By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
JORDAN Lukies never imagined he would ever enter a kickboxing ring.
The 23-year-old was bullied at school for being fat and, although the harassment faded as he grew older, he remained “quite a bit overweight”.
But in two weeks Jordan will face a battle of a different kind as he tests the work he has done in the past two years, stripping his body from 93kg down to 74 kg.
The Portarlington-based muay thai exponent is on an undercard at Warriors Way 10, run by former kickboxing champion and promoter Mark ‘Hammer’ Castagnini.
For Jordan, the biggest battle was fought in his mind, not in a gym or kickboxing ring.
“The biggest battle is in the mind rather than around your beltline,” he asserted.
“It comes down to believing in yourself, convincing yourself you can do it. It’s your self-talk.
“I’m just an ordinary bloke who’s made some choices.
“Don’t think about it, just do it. If you think twice you will talk yourself out of it. Start right now, don’t wait until tomorrow, just get started.”
The plasterer got started when he saw a friend shed a few kilos and noted how much it benefited him.
“I didn’t like the way I looked and I wanted to make a big change in my life. It took a year to lose 20kg but I wanted better for myself.
“It’s never too late to knock a few kilos off. I did it with entertaining exercise, doing fun activities, making sure your workout session is not boring.
“The kickboxing is about confronting fears. There’s nothing better than being friends with fear because when you then confront the fear it doesn’t have a hold on you anymore.”
Jordan, who trains with Chris Bradshaw at his Top Tier Muay Thai gym, already has his second fight lined up.
