The "Battle at the Beacon" was my first experience with Take-On Productions, New York City's premier kickboxing promotion, and I have to say that I was very impressed with the entire event. The card was also co-produced with Madison Square Garden. The night featured 19 Muay Thai fights, which included four professional bouts and two title fights. This event also marked TKO's first time staging an event at the legendary Beacon Theater located in the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

I arrived at the Beacon slightly before doors opened at 7. Okay, who am I kidding? I showed up 45 minutes early, as I was extremely anxious since this was my first time being credentialed for an event. I was the first member of the media to arrive, so once the doors opened I was given first choice at where I wanted to sit at the press table. When I tell you that I was sitting in the ring, I'm only slightly exaggerating. During one of the fights, a hook landed on a fighter's jaw that caused his spit to fly onto my computer screen. At the end of the night, there was blood splattered on the press table. Am I painting a clear enough picture here?

As for the production on the night, I was very impressed with both the venue and the promoters. Take-On Productions runs an extremely tight ship. As I said, there were 19 fights scheduled on the card, and in traditional Muay Thai fashion these went off one after another with no intermissions. After one fight ended, the next fighters were already walking to the ring, which provided for a seamless experience on the night. Also, while they did have a DJ spinning your typical mix of modern hip-hop and radio rock in between fights, TKO only played traditional Thai music during the fights which added to the ambiance.

Over at Head Kick Legend, I run down the fights as well as provide the results to all 19 fights on the card.