John Wayne Parr
Encyclopedia
John Wayne "The Gunslinger" Parr (born 25 May 1976), also known as JWP, is an Australian middleweight
kickboxer and boxer
, fighting out of Boonchu Gym in Gold Coast, Queensland
. He is a 8 time World Champion and runner up in The Contender Asia
.
at the age of 11. As Parr was growing up, his family moved a lot and his mother helped him find a new gym each time they settled in a new place, in order to keep her son in training. At the age of sixteen, his family moved back to Queensland
, and Parr began training with Blair Moore.Moore was one of Queenslands premier promoters of Muay Thai.
. At the age of 19, Parr met Richard Vell who was one of the most famous kickboxing promoter in Australia at a Thai restaurant - Boonchu Thai, and asked him to let him train in Thailand. At this time, Parr was named "John Wayne Parr" after John Wayne
of Western Show
by Vell.
and lived in a Muay Thai
camp for four years, training in Pattaya
and Bangkok
, competing in 30 fights and winning two world titles. During his career in Thailand, he imitated a gunfighter with drawing a gun from his gun-folder at the end of Wai khru
before the bout, and this movement had caught the Thai public fancy. In this way he got his popularity in Thailand, and he was voted the Best Farang Fighter of the year in 1997, fought at Lumpinee Stadium three times, and at his first Thai King's birthday
. In 1999 Parr moved back to Australia
to open his own gym "Boonchu Gym ", and he also started participating boxing
matches.
who wins the Japanese national tournament of K-1
in the future, and won by the unanimous decision. On 19 September, Parr fought Takashi Ito
, another Japanese veteran kickboxer, in the joint event of AJKF
& MAJKF, and lost by TKO because the doctor stopped during 2R as Parr's head was cut with Ito's left elbow strike.
On 24 April 1999, he fought against Kenichi Ogata
, the Japanese national champion of shoot boxing
, and he won by KO with left hook at 2R. On 23 May, he paticipated the first event of "X-plosion series" which is the famous Australian kickboxing event and fought against Daniel Dawson
. Parr won by the unanimous decision at 5R.
On 13 October 2000, he participated K-1 Queensland 2000, the first K-1 event for him, and fought against Scott Bannan for his ISKA
Muay Thai
world championship at middleweight
. Parr knocked out Bannan with right knee strikes to body at 2R and won the world title. On 5 December, he fought against Orono Por.Muang Ubon for the vacant title of International Muay Thai Federation (IMF) at middleweight in the event of Thai King's Birthday event
. he won by the unanimous decision at 5R and won another world title of Muay Thai
.
on 8 July 2001. He won the championship by TKO at 10R and got his first boxing title. Next month, on 17 August, he challenged Nader Hamdan for his IBF
Pan Pacific Junior middleweight title, but he lost by the unanimous decision at 12R. On 21 September, he challenged the vacant title of OBA at Super welterweight with Rasheed Baloch, and won the title by TKO at 5R. On 24 October, he fought against Ian McLeod to defend his Australian national title, but he lost by the unanimous decision at 12R. On 5 December, he participated King's Cup tournament in Thailand, and won the tournament
with right cross in the semifinal, but he was beaten by Mike Zambidis
by Majority decision at the tournament final.
2004 John Wayne had his first fight for K-1 in Japan against Duane Ludwig winning by points. John Wayne made the final 8 with his first fight against Buakaw, after 3 rounds the judges scored it a draw, after a extension round John Wayne lost on a split point.
2005 JWP was invited back for eliminations beating Shane Chopper Chapman by KO. Making the final 8 JWP then fought Albert Kraus first fight on lost on points. JWP also had super fights on K-1 against Arslan Magomedov losing after extension and Kinami winning on points.
for The Contender Asia
title and USD $150,000. The fight was an emotional battle for Parr; just weeks before the contest, his father had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. His wife was also pregnant. Parr recovered from two knockdowns during the fight, but lost by unanimous decision.
