Demanding hours in the gym are starting to pay off - big time - for Julia Budd.
Budd, who grew up and started her kick-boxing career on the Sunshine Coast, is fast becoming the one to beat.
Budd is the current B.C. Muay Thai kick-boxing champion. She will be fighting for the Canadian title next month in Calgary and the North American title on June 25 in North Vancouver.
Budd has just returned from a major international competition where she won an unexpected fight against a top-ranked competitor.
On March 26 at the Stardust Pavilion in Las Vegas, Budd beat Gina Carano of Las Vegas in a unanimous decision in an international Muay Thai tournament.
"Gina was 10-0 and I went in to that tournament with a 3-1 record. My record really didn't stand up," Budd said from Vancouver during a break from training. "It was a big upset. I think I shocked a lot of people. The whole atmosphere inside the pavilion was really weird. Everyone was cheering for her and no one really believed that I had beaten her. I had my fans though. My parents were there cheering me on. That's all that mattered to me."
Budd said the fight was being filmed for a new kick-boxing movie called Ring Girls.
"I don't know if they're going to use that footage," Budd said with a laugh. "It was a huge win for me and a huge confidence booster."
Budd's next event will be showcased on TSN on June 4 when she is part of the undercard at the K1 Max event in Calgary."The long hours and the struggles are paying off," she said. "Getting these opportunities makes all the pain, the long runs and the hours in the gym worth it."
Budd is 21 years old; she started kick-boxing when she was 15.
She began her training with Gabriel Ostovic here on the Sunshine Coast.
She has since moved to the Lower Mainland and is in her fourth year at the University of British Columbia majoring in kinesiology. She now trains with Lance Gibson in Port Moody, but she hasn't forgotten her roots on the Coast.
"I trained with Gabriel for five years. I had five fights and won the B.C. title when I was with him," Budd said. "We have a really close relationship. He is like a father to me. The moment I started training with him, we clicked instantly."
Budd started kick-boxing as a way to keep physically fit, but now it's turned into much more than that.
"Originally, I heard from some friends about this guy who had this gym out of his garage in Sechelt," she recalled. "I went and was immediately hooked. I had a great workout and I just kept coming back. I kept pushing Gabriel to let me compete and he kept pushing me to wait and continue to train. Finally he said I was ready, and we had a lot of success together. "When I moved to Vancouver for school, he suggested I train with Lance. Lance is one of the best teachers in North America. I've been blessed to have so many great people pulling for me and in my corner."
Comparatively new in the West, Thai kick-boxing is actually an ancient martial art, with records dating to at least the early 15th century. Duels then were savage: fighters wrapped their fists in hide to inflict maximum damage on opponents - many fought to the death. Strict regulations were introduced in the 1930s, with much of the equipment resembling that of standard boxing.
But unlike boxers, Muay Thai fighters also use their feet, knees and elbows. Martial arts experts consider Muay Thai the toughest and most demanding of all contact sports.
"I train six days a week, two classes a day and two private lessons a week. I also run and do sprints outside the gym," Budd said. "It's about 20 hours every week. It's demanding, but if you want to be the best, you have to earn it."
