Master Luiz Alves
Passed away on Friday night (see here), Grand Master Luiz Alves, 56 years old, will be buried in his hometown, Nova Russas, in Ceará. However, for fans and friends who want to say a final goodbye to the master, the wake will take place tomorrow at Memorial do Carmo, in Caju, in the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro, from 15pm to 19pm.
Born in Ceará, Luiz Alves, moved to Rio de Janeiro at the age of 12, when he began training in judo at the former Academia Saga, in Catete. Taekwondo was the modality of the moment, so Luiz Alves began training in this art, with Flávio Molina (now deceased). Standing out more and more on the national scene, he soon became state champion several times, Brazilian champion and even ranked among the best in the world in Ecuador.
In 1979, Master Nélio Naja, (the pioneer of Muay Thai in Brazil) selected some names from Rio de Janeiro, to teach the practice of Muay Thai until then unknown to Brazilians. The following stood out in the Rio team: Luiz Alves, Flávio Molina, Narani, Gueri, Roberto, Pelé, Cocada, among others. In 1984 he founded the Boxe Thai team, where he trained big names such as Artur Mariano, Wander Valverde, Ângelo Sérgio, Jhonny Eduardo, Will Ribeiro, Peterson Mello, Alex Gazé, among others. Among his MMA students, his brothers, Rodrigo Minotauro and Rogério Minotouro, as well as artists like Vítor Belfort, Murilo Bustamante, Amaury Bitetti and Zé Mário Sperry.
Comments