has spent more than two decades fighting his way to the top of the Muay Thai world, and on April 4 in U.S. primetime, he바카라ll finally have his shot at the most prestigious belt in the sport.
In the main event of , the hard-hitting Brit will challenge two-division, two-sport kingpin for his ONE Heavyweight Muay Thai World Title in front of a rowdy Thai crowd at the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok.
It바카라s been a long and winding journey for 바카라Knowlesy,바카라 as he바카라s overcome personal tragedy and plenty of ups and downs on his way to this life-changing opportunity.
Before he makes his ONE debut and challenges Kryklia for 26 pounds of gold, Knowles shared with his life story with onefc.com.
An Idyllic Childhood
The youngest of three athletic and energetic boys, Knowles has nothing but fond memories about his childhood, which was filled with activity and competition between the brothers.
He recalls his father working long hours day and night to provide for the family, while his mother was a constant and supportive presence at home:
바카라Growing up, my father worked his nuts off to give us everything we needed. He had two or three jobs. He was a carpenter and joiner during the day, and worked security at night and other jobs on the weekend.
바카라My mum stayed home looking after us three menaces, but she did a fantastic job. We didn바카라t have to get the bus or train anywhere. We were spoiled. My mum would drive us all to school and pick us all up. All my friends were jealous. She바카라d take us to football, to swimming 바카라 everywhere. We didn바카라t go without. We were really lucky in that respect.바카라
Throughout his early years, Knowles tried his hand at practically every sport he could. Even at home, he and his brothers never stopped competing against each other.
It wasn바카라t until he was nearly finished with high school that he finally landed on Muay Thai:
바카라Being three young lads, we all had a competitive drive with one another. So my mum had us in several sports. We were competitive swimmers, we played football on the weekend, anything my mum could do to get us out of the house to stop us from fighting with each other, she did.
바카라I had my first swimming race and football matches from the age of six up until I started Muay Thai at 17 years old. But our backyard growing up was a multipurpose arena. During the winter it was football and during the summer it was cricket and tennis.바카라
Tragedy Strikes
Following in the foot steps of his oldest brother, Christian, the young Knowles quickly fell in love with 바카라the art of eight limbs,바카라 and before long, he found himself traveling to Thailand to learn from the best in the birthplace of the sport:
바카라I바카라d always been comfortable backing myself, but I got into Muay Thai at 17 after seeing Christian do so well. That was my impetus. I went to Thailand with him a few times afterwards and just caught the combat sports bug. I just loved it.바카라
Then, just two years into his Muay Thai journey, Knowles lost his beloved father to a heart attack at the age of 59.
The entire Knowles clan was, understandably, devastated. The family patriarch was both the life of the party and the image of hard work, and his death left a massive hole in the close-knit family.
Ultimately, it was the death of their father that led brothers Christian and Lyndon down the path of professional Muay Thai that they remain on today:
바카라When I was 19, my dad passed away. That was a hard time for the two of us, losing our father and role model who바카라d laid the blueprint for us to see how hard work pays off.
바카라Christian took the loss in that he decided life바카라s too short. He didn바카라t want to have a normal life, or have a normal job. So he carved out his own path and opened up the first full-time UK Muay Thai gym, and I helped train classes.
바카라I had my second fight just after [my father] passed, which was a real test after going through that hardship. That바카라s when Christian and I decided to embark on this journey together.바카라
The Grieving Process
Since then, both Christian and Lyndon have cemented themselves among the UK바카라s top Muay Thai fighters and coaches. Their gym, Knowlesy Academy, is home to some of the planet바카라s best strikers, including reigning ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion and recent ONE World Title challenger .
Behind the scenes, though, 바카라Knowlesy바카라 struggled with the loss of his father at such an early age. As the family바카라s youngest, he had the least amount of time to create memories with his father:
바카라My mum always said I was his favorite, but we never went out for a beer together. The family holidays we had I was so young, so I don바카라t remember much of that. But I still have a lot of memories of him. I just wish we could have done more. That바카라s the thing with family, though. No matter how much time you get with them, it바카라s never enough.바카라
At the time, Knowles nearly lost himself in grief and heartbreak. He felt depressed, unmotivated, and stuck without his father around.
His older brother Julian helped Knowles battle through his grief and, little by little, regain a sense of normalcy:
바카라If it wasn바카라t for my other brother Julian, I don바카라t think I바카라d have gone back to work. I was bed bound. I didn바카라t want to do anything. He went back to work and eventually got me to as well. If it wasn바카라t for my two brothers, I바카라d probably still be in bed now.
바카라I knew I had to get back to life, but it wasn바카라t easy. My brother told me I had to get back to work. My family are good communicators, and our word is our bond. So I knew because I바카라d said it, I바카라d have to do it. It바카라s all in little steps.바카라
Before long, Knowles was back in the gym and would spend the following 20 years largely dominating the UK Muay Thai circuit, winning a WBC Muay Thai World Title in the process, and eventually earning his shot in the world바카라s largest martial arts organization.
Still, he admits that the sting of his father바카라s death is still there and still fresh. Of course, he바카라s gone on to accomplish plenty in his life, but that pain has never completely gone away:
바카라It바카라s one step at a time. It바카라s like training when you바카라re tired. You바카라ve just got to trust the process. People tell you it gets easier. I don바카라t think it does. I think you just learn to live with the burden.
바카라You learn to carry the stones of burden in your pocket. You carry that weight and learn to deal with it.바카라
바카라You Have To Appreciate The Little Things바카라
While Knowles was devastated by the loss of his father, he admits that the experience taught him an invaluable lesson:
바카라It taught me not to take everything for granted. In this career, you have to appreciate the little things.바카라
Indeed, as he바카라s now just days away from his shot at gold, against one of the planet바카라s top pound-for-pound strikers, on the biggest stage for martial arts 바카라 and at Muay Thai바카라s most iconic venue 바카라 the 38-year-old is determined to appreciate every moment.
Of course, he바카라s supremely focused on defeating Roman Kryklia and leaving Bangkok with 26 pounds of gold in tow, but that doesn바카라t mean he won바카라t enjoy himself along the way.
Knowles explained:
바카라As fighters, we can be too focused on a time and date and miss out on the little things. You don바카라t realize that until later on. But having competed for two decades now, I know how to pick out the little moments. So I바카라m enjoying all of this. I바카라m grateful for all of it.
바카라There바카라s times in every fighters바카라 career where you feel like you바카라re wasting your time. But it바카라s the little things like this that mean something and make your sacrifices seem worthwhile.바카라
