BY TONY KELLY

Deputy sports editor

MODERN-DAY martial arts gladiators will take to York's version of the Coliseum tomorrow.

The Energise Centre in York is the venue for Coliseum II, the second such promotion organised by world masters champion Tony Dias as part of his T-Bone Promotions venture.

The bill will feature a total of 13 contests, of which three will be for ISKA regional belts and three others will be fighting for Coliseum titles.

And another spicy encounter will feature rivals from York's two Thai-Boxing gymnasiums - the Legions Club run by Dave Phillips in Tang Hall and the Chokdee Academy headed by former two-time Thai world champion Richard Cadden in Nether Poppleton.

Said Dias, who also runs the United Martial Arts College based in Norton and Haxby: "I have always believed in having as wide a spectrum of fighters on my show with senior fighters and also those juniors who can then get an introduction to the circuit.

"And besides some of the best of the lads from within the city, we also have fighters from as far afield as Barnsley, Birmingham, Manchester and Sheffield."

Topping the bill will be Legions Club ace Jordan Carr and Paul Jeffrey of Sheffield. They will be battling for an ISKA Northern area K1 title.

Another ISKA showdown pitches Jamie Kirby from the Craig Long Black Belt Academy in York against Hull's Evaldas Korsakas, while making his debut in an amateur full contact bout will be one of Dias' protégées, Nick Pavlovets. He takes in Phil Airstone, also from the Craig Long club.

Pavlovets goes in to tomorrow's bout on the back of winning a gold medal at the World Kickboxing Council European Championships in Manchester last month. His UMAC club-mate, 14-year-old Connor Gore, also won gold at the Euro summit.

The other ISKA title collision is between Blaine Wilson of the Combat Academy in Barnsley and Corbin Henderson of the Saxons KB Club in Birmingham.

But York fight fans will have their gaze squarely on the all-city showdown between Lee Hall from the Legions Club and Chokdee Academy prospect Tom Parchomenko.

"Hall is one of five lads from Legions on the bill and that bout should be one of the most eagerly anticipated," said Dias.

Expecting a crowd close to the 500 capacity, Dias added that the bill's strength matched that of his first T-Bone Promotions show, Coliseum I, which was staged in March.

"York is definitely established on the martial arts and kickboxing scene now," said the promoter.

"With clubs like Legions, Craig Long's Black Belt Academy and the Chopkee Academy, there is strength in the city with this show and also the Night of The Legions show staged earlier in the year.

"There is a lot of preparation in putting it together but it's a tribute to the clubs, coaches and fighters that these shows are happening."

Doors open at Energise tomorrow at 5pm with the night's action due to start at 6pm.