From small beginnings...

Full Boar Thai Boxing has been steadily growing since its small beginnings in trainer Vince Parkes' garage more than 25 years ago.

The former South Pacific and Australian champion brought his love of muaythai to his home town of Cooktown in 1997 and produced his first fighters a year later.

Since then the gym has expanded to include Australian, Queensland and North Queensland champions and Full Boar fighters have completed numerous medal-winning forays to the  Muaythai World Championships.

Vince's passion is promoting the sport through the next generation, and he has taken juniors to more than 10 world championships to prove his point.

"We have to put as much time and effort into the youngsters as we do the Preachers and John Wayne Parrs of the fight game," Parkes said. "If we build our young fighters, make sure they get on the good shows, the sport will stay strong and the future of muaythai will be safe."

Consequently, the gym is like a second home to many young students, providing a close-knit support group and a safe, supervised place to train and build self-esteem, fitness and stay motivated.

Trained by the Sunshine Coast Thai Boxing Centre's Joe Hilton, Parkes takes a similar no-nonsense approach to fitness, and students can often be seen scaling Cooktown's drawcard Grassy Hill lookout or doing sprints in the street outside the gym.

As well as being the Sunshine State's most northern gym, Parkes runs the most northern fight nights, regularly holding Muaythai Australia-sanctioned shows in Cooktown, Mareeba, Atherton and Cairns.

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Train with us...

We welcome new students at the Full Boar Gym, regardless of experience or fitness levels. Classes are run every Tuesday and Thursday from 5pm, and are suitable for all experience levels. Contact Vince for more information, or to attend a class. Spectators are also welcome - come in and say hello, and watch a class!

The gym is located at 17 Boundary Street, Cooktown.