( left ) Kenneth Edwards aims a kick at his British opponent. ( right ) Bruce McFarlane at left after his drawn bout.- contributed
MEMBERS OF Jamaica's Combined Martial Arts team are still basking in their recent victory over England's national taekwondo team and looking to September's match-up against a combined United States team.
"It's fundamentally a jujitsu team with karate," explained McKay. "After beating them last year, they claimed they had underestimated us but no matter which team they bring we'll take them," he added.
The combined team, the Busta Fighters, were declared winners of last Tuesday's disputed showdown against England following a ruling from auditing firm Oliver Lotha.
The dispute arose after the final fight in the five-bout affair ended in a draw at the York Hall Arena in London.
The bout, fought by McKay, would have handed Jamaica a 6-4 win. However, the British head table ordered a tie-breaking sixth fight, which Jamaica refused, sending the showdown to arbitration.
McKay described Jamaica's performance as fantastic, making special mention of Kenneth Edwards, who gave an outstanding performance in defeating the Polish heavyweight champion in an earlier individual bout.
The Jamaica captain said beating England was a major milestone for local martial arts.
"This has established Jamaica as one of the top teams in the world," McKay pointed out.
Fighting before a highly pro-English crowd, Jamaica opened with Norberto Tavares, a Jamaican born who fights out of South America, getting the vote of the judges 3-1.
Vice captain Arthur Barrows and Edwards earned draws against their English counterparts.
Current karate world champion Bruce McFarlane followed with a draw, keeping Jamaica two points ahead.
McKay's bout, deemed a draw after the judges were split, should have given Jamaica an outright win but the head table ordered the controversial sixth fight.
"Its only a pity we had to submit the scorecards to the auditors to make a declaration," the Jamaican captain pointed out.
"I hope our next bout will be without any such controversy," he added.
MEMBERS OF JAMAICA'S Combined Martial Arts team are still basking in their recent victory over England's national taekwondo team and looking to September's match-up against a combined United States team.
"It's fundamentally a jujitsu team with karate," explained McKay. "After beating them last year, they claimed they had underestimated us, but no matter which team they bring we'll take them," he added.
The combined team, the Busta Fighters, were declared winners of last Tuesday's disputed showdown against England following a ruling from auditing firm Oliver Lotha.
The dispute arose after the final fight in the five-bout affair ended in a draw at the York Hall Arena in London.
The bout, fought by McKay, would have handed Jamaica a 6-4 win. However, the British head table ordered a tie-breaking sixth fight, which Jamaica refused, sending the showdown to arbitration.
McKay described Jamaica's performance as fantastic, making special mention of Kenneth Edwards, who gave an outstanding performance in defeating the Polish heavyweight champion in an earlier individual bout.
The Jamaica captain said beating England was a major milestone for local martial arts.
"This has established Jamaica as one of the top teams in the world," McKay pointed out.
Fighting before a highly pro-English crowd, Jamaica opened with Norberto Tavares, a Jamaican born team member who fights out of South America, getting the vote of the judges 3-1.
Vice captain Arthur Barrows and Edwards earned draws against their English counterparts.
Current karate world champion Bruce McFarlane followed with a draw, keeping Jamaica two points ahead.
McKay's bout, deemed a draw after the judges were split, should have given Jamaica an outright win but the head table ordered the controversial sixth fight.
"It's only a pity we had to submit the scorecards to the auditors to make a declaration," the Jamaican captain pointed out.
"I hope our next bout will be without any such controversy," he added.
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