Taiwan’s Victor Wang is set to fight for the Canadian super middleweight Muay Thai title. The 30-year-old will be entering a four-man tournament in Richmond, British Columbia, on May 3 with three of the country’s top fighters.
Originally from Taichung, Wang has lived in Canada long enough to qualify for citizenship making him eligible to compete for a national title in his adopted homeland. Despite not being the most naturally talented he says he was driven by sheer determination to become a successful professional fighter.
“I started learning martial arts in my early 20s. I wasn’t born the strongest, sports have always been my weakest point since I was young, but I always have a strong desire to be better and stronger,” he said.
Photo: Elaine Fung, courtesy of Victor Wang
Although he will be challenging for the first national title of his career, Wang has already tasted success in Canada at a regional level and is two-time light heavyweight Muay Thai champion of British Columbia and the former Western Canadian light heavyweight Muay Thai champ.
Like most Muay Thai fighters, he is not in it for the money. The rewards on offer are dwarfed by those in more mainstream combat sports such as boxing or mixed martial arts (MMA) and Wang has opted for this lifestyle for spiritual rather than financial reasons.
“Once I started learning about martial arts and fighting I couldn’t stop. I know it’s the source of my life energy, the passion that I have been looking for. I want to be successful on this journey so I can share my passion, experience and knowledge with as many people as possible,” he said.
Wang made his professional MMA debut in Hsinchu in 2009 and was invited to compete at Martial Combat in Singapore the following year. His focus in Canada has primarily been on Muay Thai, but that could all change when he returns home later this year.
“I still train MMA and I plan to move back to Taiwan at the end of 2013. I hope to promote this fighting art and sport in my home country and I would be more than happy to test myself at a major promotion like ONE Fighting Championship in the future,” he said.
To win the Canadian super middleweight Muay Thai title Wang will need to defeat two of the top opponents at his weight in the space of a single night. It will not be easy, but if he can emerge victorious on May 3 he will have another belt to squeeze into his luggage on the long flight home.
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