The Fighter

The Fighter is the compelling life story of Australian Muay Thai legend 'John' Wayne Parr - a fighter's odyssey full of twists, turns, world titles, personal challenges and triumphs.

Hailed as a legend in the fighting world, ten-time Muay Thai and kickboxing world champion 'John' Wayne Parr knew ever since The Karate Kid came out that he wanted to learn a martial art.

From then, Wayne trained in diverse styles including taekwondo and kickboxing as his family moved around Australia. He eventually settled on Muay Thai, seduced by its paradox of violence balanced against the romance of tradition and culture.

Muay Thai took Wayne around the world in a career that spanned almost 150 fights. And there were triumphs beyond his multiple wins too, like meeting his wife and starting a family. But amid the thrills of achieving championship status, Wayne also faced challenges brought on by taking his body to the very edge, as well as a series of personal struggles.

This is the story of a man who knows what it is to test himself, physically and mentally, and the life lessons he learnt along the way, all told with Wayne's characteristic sense of humour.

'John' Wayne Parr (Author)

'John' Wayne Parr, known as 'The Gunslinger', is a living legend. After cutting his teeth in the burgeoning Queensland Muay Thai scene, he moved to Thailand where he became the training and sparring partner of Sangtiennoi 'The Deadly Kisser' Rungroj.

Wayne built a reputation fighting and defeating some of the greatest boxers of his generation, earning the accolade of Best Farang Fighter in 1997. He won the IMF world title at the King's Birthday Tournament in 2000 and the S-1 world title at Rajadamnern stadium in 2004.

In the course of 150 fights and 349 stitches, Wayne has won a total of ten world titles at middleweight, including the prestigious WBC World Title and an Australian middleweight boxing title. He has also competed in the K1 Max, finally retiring from competition at One Championship on March 26, 2022.

Wayne remains active in the fight game as a coach, running his fight gym Boonchu on the Gold Coast with his wife Angie, herself a retired world champion. Their eldest, Jasmine, has competed as a kickboxer and won an Australian middleweight boxing title. Their two younger children, Jesse James and Jemma, are also active in the gym.

Jarrod Boyle (Author)

Jarrod Boyle studied film at the University of Melbourne and at the Victorian College of the Arts. In 2008, he won the Victorian super heavyweight kickboxing championship and was then drafted to what was at that time the strongest gym in the world, Golden Glory in Breda, Holland. He trained alongside such greats at Ramon Dekkers, Stefan Leko, Errol Zimmerman, Gokhan Saki and Alistair Overeem.

After being interviewed by International Kickboxer Magazine, Jarrod joined the editorial staff and wrote for Blitz, IK and Fight! Magazine for over a decade. Jarrod has since retired from fighting but continues to write, having been published in The Age, Island Magazine, and The Review of Australian Fiction. The Fighter: The Legendary Life of an Australian Champion is his first work of non-fiction and will be published by Hachette in 2024.

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