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Manu Ntoh
“Real
power lies in the mind not the body. We
come into this world with nothing
and leave with only the knowledge we’ve
gained.”
By: Gregory Story
Getting the Kick out of World
Champ
 Manu Ntoh’s plans to unify
the WBC, WBA, IBF,WBO super middleweight boxing crowns sometime in 2003 or 2004
when he’ll be cresting the far side of thirty.
Credence to his claim comes from a string of French National Titles in
karate and World Championships in Thai Kickboxing.
Every fighting form this
Atlanta based fighter’s undertaken has led to success typically in dramatic
fashion. By way of example, Manu
recounts his first World Title in Thai
Kickboxing. He knocked the reigning
champ, Ravi Noy, out in the first round of their September 96 match.
“I dropped him with a kick
in the head. He wasn’t
anticipating that kind of strike because I’m only five seven and he was six
feet. He didn’t believe I could get up that high with such force,
but my background in Kung Fu gave me the flexibility to pull it off,” he says
with a chuckle recalling how this surprise ending earned him the nickname
“golden leg junior” for his stature or lack of and kicking ability.
 At eighteen, the Parisian
native became the youngest man in France ever to be awarded a blackbelt in Viet
Vo Dao, a style similar to Chinese Kung Fu featuring lots of leg kicking in
scissors fashion. His first French
National Karate Championship followed soon after in 1984, and by 1988 totaled
five in all including two won the same day in the 143 and 154lbs. weight
divisions. This led to an
invitation to join the national team of the French Federation of Martial Artists
and soon thereafter a chance to turn pro on the kickboxing circuit with his
first fight at the Hollywood Palladium in 1989.
“Nobody trained like I did.
It gave me such confidence that I predicted I’d win in the second round
which I did by anesthetizing my opponent’s legs with so many kicks, he
couldn’t stand up anymore and fell to the mat and couldn’t get up,” Manu
says.
 Much the same thing happened
in his second Thai Kickboxing World Championship victory though not so quickly
in the fight or in life. In
September of 98, he’d moved up from the middleweight to the light heavyweight
class and lost a tough fight by decision in a 12 rounder in the Draka World
Championship at the Grand Auditorium in Los Angeles.
The defeat prompted him to return to Thailand scene of his first world
title and to drop back down to the middleweight class.
Quick weight loss helped contribute to another ring loss.
“Then Draka invited me back
for a rematch, and I had to gain all the weight back again, but I kept myself
limber with yoga, and meditation helped me visualize my goal.
When I got into the ring, I kicked the champ so much in the legs that by
the ninth round he couldn’t move anymore, and that allowed me to maneuver for
a knockout,” Manu states.
 His third World Title came in
September of 2000 in Orange County, California.
“By this point, I’d moved to America and loved being here, loved living in
Huntington Beach, but I didn’t let it distract me from my mission,” Manu says.
The aptly named Low Kick
Productions was now his sponsor. Blessed
by all this lucky legwork, it might seem strange for Manu to switch to
professional boxing. He credits his
grandfather in helping him make the change.
“He’s a shaman who can
see into the future, and whether you believe that or not, he’s the one who
convinced me to take up kick boxing by telling me he saw me becoming a world
champion. Now he’s telling me I will be the champ in boxing, and I
believe him,” Manu states.
In the summer of 2000, Manu
won his first pro boxing match in Atlanta, Georgia fighting as a middleweight. He’s currently under a three-year contract to Leslie Banano
fighting in such premier locations as Madison Square Garden, Las Vegas and
Chicago. With fights as close
together as March 31, April 12, and May 17 this year, Manu is quickly building
up an enviable record.
“My promoter can get me as
many fights as I want, and I want a lot. I
need them. You only get what
you deserve. You have to pay the
price, train hard, and have faith in your goal,” Manu says.
 He describes a rigorous
training regimen starting with an hour run at dawn followed by morning and
afternoon workouts. He trains with
ranked cruiserweights who make his middleweight opponents seem less formidable.
“My style’s a lot like
the early Mike Tyson always pressing forward.
All that force I built up in my legs can now be transferred into balance
and punching power,” he claims.
Manu’s goals have a
practical side as well. Realizing
the real money fights are in boxing, he wants a couple of big paydays so he and
his wife can start a family.
“I
see too many kids living in poverty with nothing.
I want to be able to provide for my children,” he says.
In school, Manu grew from a
boy dreaming of being Spiderman to a serious student of law at Paris’ famed
Sorbonne. His viewpoint in martial
arts evolved from seeing judo as a game to realizing that fighting is a way of
life that teaches respect for all.
His goal locked in, Manu declares, “As Tuesday follows Monday, I will be
champ.”
 If you would like to contact Manu Ntoh, you can reach him
at
manuntoh@worldblackbelt.com.
To view previous honoree
click here.
*If you wish to nominate a candidate for the Fight Zone you can email us at
nominees@worldblackbelt.com.
*Only WorldBlackBelt members can nominate and/or be nominated.
 By: Gregory Story
gregstory@worldblackbelt.com
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