Pawel Zawistowski Ready for WBC National Title Fight in Houston
Pawel Zawistowski is no stranger to the grind. The New Jersey-based fighter has been competing for over 15 years, and on September 19, he’ll get the biggest opportunity of his career when he faces Drew Gigax in Houston for the WBC 168-pound National Muay Thai Title.
“I have a fight coming up in Houston for a WBC belt 168 that I waited a long time for,” Zawistowski said. “Coalition, I spoke with Bobby who’s the promoter for the show, and he gave me an opportunity. I took it, I can’t say no. There was a little opponent swaps from the start, but hey, I’m here to fight. So I finally got the date, we got everything ready, we’re good to go. Camp is over, everything’s healthy, everyone’s good. I’m ready to go put on a show September 19th, next Friday.”
Zawistowski’s opponent, Drew Gigax, is a lefty — but it’s a matchup he feels prepared for. “I’m fighting this guy named Gigax. I mean, he’s a lefty. I don’t know how many fights he has, so it turned out well for me to fight a lefty cause my last fight that I fought was a lefty too. So I kept on training lefty, lefty for lefty. That’s pretty much all I know. I don’t know much shit about him. I don’t do research about opponents like that. I watch them fight a little and then I just go straight with the gameplan and work on my gameplan to beat them.”
For Zawistowski, the chance to compete for the WBC title is the culmination of years of dedication. “This is a dream come true. If you’re a Muay Thai fighter and you’ve been doing Muay Thai for a while and you went pro or even amateur, everyone knows this is the highest reward and your highest title I can say in the Muay Thai sport — getting your WBC title. First get your national, then it’s international, and then hopefully a world title, man. So it’s big, it opens up a lot of doors. Every fighter out there, everybody wants that and I’m happy, I’m glad I finally got my shot.”
Zawistowski also expressed gratitude toward Bobby Peek, Coalition’s promoter, who kept him on the card despite opponent changes. “That guy’s super nice, he’s patient. We first had a different opponent, they changed it for some reasons, it’s fine. But then he was like, ‘I got you, I take care of you cause I told you you were gonna be with me from the start, so I’m just gonna keep you on the card even though you’re not fighting the guy you’re supposed to.’ And then it just kept on going. So he’s a really good dude. Highly recommend, good peoples.”
Originally from Poland, Zawistowski moved to New York at age 12 before settling in New Jersey, where he now owns a gym and trains. “I’m originally Polish, I was born in Poland but came here when I was 12. I was raised in New York City. A couple years back I moved to New Jersey, opened a gym in Jersey, so now I fight and train out of Jersey.” He first found Muay Thai at age 22 after years of street fighting. “I always liked to fight — always fought in the streets, going to bars, clubs, just loved combat, loved to fight. And just one day one of my friends just said, ‘Hey, let’s go, let’s try this Muay Thai, let’s try kickboxing.’ And I did it, tried it for the first time, and ever since I fell in love. Man, it’s been like 15 plus years now.”
Alongside his fighting career, Zawistowski is also a dedicated worker and family man. “I’m a hard worker. I’m very disciplined. When I commit, I commit to something 100%. Work is number one, right? Because you got to support your family, you know, you got a house. Number two, first thing off of work I go train. My family goes first, then I go straight to training. So I got everything balanced. I’ve been doing this for a long time, man. That’s how my Muay Thai started and that’s how I balance everything.”
September 19 will also mark Zawistowski’s first trip to Texas, and he’s planning to make the most of it. “Yeah man, I’m bringing a crew so it won’t just be me in my corner. I’m excited, man. For me, I’ve never been to Texas. I’m trying to get me a cowboy hat, you know, a little belt with a buckle. Fighting outside of your place is fun. It’s a little harder because you got to fly, you got to travel, but it’s fun, man. I’m excited. Plus, if I have a team coming with me, a couple of guys, it’s like a vacation plus a fight on top.”
He’s also curious to see how Texas’ Muay Thai scene compares to his home region. “It’s pretty big. Man, Muay Thai here is big. I mean, I’m actually trying to see how big it is down there where I’m fighting. I’m excited to go to see. But over here, we got a lot of promotions. Man, like, a lot. Like, we got Freedom, we got Warriors Cup. There’s shows every week, every two weeks. You probably heard about Warriors Cup, those are the ones, the biggest promotions I’ve been fighting on.”
With the weight cut on track and his preparation complete, Zawistowski says all that’s left is to put on a show. “My goal is to beat him, right? So can’t tell you the game plan, obviously, but listen, my goal is to beat him. I’m coming, I’m ready, man, I’m locked and loaded. Everything is right, everything is perfect. Weight cut, on point. With WBC, they check your weight every couple of weeks, everything’s smooth. When you fight, everything’s got to be balanced, like your mind clear, your work straight, your gym straight, no injuries. If that’s the case, you’re good, man. You’re going to be good in there. So I’m happy to show kids my skills once, in Texas. Show me what I got, and that’s it, man.”