Controversy Grows Over Eight-Year-Old Girl Kickboxer [VIDEO]

While most eight-year-old girls might be content to simply busy themselves with toys, Jasmine Parr seems to be embarking on a career as a diminutive Muay Thai kickboxer. In June, Parr's father, Australian kickboxing champion John Wayne Parr, pitted his daughter against a seven-year-old in a kickboxing match in front of a paying audience, reported 'Today.'

Not surprisingly, the match drew heavy criticism, including a comment by Phil Reeves, the Queensland Minister for Child Safety and Sport, who said he was "appalled at the image of children of this age being put in a boxing ring."

But the little girl's father maintains she was never in any danger. "I'm not a bad dad. I'm a good guy. I wouldn't put my own flesh and blood in the ring unless I thought it was 100 percent safe," he said.

[Today]