By Danielle Kutchel
Ramesh ‘The Headhunter’ Habib believes he was born to fight.
“It’s the main thing I’m good at,” he says, “That’s what I think I was put here for, to fight.”
The muay thai champion and Pakenham local has made a name for himself in the ring – winning several bouts with swift head kick knockouts and quickly climbing up the fighting ranks.
The Headhunter, who trains at Fighting Fit gym in Pakenham, has been involved in martial arts for about 12 years and fighting competitively in the ring for 11. The latter half of his career has been mostly muay thai, and he’s always loved martial arts: the fighting, the training, the fitness, the discipline and the confidence he has developed through his sport.
Currently on a six fight win streak, he has no plans to lose anytime soon.
On Saturday July 20 Mr Habib will be fighting for the WBC Australian Super Lightweight title, and he is feeling confident about his chances.
He has stepped up his training regime, including hours of pads, clinching, kicks and knees.
“As it gets closer we start pushing harder and harder,” he says with relish in his voice.
And there will be no slowing down after the weekend’s match – after a brief break to let his body repair itself, Mr Habib will leap straight into preparations for his next bout, the Lion Fight World Title in fabulous Las Vegas in September.
Trainer Jesse Robbins says Mr Habib has a good chance of claiming the prestigious title.
The duo is looking forward to their first fight overseas together, but they know that their preparations will need to be slightly different this time.
“Different factors need to be taken into account, like cutting weight with flight travels. It’s going to be a hard preparation,” Mr Robbins says.
With a laugh, he adds that neither of them are nervous.
“We’re going to win, we’re going to bring home gold for Australia,” he says.
Described by his trainer as one of Melbourne’s busiest fighters, Mr Habib says he is the fittest and strongest he has ever been after a year of training with Mr Robbins.
In between his rigorous training schedule, he also coaches at Fighting Fit, an act he describes as “passing on my knowledge to the next generation.”
There is a wealth of it to share, with Commonwealth, Australian and Victorian titles under his belt.
The upcoming Vegas fight is a chance for Mr Habib to get one step closer to his ultimate goal.
“I enjoy it, but I don’t just do this for the fun of it. When I started, I said I want to become the best in the world in my weight division and be number one, and I’ll keep working away until I get there.”
