By James Bovington
Leeds 13 will soon be home to another gym specialising in Thai Boxing, or Muay Thai.
As previously reported by WLD, Horsforth’s Richard Smith and his wife Lisa are relocating Bad Company from York Road to the former Dogs 4 Us pet shop behind Bramley Shopping Centre.
“We’re delighted to announce the next stage in Bad Company’s development,” said Mr Smith.
“We’re bringing a brand-new combat sports performance facility to West Leeds. It’s going to be big, 12,000 square feet or over 1,100 square metres and we hope to have it up and running by December.”
The new venture is a partnership with professional world champion Liam Harrison along with Jay Parker, owner of Gym King.
The facilities will include two boxing rings, and an area dedicated to MMA centred on a fighting cage. There will also be a complete strength and conditioning gym managed by experienced performance coaches with personal training available. Mr Smith is including physio and treatment rooms, and there will be onsite parking for 35 cars.
Since setting up Bad Company in 1993 the Smiths have coached over twenty world champions out of Bad Company and are currently Head Coaches for Team England WBC Muay Thai Amateur.
Bad Company is the only UK gym with three WBC Muay Thai professional World Champions in Andy Howson and Mateusz Duczmal in addition to Liam Harrison, 38, who fights Thailand’s Saeksan Kwanmuang in Denver next Saturday on One Championship.
Some 100,000 people in Britain train regularly at Thai Boxing gyms.
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