Middleweight
Middleweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have begun in the 1840s. In the bare-knuckle era, the first middleweight championship fight was between Tom Chandler and Dooney Harris in 1897...
kickboxer and boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, fighting out of Boonchu Gym in Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
. He is a 8 time World Champion and runner up in The Contender Asia
The Contender Asia
The Contender Asia was a reality-based television series that follows 16 aspiring Muay Thai middleweight fighters from 12 countries as they compete in a series of outdoor challenges and sanctioned matches...
.
Early life
Wayne Parr began training in TaekwondoTaekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
at the age of 11. As Parr was growing up, his family moved a lot and his mother helped him find a new gym each time they settled in a new place, in order to keep her son in training. At the age of sixteen, his family moved back to Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, and Parr began training with Blair Moore.Moore was one of Queenslands premier promoters of Muay Thai.
Early career in Australia
Parr started participating the professional bouts at the age of 17. Moore trained Parr for 13 fights, with Parr winning an Australian title (63 kg) at the age of 17. A South Pacific title by 5th round knock out over Scott Lovelock was also won when Parr was 19. During his first career in Australia, he won some regional titles of WKAWKA
WKA is a three-letter acronym with multiple meanings, as described below:*World Kickboxing Association *World Karting Association*World Kick Boxing Association *Wanaka Airport, New Zealand...
. At the age of 19, Parr met Richard Vell who was one of the most famous kickboxing promoter in Australia at a Thai restaurant - Boonchu Thai, and asked him to let him train in Thailand. At this time, Parr was named "John Wayne Parr" after John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
of Western Show
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
by Vell.
Career in Thailand
In 1995 Parr moved to ThailandThailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and lived in a Muay Thai
Muay Thai
Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
camp for four years, training in Pattaya
Pattaya
Pattaya is a city in Thailand, located on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about 165 km southeast of Bangkok located within but not part of Amphoe Bang Lamung in the province of Chonburi....
and Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, competing in 30 fights and winning two world titles. During his career in Thailand, he imitated a gunfighter with drawing a gun from his gun-folder at the end of Wai khru
Wai khru ram muay
Wai Khru Ram Muay is a warm up activity in Thai culture that is performed by participants in Muay Thai competitions. Wai is an action of Thais to show respect to others by putting the hands together like in prayer. Khru means teacher. Ram means dance in the old Thai traditional style. Muay means...
before the bout, and this movement had caught the Thai public fancy. In this way he got his popularity in Thailand, and he was voted the Best Farang Fighter of the year in 1997, fought at Lumpinee Stadium three times, and at his first Thai King's birthday
Bhumibol Adulyadej
Bhumibol Adulyadej is the current King of Thailand. He is known as Rama IX...
. In 1999 Parr moved back to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
to open his own gym "Boonchu Gym ", and he also started participating boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
matches.
2nd career in Australia
Parr debuted his boxing career on 29 January 1998 against Jim Shannon as a 4 rounder. He won by TKO at 2R in his first boxing bout. On 25 April 1998, he fought against Takayuki KohiruimakiTakayuki Kohiruimaki
is a Japanese welterweight kickboxer and karateka competing in K-1 MAX. His real name is Takayuki Kohiruimaki. He started calling himself Taishin Kohiruimaki in 2008.-Young age:...
who wins the Japanese national tournament of K-1
K-1
K-1 is a defunct world-wide kickboxing promotion based in Tokyo, Japan founded by Kazuyoshi Ishii, a formerKyokushin karate practitioner. K-1 combines stand up techniques from Muay Thai, Karate, Taekwondo, Savate, San Shou, kickboxing, western-style boxing, and other martial arts...
in the future, and won by the unanimous decision. On 19 September, Parr fought Takashi Ito
Takashi Ito
Takashi Itō is a Japanese former welterweight kickboxer fighting out of Yamaki Gym in Setagaya, Tokyo. He is the owner of kickboxing gym "TARGET", and a manager of promotion company "R.I.S.E." of kickboxing events. He won the world title of WMAF at Junior middleweight. He is Christian.-Early...
