By Cam Lucadou-Wells
World-champion kickboxer Melisa Muselovic is taking the sport by storm – her main challenge is just to find opponents who dare to fight her.
This month, the 16-year-old from Pakenham conquered a 28-year-old rival to claim the VAMMA WKA Australia welterweight belt at Matthew Flinders Hotel in Chadstone.
“She was very tough, a bit more experienced,” Melisa says.
“I copped a couple of punches but then my kicks came into play.”
It means that in just six months, Melisa’s won a rare bounty – a WAKO world K1 junior title belt, Oceania champion’s medal and now a national title belt.
“It was the best feeling in the world,” Melisa said of representing Australia at the worlds last year.
“There were 93 countries there. Australia wasn’t the biggest contingent at the stadium but we were the loudest.
“You could hear the chant Aussie, Aussie, Aussie from the other side of the stadium. Every time one of us fought, we cheered our hearts out.”
With that taste, Melisa would love to compete in the Olympics – if kickboxing is accepted into the Games.
She hopes to become pro when she turns 18. Then, big opportunities beckon overseas, such as at the international One Championship in Singapore.
In claiming her victories, as has been the case all her career, she’s downed much older, heavier competitors.
At the moment, she relies on pure technique to defeat them.
“I’ve always been training with boys,” Melisa says.
“They are bigger, heavier, tougher, stronger and punch and kick harder – that gives me the edge above the average girl.”
She describes her big title bouts as “nerve-wracking”.
“But you learn to be confident and to believe in yourself. And to believe that whatever your coach has trained you to do will get you through it.”
In Australia, kickboxing is popular but still small in world terms.
She hopes to turn pro when she turns 18. Then, big opportunities beckon overseas, such as at the international One Championship in Singapore.
However for the moment, it’s hard to find a fight for Melisa.
“They don’t want to fight her,” says her world-renowned coach Peter Hatton – based at Fighters Xpress gym in Dandenong.
“We can’t get a fight with a girl her age, so we’re always fighting adults or taking fights at late notice. It’s not ideal but it gets us the experience.”
Hatton says he was “shocked” by Melisa’s talent when she started training at age 9. He also speaks highly of her diligence, commitment and maturity.
“Out of all of the students, she’s the one I don’t have to worry about fitness.
“I get a lot of talented kids. The majority of them get lazy but Melisa is talented and trains hard. She doesn’t make any excuses.”
One example was Melisa tending her broken toes with onions and potatoes, and then fighting three days later.
Also in her corner are her proud parents Mensud and Ramiza. It all started with Melisa sparring with her brother in the home garage, before she went to Hatton.
Since then, the family have done the long road trips for her interstate bouts, with father Mensud by her side at the world titles in Italy.
“I’ve never seen a child so driven in her sport,” her beaming mother Ramiza says.
“If she has a mind to do something, she’s a quick learner. She gets it down pat pretty quick.”
For now, Melissa’s gruelling five-day-a-week regime includes runs, skipping, shadow boxing and 30 minute ‘pads’ sessions with Hatton.
Hatton – or ‘Pistol Pete’ as Melisa calls him – holds the pads as they spar for 10 lots of three-minute rounds in the ring.
“He says if you can last through ‘pads’ with me, you can get through anything.”
Hatton says the weights program will come later. “When she gets her adult power, she will be very dangerous.
“If she’s hurting them now at this age, I think she’ll be one of the elites.”
