Shane Robert Mann from Dunwich, recently created somewhat of a sensation when he won his 2nd Kick Boxing event in what was described as the ‘fight of the night’.
The event was held on the mainland and it was a major milestone in the 27-year-old’s kick boxing career.
You see, just a few years ago, Shane weighed a very heavy 150kg.
The son of well known Straddie Islanders Marie Jean and Mike Mann who operate a family cleaning business, Shane was an overweight young man with little direction and purpose.
That was until his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.
To make matters even worse, dad Mike was also fighting the ‘cancer fight’ with separate bouts of bowel, lymph node and liver cancers.
To put it mildly, from a health point of view, the family had literally hit ‘rock bottom’.
Ironically dad Mike and mum Marie took on a positive outlook and inspired young Shane in the process.
He decided he needed to head in a new direction, and a new Shane Mann was born.
Shane recently became a devotee of the Jai Burns Kick Boxing school at Dunwich run by Matty Burns. The school was established in the name of Jai Burns who died tragically on 6 April 2015 aged just 19 years.
Shane Mann not only shed most of the excess150 kg and today is a lean 77kg.
According to dad, Mike, Shane has become an inspiration.
“He worked alongside his mother who never gave up to beat her breast cancer.
“He is now becoming an inspiration to others.
“Two from two wins in the kick boxing ring are testament to his success and progress,” a proud dad told The Friendly Bay Islander.
“He has gone from ‘Lunchie’ to ‘Punchie’ and is really making a name for himself not only as a successful kick boxer, but as a person and inspiration.”
Shane still lives with mum and dad at Dunwich and works on the mainland in the gardening industry; Mum and dad operate the well known M and M Cleaning business on the island
