By: Madeleine Willis
Muay Thai, kickboxing, boxing, and mixed martial arts, are the skill sets for amateur fighter Jeremiah Truhlar.
From Manhattan, Truhlar was used to play-fights breaking out between his brothers, as he grew up in a household of 12 kids, and was the youngest of nine boys.
“Leading into my teenage years, I was like, I gotta figure something out so I’m not the small dog on the block all my life,” he said.
After a year and a half of training, at the age of 18, Truhlar competed in his first competition. Truhlar’s early years and childhood experiences were formative on his journey to becoming a multi-discipline professional combat sports athlete. Now, Truhlar travels across the country to compete in as many fights as he can.
“Right now I’m talking to one promotion about flying out to Maryland this summer for a fight,” he said.
Truhlar currently is based out of Ft. Cavazos, Texas. He lives with his wife and three children. When he isn’t training for fights, he is a firefighter with the U. S. Army.
He is looking to gain any experience he can, Truhlar explained, “I’m almost a quantity over quality guy at this point; I’m just trying to get as much as I can.”
Last year, he participated in 10 fights at the amateur level. Truhlar said this is well above a standard level of fights. On average, most fighters compete one or two times a year.
Truhlar explained his preferred discipline to fight is Muay Thai. His record for amateur Muay Thai fights is 5-0. He is set to make his debut in professional boxing in July.
“I still kinda see myself as the old dog at the gym…a lot of people on my team think I am capable of a lot more than I give myself credit for,” he said.
Truhlar’s training is entirely cardio and fighting based. To maintain his weight class, he is unable to do strength and conditioning workouts.
“The last time I lifted weights was probably two years ago; I do no weight training,” he said.
To prepare for a fight, Truhlar explained his training is known as a “fight camp.” Fight camp begins with getting miles in, this is followed by mit work that aims to practice different combinations and defensive maneuvers. Truhlar does 45 minutes to an hour of mit work during his lunch break. Finally, in the evening, Truhlar attends different classes three-to-four nights a week that simulate scenarios of an actual fight. The night ends with sparring.
“I’m definitely gonna keep pushing, and opportunities are gonna keep popping up,” Truhlar said.