Max Massiah is a man of many talents. The television host and executive producer of the Maximum Sports Combat and Strength Show is also Max the Boxing Coach/Referee/Judge, Max the Second Dan Martial Artist, Max the Artist, Max the Actor and Max the Saxophonist. On October 10, 2015 in Pennsylvania, USA, Max, surrounded by grandmasters and movie stars from all over the world, received the coveted Hall of Fame Award for his extraordinary and dedicated contributions to Martial Arts through his television programme, Maximum Sports Combat and Strength.
Max started out having to live up to the name Massiah. As a child, he was flanked by his father, grandfather and uncles all headmasters, lawyers, magistrates and judges. “As a Massiah, I was taught by my father the importance of discipline, neatness and preparation. When we went anywhere and we came home we had to clean our shoes. We couldn’t wait until the next time we were going out… My father used to like to say, ‘what is worth doing is worth doing good or don’t do it at all.’ He was a perfectionist and I see much of my father in myself. One of my peeves is lack of punctuality,” Max said.
Being taught discipline, neatness, preparation and punctuality made life easier for him when he later joined the Guyana National Service in 1975. His stay lasted until 1979 and it was during this time that he joined the band and attained a grade four in Music Theory through the Royal School of Music in London. The saxophone has been his specialty since 1977. As a musician he’s played for ‘Expression 3’ at the Theatre Guild in 2015 and as recent as last month at the Concert for the Elderly which was held at the Promenade Gardens.
The saxophonist is also a motorcycle enthusiast and fanatic who represented Guyana at drag racing competitions in Trinidad during 1986 and 1987.
Max’s next occupation came by chance. One day a friend of his asked him to paint a signboard for his shop. The preciseness in his work led to other requests and many other signboards went up with Max’s signature artwork on them around Bourda Market. Although not certified, word got around about the professionalism in his work. His work can be seen today at many places around Guyana plastered across the seawalls and on the fences of the National Park, Joe Vieira Park, on logos of renowned companies, banners, billboards and lighted signs. Even the billboard advertising the play For Better For Worse displayed his artwork when he landed his debut acting part for the show in 2004.
Max had been friends with writer and director Ras Leon Saul for a while and Saul had paid Max a visit at his home in Versailles to talk about the play. It was at his home that the two started talking and got to acting out the play. This led Saul to offer Max a role in the play as Superintendent Bobby Dunn. His superb performance then landed him the lead role of Damian (an abusive husband) in the play In Search of Happiness a few months later. Some of the other plays he acted in are: Obeah in Court, The Golden Scheme, Front Yard, Watch De Ride Justice, Berbice Uprising, Victoria’s Secrets as well as the “Link Show” in 2015. In 2014 he entered the Uncensored Comedy Show and placed second. Max has also had parts in films: Rainbow Rani (2006), The Convert (2014) and Protection Game which is to be released by mid-year.
Max took up martial arts because of an incident that took place many years ago when he was just about the age of eleven. “There was a situation that happened when I was small. There was a boy who was a bully and often picked on me… And boy was I skinny. One day he brought his younger brother who was two years older than me. He asked him, ‘you could beat this boy?’ and his brother said ‘yes’. So he told him, ‘well put one [punch] in he’ and he put one in me. I didn’t say or do him anything so the brother said to him ‘put another one in he’ and I still didn’t say anything. As they were about to leave the brother turned to him and said ‘put a third one in he’. I was fearful about what the third one would do to my face… I dived for him and started punching him. He never got to throw the third one. He managed to get up and started running for home. I was trying to catch him, running and screaming behind him. The funny thing was that on my way back home I was still running and screaming. The rage was so much that after I got home I ran under the bed and lay there screaming. Every time I remember that incident I laugh.” A few months later Max began martial arts training. Today he is a second degree black belt, graded by Master Frank Woon-A-Tai, who he said is one of his inspirations.
Five or six years ago Max took up with boxing and worked along with head coach Paulette Nurse at Ricola Boxing Gym. Max has experimented a bit in body-lifting. He’s also a relationship counsellor.
Maximum Sports Combat and Strength has only been on the air for over a year, but the show has featured many renowned persons in combat sports locally and worldwide. This year will be the show’s second anniversary.
Max said of Woon-A-Tai: “He is one of my inspirations because of what he has done with martial arts all his life. Another would be Martin Luther King Jnr. I wish I could have met him… He’s an inspiration to the world with his inspirational beliefs that any and everything is possible.”
Max counts meeting American actress and martial artist Cynthia Rothrock and the legendary Grandmaster Hwang Jang Lee better known as ‘Silver Fox’ among the wonderful moments of his life. He is also very proud of receiving the Hall of Fame award last year. “I was surrounded by grandmasters and movie stars from all over the world. Silver Fox was on my left and Cynthia Rothrock was on my right. This was in Pennsylvania on October 10, 2015; October 10 is my daughter’s birthday…,” he noted, explaining why the day was auspicious.
Another of his peeves is when he attempts to do something and then persons discourage him or say it can’t be done. In fact, he hates the saying “Don’t hang yo hat where yo hand can’t reach.” The idea of hanging his hat where his hand can’t reach it intrigues him in such a way that he becomes determined to take on the challenge. So when persons try to convince him that it won’t work out he sees it as a challenge and becomes determined to show them it can be done.
“My dad has always said this all the time as I was growing up. He died in 1977 but his saying has been imbedded in me: ‘The height of great men reached and kept was not attained by sudden flight. But they whilst their companions slept were toiling onward in the night.’ When persons ask what time I sleep, I usually say every day I go to sleep tomorrow because I’m most times up past midnight getting something done.”
Max is an optimist so often when persons ask how he’s been he replies, “I’m good and getting better. I’m better than I’ve been but not as good as I’m going to get.”
He continued, “I’m now beginning to get where I want to go. I would always want to see myself contributing to the youths and to set an example for them. I want to always be a positive example to society. One at a time we can make this world better. As Michael Jackson said, it starts with the man in the mirror.
“If I would be able to pass on a message to anybody, it’d be to embrace the truth. When you lie you have to remember the lie. Speak the truth because you never forget the truth.”
Although not often, when he has spare time Max enjoys watching adventurous movies that have a good storyline.
Maximum Sports Combat and Strength is aired every Friday at 9 pm.
What more can we expect from Max Massiah? Even he doesn’t know the answer to that one, but he’s certain that he’s not done yet.
