Fight City Quartet To Compete In Ohio
[Written by Stephen Wright]
Muay Thai fighter Ashton Bell will be eyeing his second title at the Tournament of Champions at the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio, next week.
Bell [10-2] claimed the super-middleweight crown in the Novice Division when he debuted at the tournament in Des Moines, Iowa, in 2021.
The 29-year-old, who represents Fight City Muay Thai and Fitness, will compete in the B Class for fighters with 13 bouts or less at the tournament, which runs from February 29 to March 3.
He will be joined by team-mates Jay Astwood [159 lbs, 5-6], Ashleigh Mayo [117 lbs, 0-1], and debutant Trevor Smith [186 lbs].
Accompanying the travelling contingent to Columbus will be Chuck Morgan, the Fight City head coach.
“This will be the first time we’ve competed at the Tournament of Champions since 2021 when Ashton won a belt,” Morgan told Bernews.
“In 2019, we also claimed a title through Nathan Amaral in the welterweight Novice Division.
“Ashton and Jay are our most experienced fighters and will have stern tests in the B Class. I expect them to do well and stand up to those tests.
“They’ve both been working at different aspects of their game. Jay has been working with Pelon Andrade at the Fresh and Hungry Boxing Club [in Warwick] to improve his boxing game.”
Morgan, the WBC MuayThai Bermuda chairman, said he also has high hopes for Mayo and Smith, who will compete in the Novice Division.
“It will be Trevor’s first time stepping into the ring, and he’s been training hard and doing really well,” he added.
“He’s naturally athletic, and we hope to transfer that athleticism into the ring.
“Each fighter should get a decent amount of experience over a compressed period, which is something we like about these tournaments.”
