Benji Birchell scores devastating first round knockout in history-making professional boxing debut

Australia’s youngest ever pro boxer is now the youngest winner in Australian boxing history. Fifteen-year-old Benji Birchell secured a first-round knockout on debut – and celebrated with pizza.

Australia’s youngest professional boxer has scored a devastating 74-second knockout in his debut, before celebrating at Pizza Hut.

Benji Birchell, 15, flattened his opponent Sitthisak Khamsomsri three times on his way to a first-round victory in Bangkok.

Birchell broke Lionel Rose’s longstanding 60-year record as the country’s youngest pro pugilist – Rose debuted aged 16.

And he has put the 48kg flyweight division on notice with his power, showing a thumping straight right hand that dropped Khamsomri inside 32 seconds, before follow-up barrages forced the referee to stop the contest after 74 seconds.

“I want to fight like this every fight, get the knockout of course hopefully early in the round and just keep progressing,” Birchell told this masthead.

“I want to put on a show and make it entertaining for the fans.”

Aussie teenager Benji Birchell during his pro boxing win

Birchell’s father and trainer, renowned cornerman Dave Birchell, took him out for pizza as a reward.

“We went to Pizza Hut, he deserved it after cutting weight,” Dave Birchell said.

“I was impressed with his maturity and that he was calm, he didn’t rush in there.

“I told him before the fight, ‘You’re not some 15-year-old kid, you’re a professional fighter so you better look like a professional fighter’.

“Obviously there were a few nerves in that first fight, it’s about how you handle it and he performed under the pressure.

Birchell celebrates his pro boxing debut with a victory.

“He’s been doing this in a few sparring sessions with kids, that exact right hand inspiring, knocking guys down and that was with 16 ounce gloves, and these were eight ounce gloves.

“I knew he was going to hurt anyone if he hit them like that, but it was good to see that he stayed very professional with it and executed his game plan well.”

Thai boxing promoters are already battling each other to sign Birchell for his second bout.

David Birchell said his son would return there to fight in March, but have rival bids to appear on shows in either Bangkok or Pattaya City.

Originally published as Benji Birchell scores devastating first round knockout in history-making professional boxing debut