weekend.

Varty, 23, took the 73kg New Zealand Thai Boxing Association title by decision from Taranaki Hydras fighter BJ Bland at the Deadly Debut 12 Clash of Champions tournament, at the Lower Hutt Town Hall on Saturday night.

There were 14 fights on the card at the Clash of Champions, which also featured fighters from Wellington, Hamilton, Palmerston North and the South Island.

Varty, who fights out of Harley's Kickboxing Gym in the town, adds his latest championship belt to a clutch he already holds, including the 69.5kg NZTBA North Island title, the 70kg NZ World Muay Thai Council title and the 70kg NZTBA title.

Varty took the win on Saturday night alongside fellow Harley's Kickboxing Gym fighter Andre Irwin, who won his 84.5kg bout by TKO against Porirua Maximum Fitness fighter Jamie Hockly.

Coach Mal Harley said Varty, who also had clubmates and past national champions Bryce Baron and Simon Hodder in his corner, proved with his win over Bland he was "the undisputed champion" across the hat-trick of weight divisions.

He said the full Thai rules victory was made even more impressive considering Varty took up the sport only two years ago and still took out an opponent with a 30-fight record who had been undefeated for the past three years. Varty now boasts a fight record of only two losses - both international bouts - in a run of 12 out of 16 bouts he has won by way of a knockout.

"This was the fight of the year. Both Brendan and Bland are renowned for stopping their opponents early and yet on Saturday they went the whole five rounds."

Harley said Varty had taken the first and fourth rounds, after losing the second and drawing the fourth, before he "clinched it in the fifth".

"BJ just ran out of grunt but did well to stay up. Both fighters were super-fit and what decided the winner, in the end, was simple determination. Brendan was relentless."

Varty is set to fight again in Hamilton in September alongside a slew of his clubmates against "hard fighter" Sam Menzies, who fights for Zero Tolerance out of Napier.

Harley said he was equally impressed on Saturday with Harley's fighter Irwin, who won his bout after coming off a loss in Hamilton in May. He said Irwin now had a three-fight record that included a debut win and that he took his bout on Saturday after knocking out opponent Hockly with an uppercut and straight combination right on the bell that closed the first round.