Thai media reported that the earlier story about a possible match between the 38-year-old Atlanta Olympic Games gold medalist and the 49-year-old Hollywood star has been confirmed after the two fighters signed a contract on December 29 in a Bangkok hotel.

The report said the match will use the muaythai format, although elbows will be disallowed at the request of Van Damme who is an actor and doesn’t want his face cut up or disfigured. Somluck will be paid just over $100,000 which does not include the income from broadcasting.

The Olympic gold medalist said “I thought he was of much larger stature. But when we were standing next to each other, he wasn’t any bigger than me. So, I’m confident now. I’m better in muaythai techniques and I will have fun kicking the star. However, I won’t be careless and will keep training myself.”

Rules; Van Damme apparently requested that the use of elbows be band during the bout. The reason given, was because he is an actor and does not want his face to get cut or bruised, Kamsing told Siamsport a Thailand Web-site.

Kamsing is a Thai boxer who won the featherweight gold medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.


Will it happen? have your say. > coming soon, what Billy Murray thinks of Van Damme, the man who failed to show in Belfast's kickboxing Mania in 1996