MELAKA: What began as a political war of words ended in a decisive first-round victory for well-known social and political commentator Ang Woei Shang, who took down former DAP member Hew Kuan Yau in a kickboxing showdown.
The fight, which drew a large crowd at a mall in Wangsa Maju on Sunday (Nov 8), ended by referee stoppage within 90 seconds of actual fight time.
The two men, who spent months trading barbs over the proposed fight, initially exchanged blows after touching gloves, but Ang soon gained the upper hand.
Hew, 56, who wore red protective headgear and gloves, was knocked down within 10 seconds of the opening round.
He fell again shortly afterwards, prompting a brief stoppage when his protective equipment came loose, and his assistant stepped in to help him put it back on.
The fight resumed after about a minute, with Ang, 40, wearing blue headgear and gloves, adopting a defensive-counterattacking approach.
He knocked Hew, popularly known as "Superman Hew", down two more times in about 20 seconds, prompting the referee to stop the bout as Hew was unable to continue.
The contest had been scheduled for three two-minute rounds.
Despite the defeat, Hew took the result in his stride, telling reporters after the match that he was "not a professional fighter and would simply have to train harder".
Ang, popularly known in the Chinese community as "Lawyer Ang", said he respected Hew for honouring his commitment to enter the ring, despite the latter's decision to bring the fight forward from its original date.
It was reported earlier that Ang maintained that a bout originally scheduled for Nov 29 and with terms and conditions set by Hew still stands, and he was set on showing up.
"I am prepared to honour that agreement and hope he (Hew) would turn up for the scheduled event.
"Even established fighters have second bouts, giving the loser another opportunity to take on the winner. I hope he honours the original agreement," Ang told reporters.
He also thanked veteran mixed martial arts (MMA) coach Kenny Ng for guiding him through three months of training, which he said helped him shed 6kg.
Ang's appearance in the ring came amid his continued involvement in political campaigning.
He is scheduled to speak at a ceramah in Machap Jaya here on Monday (Nov 9) night in support of Barisan Nasional candidate Datuk Ngwe Hee Sem.
The rivalry between Ang and Hew began during the Negri Sembilan state election campaign in July when Ang, who was campaigning for MCA candidate John Siow Kong Choon in Chennah, challenged DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke to a debate.
Hew subsequently dismissed the proposal as a publicity stunt and challenged Ang to settle their differences in the ring instead.
Ang accepted, setting in motion a series of exchanges over the fight arrangements, training and eventual date of the showdown.
