Russian fighter Kostya Rudenko defended his X Treme Cambodia championship belt against Cambodian fighter Thun Chantak in the Hang Meas ring on the night of November 30. After the match, he announced that he would stop fighting Cambodian athletes, expressing instead his desire to compete representing “Kun Khmer”.
Having fought 74 bouts, winning 61 — including 20 by knockout — drawing 3 and losing 10, the 26-year-old said he had developed a deep affection and firm conviction about representing Kun Khmer. His father is a Kun Khmer coach in Russia, meaning Rudenko’s strong fighting skill originally came from training in the traditional Cambodian style.
“I am truly very thankful to all the brothers and sisters who supported Kun Khmer tonight. I don’t want to fight Cambodian fighters anymore; I want to represent Kun Khmer,” he declared.
During his 67 kg title defense, Rudenko exchanged fierce strikes with Chantak. His powerful elbows caused multiple deep cuts on Chantak’s face, resulting in continuous bleeding. Although Chantak remained determined, the referee stopped the fight at the end of round 4 due to the severity of his injuries.
The Khmer fighter apologised to his supporters for not performing well enough. However, he expressed no regrets about the result, saying he did not want the X Treme Cambodia belt to be taken from Rudenko. Chantak also noted his deep respect for the Russian fighter’s father, who loves Kun Khmer.
“For days I kept thinking that even if I won the belt, I wouldn’t take it. I would give it to his father because I know how much he loves Kun Khmer,” he said, in an emotional speech from the ring.
“I thought that even if I had won, I would keep the belt in my club for one or two days only, then give it to him (Rudenko) to take back to Russia, because his father teaches Kun Khmer there and loves the art,” he added.
Kry Pilot, match coordinator and ring announcer at Hang Meas, expressed excitement after hearing Rudenko’s request to compete as a Kun Khmer representative. He noted that Rudenko genuinely did not wish to fight Cambodian boxers anymore.
“From today onward, Kostya Rudenko will no longer fight Kun Khmer fighters in the Hang Meas ring—he will fight representing Kun Khmer!” he announced.
