Dave Leduc is set to retire. The Lethwei star made the announcement this morning although he plans to fight one last time in Cambodia before hanging up his gloves.
Leduc made his name competing in Myanmar. Having switched from Muay Thai to Lethwei he was able to defeat all comers and won numerous titles in the process.
But Leduc has not fought in Myanmar since 2019. He would probably not be welcome there after sharing some outspoken criticism of the junta on his social media channels which have a huge Burmese audience.
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No limit
Leduc explains that his fighting career has been derailed by the political situation in Myanmar and Covid-19,
The state of the world and the situation in Myanmar in the last three years has made it incredibly difficult for me to continue my career.
He has never lost a Lethwei fight and has six wins and six draws. He held the golden belt which has no weight limit and is widely considered as the most prestigious title in the sport.
He is scheduled to face Prom Samnang in a Kun Khmer fight in Phnom Penh. The two men were originally scheduled to face off under Lethwei rules at an event in Europe but the Cambodian was unable to secure a visa.
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Business side
Leduc is also involved in combat sport on the business side. His Marshall Fighting Championship promotion has put on two events to date which both took place in Slovakia and featured Lethwei fights inside a cage.
The Lethwei scene inside Myanmar appears to have ground to a halt following the military coup. The country is now in the midst of a civil war with the opposition controlling large swathes of territory while the military rules in all the main population centres.
In this context it is difficult for sporting events to continue. Leduc’s former opponent Too Too was recently killed in military custody while ONE Championship fighter Phoe Thaw was injured in an explosion and arrested after publicly opposing the junta.
