From Cancer Patient To Muay Thai World Champion

A 19-year-old who was diagnosed with colon cancer has since defied doctor’s orders to take up contact sports and become a World Muay Thai champion at three different weight levels.

Dean James, from Wolverhampton, was a typical sporty teenager who was inspired by the explosive sequences of Muay Thai whilst working out in the gym one day following his devastating diagnosis.

“I was blown away. I couldn’t believe how someone could generate so much power into a pad continuously. I found myself wondering what these guys were training.”

“I learnt a lot about Muay Thai just by watching it. My body wasn’t ready for intense combat at first, but watching it all from ringside was intellectually stimulating and gave me something to focus on.”

In a bid to stay fit and positive, Dean started to incorporate the Thai boxing style into his training, which provided him with the perfect outlet for the pent up anger, frustration and pain he’d experienced in recent months.

“Training Muay Thai was like a physical and emotional release for me. I had spent so much time in hospital, I felt I was missing out on so much. I guess that frustration built up inside me over time. Punching and kicking the bags made me feel so much better”.

Muay Thai also boosted Dean’s self-confidence, and in the years that followed his chemotherapy and recovery, he went on to win three different world titles at three separate weight divisions (plus Commonwealth and European championships) and has recently signed with TankoManagement.co.uk. The management deal will help develop his career and organise his future fixtures, whilst providing greater exposure to a wider audience, and supply a sure springboard for further success in the sport.

However, none of this success happened overnight, and Dean’s journey has not been an easy one. The fighter had to drop out of university after his diagnosis and he was also forced to hide his Muay Thai passion from his parents; knowing they would fear for his health if they found out.

“I’d been so frustrated in the previous few months since my diagnosis, but Muay Thai helped me so much. By watching the sport and eventually participating in it, I found myself surrounded by terrific role models and nice people.”

Now a role model himself, Dean is a full time PE and art teacher at an independent high school for students with behavioural emotional social difficulties, and incorporates many traits and skills from his Muay Thai participation in his teaching, including; positive mental attitudes, winning mind sets, ambition, and determination.

Dean’s mantra is “If someone tells me I can’t do something, I will do it to prove them wrong. This is the type of mind-set and drive I try to instil into my students – most of the time all you need is the confidence and support to overcome a challenge and succeed in the face of adversity.”

Dean continues to fight competitively against international opponents, with his headmistress, Sheraine Reid Ferguson at Spring Hill High School, his pupils and their parents all offering their support.

Sheraine Reid Ferguson said, “Dean possesses a skill-set that underpins a strength of character, which helps him to match the intensity that is required to work with arguably some of the most challenging and vulnerable children in the country.”

Dean’s next fight at Muay Thai Grand Prix 3 will see him attempt to return to winning ways against Wuttichai – a Thai fighter who defeated him at The Main Event 2015.