Jordan Katz (on left) and Corey Tilghman in Fight Preparation

Titan Fitness & Martial Arts Thai Boxing students, Jordan Katz and Corey Tilghman, will be competing at a United States Kickboxing Allience (U.S.K.A.) sanctioned event at the Hamburg Field House in Hamburg, PA this Saturday night, October 10.  This event will include kickboxers and Thai boxers from schools on the East Coast.

Katz is competing in his second Thai fight.  He was successful in first bout this past summer posting a TKO in the third round.  Tilghman will be making his Thai boxing debut.

If you are interested in supporting these fighters, contact the gym at 814/235-1015 or via email at info@titanfitness.com for directions to the fights.  Travel time is only a little over two hours.  We at Titan wish Jordan and Corey all the best in tomorrow evening’s fights.

As was previously reported, Titan Fitness & Martial Thai boxing member and Penn State student, Jordan Katz won his first ever Thai boxing bout this past July by TKO in the third round.  A better has since popped up, and we thought it would be a better way for you to see his clear domination of the fight.  So once again, check out the video and enjoy.

Titan Fitness & Martial Arts Thai boxing student Jordan Katz won his first fight at a United States Kickboxing Alliance (U.S.K.A.) event held in Hamburg, PA at the Hamburg Field House on July 25, 2009.  Jordan dominated the action for the three rounds leading up to a third round TKO.  We encourage you to watch the youtube video of Jordan’s fight.  We at Titan Fitness & Martial Arts congratulate Jordan on a great effort and victory in his inaugural bout.

After much hard work, two Titan Fitness members are ready to fight in their first matches.  Shawn Slater, 24, and Jordan Katz, 21, are competing in a Muay Thai fight on Saturday, July 25 at the Hamburg Field House, where they will see if all their training and hard work has paid off.

Slater, originally from State College, Pa., graduated from Penn State in 2007 with a  degree in Crime, Law and Justice.  He’s been training at Titan Fitness since January of 2007.

Katz is currently a Penn State student from Monroeville, Pa. majoring in Information Science and Technology.  

Thai boxing, or Muay Thai, differs from traditional western boxing by allowing eight points of contact; the hands, elbows, knees and shins are used in Thai boxing, compared to just fists in western boxing.

To get ready for his upcoming fight, Slater has upped the intensity of his workouts, and has added extra workouts twice a day on Tuesdays and Thursdays for about the past two months.  During training, Slater likes to see how far he can push himself mentally and physically.

“I’m confident in my abilities, (but) this is my first fight so I don’t completely know what to expect… I’ll do my best,” Slater said.   “When I’m sparring hard, I try to think about nothing and use the openings my opponent gives me.”

Katz also said that “ideally nothing” will be going through his head during the fight.  “Hopefully I will have drilled and sparred enough times that I will just react,” Katz said.

Katz, who’s been training at Titan Fitness for almost a year, has been training between eight to ten times a week for the upcoming match, compared to usually having only three Thai workouts a week when he’s not preparing for a fight.

“I enjoy being part of a sport again; I haven’t had that since high school… Mostly, I enjoy the nature of the sport. It’s one on one, there are no assists.  You’re either to blame or to congratulate, its all on you,” Katz said.  “Knowing that I am prepared is all the confidence that I’ll need.”

Despite their confidence, neither Katz not Slater know much about their opponents, both of who are also facing their first fight. 

Slater is already looking ahead in his career, hoping to have more Muay Thai fights and eventually start competing in mixed martial arts after more training.  Throughout his training at Titan Fitness, he’s said he has had great experience with both Bruce Lombard, martial arts director, and Paul Zelinka, who created lifting and conditioning routines for Slater, as well as being knowledgeable with nutrition.

While training in Muay Thai, Katz is also in Titan Fitness’ Elite Training and said being a part of Titan Fitness has been a great experience and recommends it to anyone interested in martial arts.

When he’s not training, Slater enjoys watching successful fighters John Wayne Parr in Muay Thai fights and Sean Sherk in mixed martial arts events.

This past Saturday, five Titan Fitness Thai Boxing students successfully passed their tests and achieved ranks in the Thai Boxing Association of the U.S.A. (TBA).  Emma Vautour, Jordan Katz, and Shawn Slater received their level one rank while Nicole Weatherholtz and Sandi Richter earned their level two rank.  The test was administered by Thai Boxing certified instructor, Jerry Matthews.

In the TBA, a student can receive the rank of apprentice instructor by passing a third test conducted by the founder of the organization, Ajarn Surachai Sirisute at one of his seminars.  The TBA is the oldest and largest Muay Thai organization with an international following.

We at Titan Fitness would like to congratulate these five students on their fine achievement.