Title: Mate is in the house!
Tags: tattoo fightwear, tom anderton, cpwc 8
Blog Entry: From the UK to the US, Anderton’s next stop is the top Written by Eric Kowal Print E-mail Monday, 26 July 2010 20:30 Anderton at his music store Photo: Eric Kowal At 38 years old, UK native, music store owner, and Central Pennsylvania Warrior Challenge fan favorite Tom Anderton will be stepping into the cage once again at the amateur promotion’s eighth event on Saturday, August 7. Anderton will be facing Steve Dobisesky in York for his next appearance in the challenge. Dobisesky is coming off a knockout win over Keith Kowal who holds the submission win over Anderton. The bout between Kowal and Anderton marked the first time either of them had an MMA fight. With fans not knowing what to expect, the back and forth stand-up battle that almost put Kowal on his butt but instead ended with Anderton tapping due to an ankle lock submission earned both scrappers some fans. Though Dobisesky has a win over a man who beat Anderton, MMA math often proves faulty. In fact, Anderton credits his current training to his submission loss against Kowal. “I train almost every day,” said Anderton. “If I’m not at the gym, I’m training at home at the mini-gym in my house.” Training with professional fighters Chad Strawbridge , Justin Scott and Duane Bastress above the Fitness Factory at Central Pennsylvania MMA in Red Lion, Anderton has quickly assembled a reputation at the Warrior Challenge. Anderton credits much to Strawbridge, the team’s head coach. “Chad has been more than a coach to me; he has been a real mentor,” Anderton explained. “He has really helped me so much in every way and I feel like I wouldn’t be where I am with my fighting today without his help.” In his last two bouts Anderton has made quick work of both Jason Haley and Darnell Hayes knocking both out in the first round. Should he continue his progress, Anderton sees no reason to let his age make him hesitant to pursue a professional career. “I completely changed my diet, my life,” Anderton said. “I am taking one fight at a time. I’m 38 years old, almost 39. My goal was to fight an amateur fight. I did that. As long as I feel healthy I don’t see why I shouldn’t be able to fight a few pro fights.” Should he eventually become a professional, the journey from English small town denizen to American fighter will have been a long and strange one. The son of the owner of a bed and breakfast in the United Kingdom, Anderton was born in Birmingham, England but grew up in the not too far town of Tamworth. In 1999 a few Americans had been vacationing there when they invited him to come back to the U.S. to hang out with them and see how he liked it. Little did he know but in the short time he spent here, Anderton ended up meeting the woman he would eventually call his wife and mother of his three daughters. At 38 years of age, Anderton has now lived in the U.S. for more than ten years. He bounced from job to job working in construction and in a paper recycling plant and back to construction before he decided to open his own business in March 2006. “I collected and sold CDs and records all my life,” Anderton said. “So, I decided to open a record store.” Tom continues his action outside the cage in Red Lion, PA at Tom’s Music Trade . “I put everything into [the store],” he said. “It was a make or break decision. I used to do it mainly to get beer money for the weekend. I never thought I would do it for a living.” With the store open for more than four years now and, hopefully, many good fight ahead of him, Anderton’s decisions are starting to pay off. “I’m doing this all for myself,” Anderton said of his fighting career. “As long as I put the work in at the gym, I will keep on fighting.” When Anderton is not loosening jaws and scrambling brains with his fists, he’s hanging out with his daughters: aged nine, six, and four. “They are my biggest fans,” he said. For tickets to Anderton’s bout and 13 other action packed fights go to warriorchallenge.info
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