Ilya Grad (; born June 22, 1987) is an Israeli

Muay Thai Muay Thai or Muaythai (, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, the Art of Eight Limbs or the Science of Eight Limbs, is a Thai martial art and full-contact combat sport that uses stand-up striking, sweeps, and various clinch fighting, cl ...

boxing champion. His current professional record stands at 35-13 (16 KOs). In 2010 he was considered one of the eight best amateur Muai Thai boxers in the world. In February 2012, Grad won the WCK international title in China, In January 2013 the I-1 WMC world professional title in Hong Kong and in April WMC title in Singapore. Grad also made history by being the first known Israeli fighter to enter

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

under his

Israeli passport The Israeli passport ( ; ) is the travel document issued to citizens of the State of Israel for the purpose of international travel. It grants the bearer visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 170 countries and territories, where they are ent ...

Early life

Grad attributes much of his success to martial arts claiming that it led him away from the self-destructive path of bar fights in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

. He goes by the fight name “Achilles” in part, because of his fondness for Greek mythology and good looks.

Controversies

During the 2009 kick boxing championships in Bangkok, Grad met fellow kick boxer and Iranian kick boxing team captain Mostafa Abdollahi. Despite the political discourse between the respective countries, the two quickly became friends, began training together and acted as corner-men for each other. A Muay Thai Federation website published the story but removed it after Iranian protests.

The Challenger Muaythai controversy

In 2011, Grad became the first Israeli boxer to legally enter

after being invited to participate in the

AXN Asia AXN is a pan-Asian pay television channel owned by KC Global Media Asia and headquartered in Singapore. The channel primarily airs action shows, notably police procedural dramas, with most of its content originating in North America. Formally a ...

reality show, "The Challenger Muaythai" featuring various Muay Thai fighters from different countries. Malaysia, a predominantly Muslim nation, officially bans Israelis from entering the country. When he arrived at

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

airport, Grad was detained for 25 hours, but was finally allowed to enter the country following the intervention of the Malaysian Minister of Sports. During his first bout, the show’s producers asked him to carry the Russian flag after his place of birth. He refused and stated that he would rather return home, after which the producers allowed him to proceed with the Israeli flag. When he entered the ring, the local audience booed him. He was matched against French fighter,

Antoine Pinto Antoine Pinto (born February 16, 1991), also known as Antoine Siangboxing, is a French former Muay Thai kickboxer who trains in Thailand. Pinto is best known as the youngest foreign fighter to have competed at the prestigious Lumpinee Stadiu ...

but lost in a split decision. The two Malaysian judges voted against Grad while the Thai judge voted in his favor. Grad believed he had won the fight as did his corner-men and believed that politics played a role in the decision making process.

I threw an upper elbow to meet his movement and cut him over the eyebrow. As I saw the blood pouring down his face I rushed forward and in the clinch I used big elbows and saw a big lump growing slowly over his forehead. The round was totally mine and my strategy proved to be effective. For the rest of the fight I claimed the center of the ring and Antoine was mostly on the ropes, working the middle kicks. The fight was close, but not hard. I was never physically hurt, I never lost my power and I was never on the ropes on the defensive side. I felt in control throughout the entire match.

After the fight, Grad was approached by audience members who apologized for jeering him and informed him that they thought he had won the fight.

Awards

* Israeli champion 2006/2007/2008/2009 * Baltic champion 2007 * IFMA world championships 3rd place winner 2009 * IFMA Asia champion 2010 * I-1 Grand Slam 2011 runner up * WCK pro International Champion 2012 * Kings Trophy 2012 semi finalist * Toyota Cup 2012 semi finalist * I-1 World Champion 2013 * WMC World Champion 2013 In April 2012, ''Shalom Life'' ranked him Number 1 on its list of “the 50 most talented, intelligent, funny, and gorgeous Jewish men in the world.”

Fight record

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Surat Thani Surat Thani (, ) is a city in Amphoe Mueang Surat Thani, Surat Thani Province, southern Thailand. It lies south of Bangkok. It is the capital of Surat Thani Province. The city has a population of 132,040 (2019), and an area of . The city's ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

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Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

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Tengnueng Sitjaesairoong Tengnueng Sitjaesairoong (; born October 6, 1992), formerly known as ''Super-X Por. Petchnamchai'', is a Thai Muay Thai fighter from the Nakhon Sawan Province of Central Thailand. He is a 2014 King's Cup (Muay Thai), King's Cup Super 8 Tournament ...

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Pattaya Pattaya is a city in Eastern Thailand, the second-largest city in Chonburi province and the List of municipalities in Thailand, eighth-largest city in Thailand. It is on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about southeast of Bangkok, and h ...

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References