John Wayne Parr facts for kids

John Wayne "The Gunslinger" Parr (born 25 May 1976), also known as JWP, is a famous retired Australian Muay Thai fighter. He was also a top kickboxer and boxer. John Wayne Parr trained at Boonchu Gym in Gold Coast, Queensland. He won 10 World Champion titles and was the runner-up on the TV show The Contender Asia.

About John Wayne Parr

His Early Life and Training

Wayne Parr started learning taekwondo when he was 11 years old. In 1988, he won a silver medal at the Queensland titles. In 1990, Wayne began kickboxing. He had his first fight at age 14, which he lost by a close decision.

His family moved a few times, but in 1993, when he was 16, they moved back to Queensland. There, Parr started training with Blair Moore. Moore was a well-known promoter of Muay Thai in Queensland.

Starting His Career in Australia

Parr began fighting professionally at 16. Blair Moore trained him for 13 fights. At 17, Parr won an Australian title in the 63 kg weight class. He also won other regional titles, including one from the WKA.

When he was 19, Parr met Richard Vell, who owned a famous Thai restaurant called Boonchu Thai food. Richard became like a father figure to Wayne. After a few years, Richard helped Wayne go to Thailand to train.

Training and Fighting in Thailand

In 1996, Parr moved to Thailand. He lived in a Muay Thai training camp for four years. He trained in Pattaya and Bangkok, fighting 30 times and winning two world titles. He trained with the famous Thai fighter "Deadly Kisser" Sangtiennoi Sor.Rungroj.

While fighting in Thailand, he would pretend to draw a gun from a holster during his pre-fight dance, called the wai khru. This made him very popular with the Thai fans. In 1997, he was voted the Best Farang Fighter (best foreign fighter) of the year. He fought at the famous Lumpinee Stadium three times.

In 1999, Parr returned to Australia. He opened his own training gym, "Boonchu Gym." He also started competing in traditional boxing matches.

His Second Career in Australia

Parr had his first boxing match in 1998, winning by TKO (Technical Knockout) in the second round. He fought against several Japanese kickboxers, winning some and losing others.

In 1999, he fought in the first "X-plosion series" event, a big Australian kickboxing show. He won against Daniel Dawson. In 2000, he fought Scott Bannan for the ISKA Muay Thai world championship. He won by knockout. Later that year, he won another world title in Muay Thai at the Thai King's birthday event.

Boxing Achievements

In 2001, Parr focused more on boxing. After seven wins, he fought for the vacant Australian boxing title at Middleweight. He won the championship by TKO in round 10. He also won the Oceanic Boxing Association (OBA) title.

In 2019, Parr defeated former world champion Anthony Mundine. After this fight, Parr announced he was retiring from combat sports. He needed a hip replacement.

Fighting in K-1 and S-1

In 2002, Parr competed in the K-1 Oceania MAX tournament. He reached the final but lost to Mike Zambidis. In 2004, he fought for the K-1 organization in Japan, winning his first fight. He made it to the final 8 but lost a close fight to Buakaw Por. Pramuk.

In 2005, he returned to K-1, beating Shane Chapman. He then lost to Albert Kraus in the final 8.

In 2004, JWP won the S1 Tournament World Champion Title. He won three fights in one night, earning a trophy and a large prize. He also won the prestigious WMC World Muay Thai Champion title.

The Contender Asia TV Show

John Wayne Parr became very famous from The Contender Asia reality TV show. On April 12, 2008, he fought Yodsaenklai in Singapore for the show's title and a big cash prize. Parr showed great courage, recovering from two knockdowns, but he lost the fight. He later fought Yodsaenklai two more times, winning their final match.

His Retirement Fight and Comeback

On June 24, 2012, John Wayne Parr had what was meant to be his retirement fight. He fought K-1 veteran Jordan Tai in an MMA-style cage with fingerless gloves. He knocked out Jordan Tai in the fourth round. He retired with a four-fight winning streak.

However, Parr came out of retirement on January 18, 2013. He signed a new deal and won his first comeback fight by knockout. He continued to fight, winning against Marco Piqué and Brad Riddell. He also defeated Yohan Lidon in 2014.

In 2014, he lost his WKA World Middleweight title to Toby Smith. But he continued to win fights in 2016 and 2017.

Later Career: Bellator and ONE Championship

In 2016, John Wayne Parr signed with Bellator Kickboxing. He won his first two fights with Bellator in Italy by knockout and TKO. In his third Bellator fight in Hungary, he lost by decision.

After Bellator, Parr signed with Rizin Fighting Federation in 2019, but lost his debut fight. In 2020, he signed a six-fight contract with ONE Championship. He lost his first fight there in 2021.

On March 26, 2022, Parr had his final retirement fight against Eduard Folayang at ONE: X. He lost the fight by decision, ending his long and successful career.

Outside the Ring

Blessed With Venom Documentary

A documentary film called Blessed With Venom tells the story of John Wayne Parr's life. It shows his tough training in Thailand and his many achievements around the world. The film also shows his personal life as a husband and father. It highlights his famous fights, like his battles with Orono and the three exciting fights against Yodsanklai Fairtex.

John Wayne Parr has also acted in short movies, such as "The Violent."

His Family

John Wayne Parr's wife, Angela Rivera-Parr, and his daughter, Jasmine Parr, are also fighters. Angela has competed for a WBC Muay Thai title. Jasmine is a promising kickboxer and won an Australian women's boxing championship in her first fight.

Championship Titles

John Wayne Parr won many championship titles throughout his career:

Muay Thai & Kickboxing Titles

• World Kickboxing Association (WKA)
  • 2013 WKA World Middleweight Oriental Champion
  • 2010 WKA Muay Thai World Middleweight Champion
  • 1994 WKA South Pacific Super Lightweight Champion
  • 1992 WKA Australian Super Lightweight Champion

• World Kickboxing Federation (WKBF)
  • 2011 WKBF K-1 Middleweight World Champion

• World Kickboxing Network (WKN)
  • 2010 WKN Thai boxing World Super welterweight Champion

• International Kickboxer Magazine
  • 2008 International Kickboxer Magazine Champion

• World Muaythai Council (WMC)
  • 2008 WMC Contender Asia Runner up
  • 2007 WMC Thai boxing Middleweight World Champion
  • 2001 Kings Cup Tournament Champion
  • 1999 Winner Kings Cup
  • 1999 WMTC (Now WMC) Australian Jr. Middleweight Champion
  • 1997 Kings Cup Winner

• K-1
  • 2002 K-1 Oceania MAX Tournament Runner-up

• International Sport Kickboxing Association
  • 2000 ISKA Muay Thai World Middleweight Champion

• WKBA
  • 2005 WKBA K-1 World Welterweight Champion

• Onesongchai Promotion
  • 2004 S-1 Muay Thai World Middleweight Tournament Champion

• IMF
  • 2000 IMF Kings Cup Muay Thai World Middleweight Champion

Boxing Titles

• 2001 Australian Boxing Middleweight Champion

Awards

• 2004 Fighter of the Year by IronLife Magazine
• 2004 Fighter of the year by International Kickboxer Magazine
• 1997 Best Farang Fighter in Thailand.

Fight Record Summary

John Wayne Parr had a very impressive professional kickboxing record:

See also

• Champions of Champions Elite
• List of K-1 events
• List of male kickboxers
• Muay Thai
• The Contender Asia