His martial-arts career started in the late 1980s and continues to this day. His name is John Wayne Parr, and he is considered to be one of the most valuable players in this game.
The most important moment of the kickboxer’s career came on July 7, 2004. Parr competed in K-1 World Max Final in Tokyo. In the quarterfinal, he faced a young newcomer from Thailand known at the time as Buakaw Por. Pramuk — this young man later came to be known as Buakaw Banchamek.
After three rounds, the judges scored the fight as a draw and sent the fight to a fourth round. Buakaw emerged as the winner via split decision and went on to destroy Kohiruimaki and Masato in the semifinal and final, respectively, to become the first K-1 champion from Thailand.