Monday, September 26, 2016

Muaythai nomad; Luna Tobin Peru and elsewhere ...


Luna Tobin fights for a WMC South America 57kgs title this weekend. She spoke to me about training, her links with Ireland and Muaythai life in Peru.

Our paths first crossed at the World Championships in Sweden in May, and then again at the Youth World Championships in Bangkok a few weeks ago. But she had a few more stops in her Muaythai summer. 

Starting with Bali MMA, where Tiffany van Soest trains, Luna said:

‘It was really cool. I’ve always watched her fights, and she is in my weight division as well. I was so excited, and she turned out to be so cool. She taught me a lot. The training was great, and you know it was Bali.

‘I was going to go for a month but the training was so cool, I stayed for two months.’
Luna Tobin Peru Muay thai WMC  Tiffany Van Soest Bali MMA
Training with Tiffany Timebomb Van Soest

She explains finding fights in Peru can be difficult for women; she trained a year before her first fight five years ago and then almost another year for her second.

Now with 15 fights under her belt across amateur and professional including the South American title, it’s easier to find opponents as promoters pay for title-shots. But training with an elite-level female is still worth a plane-ride.
Luna Tobin Peru Muay thai WMC Antonina Shevchenko Glory
Peru team at the IFMA World Championships (lto r) Tristana Tola, Luna, Antonina Shevchenko
Leaving the beach, she was in Thailand for the last six weeks, trying out different gyms.

Luna said: ‘I went to Chomanee’s gym, it’s in a poor part of Bangkok. It’s like the favela but the people in the gym were so nice. The trainer took good care of me. It was different, his style was very ‘kick to the head, one-two and kick to the head’.

She added, laughing: ‘He didn’t want me kicking legs or body ‘cause that could be blocked he said. All about the head.’

But like all fighters, there’s nothing like training with the people who know you best. She said: 

‘When my team came for the Youths, I started training with them, with my trainer. That was good as I hadn’t been training with him for a while, and it was good to have that time before the fight.’
Luna Tobin Peru Muay thai WMC F 14 gym Rodrigo Joquera
with her trainer Rodrigo Jorquera (r) in Peru F-14 gym

One more country has to be mentioned. Luna’s mother is Peruvian but her dad is from Co Galway.

She said: ‘I love travelling, my dad had us travelling from a young age so I got the bug. I went to school in Galway for a year. But it was Transition Year so I didn’t do a lot, it was more being with Dad in his country.

‘The first time I was there I was nine months old. I try to go as often as I can to visit my grandparents.’

And training, of course. She said: ‘I trained in Galway – I was there a few times and had a fight back in Peru straight after. The last time I was at Castlegar, a really good gym with good fighters.’

Luna fights against Argentinian boxer Giuliana Gosnard on Saturday in Peru. Follow Luna on Luna Tobin B Facebook or LunaTobinb Instagram for updates.

Go n’eiri leat/ Best of Luck!


South America World Muay thai Council WMC Luna Tobin Peru Muay thai WMC

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