World champion kickboxer Liam Harrison is one of the biggest names in Muay Thai boxing, establishing himself in both the UK and Thailand. Dubbed “The Hitman” he has been fighting professionally since the age of 14 and had won his first world championship title before he turned 20. He is still fighting at the highest level, and his most recent world title was the 2016 Kombat League World Championship.
Harrison hails from Leeds. Aged 13, he began training in Muay Thai under former kickboxing champion Richard Smith, the beginning of a partnership that has now lasted for over 20 years. He made his amateur debut at 14 and his professional debut just months later. Before long, he had been crowned Northern Champion. In 2004, aged 19, he competed for the WAKO Low-Kick Kickboxing World Title. Despite the rules being different to his preferred Muay Thai, Harrison won and became World Champion for the first time. Shortly afterwards, he became Muay Thai European Champion.
In 2007, Harrison fought mainly out of Thailand, the home of his fighting style. It was a major year for him, as he successfully defended his World Championship title twice, won the WMC Lightweight world title, was named Foreign Fighter of the Year by Muay Siam magazine, and won the Leeds Sports Federation Sportsman of the Year Award. In 2010, he was one of the competitors at the first Thai Fight tournaments, competing with some of the world’s other leading Muay Thai fighters for significant prize money. In 2018, he began competing in the Singapore-based MMA promotion, ONE Championship.