Bungay student Fergus Lacey wins regional kickboxing title

Fergus Lacey, 16, won the World Kick Boxing Organisation (WKO) junior regional title for East Anglia in a hard-fought battle at the end of last year.

The Suffolk New College On The Coast in Halesworth learner has an impressive record of six wins and three losses and is currently weighing up his next move.

In the run-up to his latest title bout that took place over five 90-second rounds, Fergus lost 7kg (just over a stone) in six weeks to make weight by sticking to a diet of chicken and rice, avoiding carbohydrates and taking saunas.

Fergus Lacey with his regional title belt (Image: Suffolk New College)

Fergus, who fights for Union Thai stable, said: “Losing that much weight made me feel tired – but I managed to go the distance and unanimously won.

"At the time, I didn’t think I’d done enough to win, but on reflection, I was definitely on top.”

In terms of what is next, Fergus said: “I’m at a bit of a crossroads at the moment.

"On the one hand, I don’t want to leave it here as you never want to quit something you are good at.

"On the other hand, I have lots of other passions like cars, bikes and being a DJ. I also dabble in music production.

"But, I definitely want to fight again. I’m currently looking at my options – I think the next one might be in April 2023.”

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On how his passion for kickboxing came about, Fergus said: “I fell in love with UFC at the age of eight, when Connor McGregor was on the rise.

"I started training at the age of 15, had my first fight two months later and I am where I am today.”

Sherry Storer, from the Halesworth college, said: “We recognise the hard work and dedication it takes to reach this standard of competition so everyone at the college is super proud of Fergus.”

Words of encouragement in Fergus's corner (Image: Brett King)