Daniel Matthews celebrates after scoring the first-round knockout in his Muay Thai bout on Saturday. Photo: W.L Fight Photography/Rebellion Muay Thai
One of the biggest fights of Daniel Matthews' career proved the perfect time for a career-defining performance.
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The Kyabram-based Muay Thai fighter didn’t even need the whole first round to finish his fight, at 154lb, against New Zealand’s number one fighter, Jake Looknungubon on Saturday.
Matthews looked strong in the early minutes, but landed a decisive left kick with 2:25 gone in the first round to put Looknungubon down.
His opponent answered the standing eight count, but it was a matter of time for Matthews, who scored a second knockdown with a right hand almost immediately, before finishing the fight with another left kick seconds later.
“I wasn't really thinking about the finish at all,” Matthews said.
“I knew who I had in front of me wasn't just some random guy, he was ranked number one in New Zealand and 19 in the WBC rankings.
“I knew I had a good opponent on my hands and I was just going in there trying to be the best fighter I can be at that time.
“I wasn't really thinking about the knockout, I was thinking about staying calm and collected because it was only the first round, so I wasn't really trying to go for anything too extreme at the start.”
This is a major win for Matthews, not only because of the opponent and the manner of victory, but what it could mean for his career.
Part of the Your Stories Never End: Road to Rajadamnern X Rebellion event, Matthews’ fight was one of four Road to Rajadamnern showcase bouts, with three of the four winners to fight in the combined Rajadamnern X Rebellion card in Thailand on Boxing Day.
Daniel Matthews could be headed to Thailand on Boxing Day for a prestigious bout after his dominant win. Photo: W.L Fight Photography/Rebellion Muay Thai
Although not confirmed yet, the decisiveness of Matthews’ victory should hold him in good stead to earn a place on that card, which could springboard his career even higher.
“If I do get the fight on this promotion in Thailand on Boxing Day, this could push me up pretty high (in the sport),” Matthews said.
“If I win I can go and fight in RWS (Rajadamnern World Series), which is the biggest stage for Muay Thai at the moment and, so to get this win on the weekend, it's a pretty big deal for my career.
“Then if I win on Boxing Day it's even bigger, because that's pushing me up through the ranks, and if I can get to RWS next year it's definitely a big milestone in my career.”
Matthews has only one professional defeat on his record, which came earlier this year in March.
He fights out of Wickham’s Martial Arts Centre in Echuca.
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