, another Japanese veteran kickboxer, in the joint event of AJKF
AJKF
#All Japan Kickboxing Federation - the Japan-based past sanctioning and promoting body of professional kickboxing#All Japan Kendo Federation - the organization which controls kendo, one of the Japanese swords martial arts...
& MAJKF, and lost by TKO because the doctor stopped during 2R as Parr's head was cut with Ito's left elbow strike.
On 24 April 1999, he fought against Kenichi Ogata
Kenichi Ogata (shoot boxer)
Kenichi Ogata is a Japanese super welterweight shoot boxer, fighting out of Cesar Gym in Asakusa. His name "Kenichi" is pronounced as "Ken-ichi", not "Ke-ni-chi". He was the first Japanese national champion of shoot boxing at Super welterweight. He is the winner of S-cup in 2006 and the finalist...
, the Japanese national champion of shoot boxing
Shoot boxing
Shoot boxing is both a combat sport and a stand-up fighting promotion company based in Tokyo, Japan. The organization was founded by former kickboxer Caesar Takeshi in 1985....
, and he won by KO with left hook at 2R. On 23 May, he paticipated the first event of "X-plosion series" which is the famous Australian kickboxing event and fought against Daniel Dawson
Daniel Dawson
Daniel "The Rock" Dawson is an Australian super welterweight kickboxer and boxer, fighting out of Perth, Western Australia.-Boxing Career:Daniel Dawson has a boxing record of 34 wins and 2 losses...
. Parr won by the unanimous decision at 5R.
On 13 October 2000, he participated K-1 Queensland 2000, the first K-1 event for him, and fought against Scott Bannan for his ISKA
Iska
Iska is a village in Koonga Parish, Pärnu County in southwestern Estonia....
Muay Thai
Muay Thai
Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
world championship at middleweight
Middleweight
Middleweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have begun in the 1840s. In the bare-knuckle era, the first middleweight championship fight was between Tom Chandler and Dooney Harris in 1897...
. Parr knocked out Bannan with right knee strikes to body at 2R and won the world title. On 5 December, he fought against Orono Por.Muang Ubon for the vacant title of International Muay Thai Federation (IMF) at middleweight in the event of Thai King's Birthday event
Bhumibol Adulyadej
Bhumibol Adulyadej is the current King of Thailand. He is known as Rama IX...
. he won by the unanimous decision at 5R and won another world title of Muay Thai
Muay Thai
Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
.
Boxing career
In 2001, Parr shifted his career to boxing again. After 7 consecutive victories of boxing bouts since 1998, he fought against Andriy Khamula for the vacant Australian boxing title at MiddleweightMiddleweight
Middleweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have begun in the 1840s. In the bare-knuckle era, the first middleweight championship fight was between Tom Chandler and Dooney Harris in 1897...
on 8 July 2001. He won the championship by TKO at 10R and got his first boxing title. Next month, on 17 August, he challenged Nader Hamdan for his IBF
IBF
IBF may refer to:*International Boxing Federation is one of several boxing organisations* International Bandy Federation former name of Federation of International Bandy , an international governing body for bandy...
Pan Pacific Junior middleweight title, but he lost by the unanimous decision at 12R. On 21 September, he challenged the vacant title of OBA at Super welterweight with Rasheed Baloch, and won the title by TKO at 5R. On 24 October, he fought against Ian McLeod to defend his Australian national title, but he lost by the unanimous decision at 12R. On 5 December, he participated King's Cup tournament in Thailand, and won the tournament
K-1
On 26 November 2002, Parr participated K-1 Oceania MAX 2002 tournament. He knocked out Shane ChapmanShane Chapman
Shane "Choppa" Chapman is a New Zealand super middleweight kickboxer and boxer, fighting out of City Lee Gar Gym in Auckland. He is the 2002 and 2004 K-1 Oceania MAX champion and 4 time Muay Thai World champion.- Biography and career:...
with right cross in the semifinal, but he was beaten by Mike Zambidis
Mike Zambidis
"Iron" Mike Zambidis is a professional Greek kickboxer and martial artist. He is a 15 time World Champion, and is the current W.I.P.U...
by Majority decision at the tournament final.
