Steve Wakeling graces the pages of Men’s Fitness magazine

Seven-times world champion and undisputedly one of the best Muay Thai fighters in the world, Steve Wakeling, did not take long after his first few fights to earn himself the status of a legend in the sport.

It cannot be argued that, among the Thai boxing community, he has long been a role model and inspiration to fans and fighters through his admirable class – both in and out of the ring – and outstanding talent. However, with Thai boxing struggling to make it as a majority sport for many years despite high-budget productions and bouts being televised by big name broadcasters, it has been a frustrating effort for fans of both Steve and the sport to watch as these remarkable athletes received very little mainstream attention.

The last few years has seen a huge increase in interest from the general public in martial arts, with sports such as MMA bursting onto the scene to firmly claim its spot next to boxing as one of the UK’s most popular fight sports.

Avid Muay Thai fans will already have seen frequent coverage of Thai Boxers in niche media publications such as Fighters magazine, Martial Arts Illustrated and World MuayThai magazine. However, 2009 saw the release of newsstand favourite Men’s Fitness magazine’s ‘Fight Special’ issue – featuring none other than the great Steve Wakeling.

Sharing a multi-page feature alongside WBC world champion boxer Carl Froch and UFC’s The Ultimate Fighter 9 winner Ross Pearson, Steve was finally receiving some mainstream coverage. With a workout shoot taking place at the famous Scorpions gym in Beckenham, Muay Thai was finally reaching the masses through a well-produced, widely read magazine – and what better ambassador to carry us through than Steve Wakeling.