2004 John Wayne had his first fight for K-1 in Japan against Duane Ludwig winning by points. John Wayne made the final 8 with his first fight against Buakaw, after 3 rounds the judges scored it a draw, after a extension round John Wayne lost on a split point.
2005 JWP was invited back for eliminations beating Shane Chopper Chapman by KO. Making the final 8 JWP then fought Albert Kraus first fight on lost on points. JWP also had super fights on K-1 against Arslan Magomedov losing after extension and Kinami winning on points.
S-1
In 2004 JWP won the S1 Tournament World Champion Title with 3 wins in one night. Together with this title, he won one million baht (equivalent to around USD $33,300), and a trophy from Thaksin Shinawatra.WMC
JWP won the prestigious vacant title of WMC World Muay Thai Champion with a unanimous victory over Alexandre Cosmo.The Contender Asia Finals
On 12 April 2008 Parr fought Yodsaenklai in SingaporeSingapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
for The Contender Asia
The Contender Asia
The Contender Asia was a reality-based television series that follows 16 aspiring Muay Thai middleweight fighters from 12 countries as they compete in a series of outdoor challenges and sanctioned matches...
title and USD $150,000. The fight was an emotional battle for Parr; just weeks before the contest, his father had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. His wife was also pregnant. Parr recovered from two knockdowns during the fight, but lost by unanimous decision.
Fight record
| Professional kickboxing record | |
|---|---|
Legend: |
|
Titles
- 2011 WKBF K-1 Middleweight World Champion
- 2010 WKA Thai boxing World Middleweight Championship 72.5 kg
- 2010 WKN Thai boxing World Super welterweight(72.6 kg) Champion
- 2008 International Kickboxer Magazine Champion
- 2008 WMC Contender Asia Runner upThe Contender AsiaThe Contender Asia was a reality-based television series that follows 16 aspiring Muay Thai middleweight fighters from 12 countries as they compete in a series of outdoor challenges and sanctioned matches...
- 2007 WMC Thai boxing Middleweight World Champion
- 2005 K-1 World Max world final 8
- 2005 WKBA K-1 World Welterweight Champion (Defense: 1)
- 2004 K-1 World Max world final 8
- 2004 S-1 Thai boxing World Middleweight Tournament Champion
- 2002 K-1 Oceania MAX finalist
- 2001 Australian Boxing Middleweight Champion
- 2001 Kings Cup Tournament Champion
- 2000 IMF Kings Cup Thai boxing World Middleweight Champion
- 2000 ISKA Thai boxing World Middleweight Champion
- 1999 Winner Kings Cup
- 1999 WMTC (Now WMC) Australian Jr. Middleweight Champion
- 1997 Winner Kings Cup
- 1994 WKA South Pacific Super Lightweight Champion
- 1992 WKA Australian Super Lightweight Champion
Awards
- 2004 Fighter of the Year by IronLife Magazine
- 2004 Fighter of the year by International Kickboxer Magazine
- 1997 Best Farang Fighter in Thailand.
Acting
John Wayne Parr has also acted in short movies such as The Violent, written by James Richards and Keith Macdonald. It was filmed in Australia and won Best Fight Choreography Short award at an international film festival.See also
- Muay ThaiMuay ThaiMuay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
- The Contender AsiaThe Contender AsiaThe Contender Asia was a reality-based television series that follows 16 aspiring Muay Thai middleweight fighters from 12 countries as they compete in a series of outdoor challenges and sanctioned matches...
- List of K-1 events
- List of male kickboxers
- List of kickboxing organizations
- Champions of Champions EliteChampions of Champions EliteChampions of Champions Elite or COC-Elite is a martial arts television show focused on Muay Thai that is currently airing once a month on G4TV...