Matthew “Chopsticks” Smith wins Path to Elite main event
Cairns fighter Matthew “Chopsticks” Smith has his eyes on a title fight after a big win at the Path to Elite fight night on Saturday. WATCH THE VIDEO
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CAIRNS fighter Matthew “Chopsticks” Smith has his eyes on a title fight after a big win at the Path to Elite fight night on Saturday.
In front a hometown crowd full of family and friends at the Cairns Colonial Club, “Choppy” took out the main event over South Australian fighter and former WKA Australian intercontinental super middleweight champion Thomas “The Tank Engine” Wilkins.
Sporting his trademark lackadaisical stance and using clever feints throughout, Choppy lured Wilkins to the inside early on.
He was patient with his strikes, landing hard kicks and one-two combinations late in the first round.
In the second round, a pinpoint leading elbow had Wilkins wincing in pain and sporting a nasty cut above his left eye.
The contest was stopped momentarily in the third round as Choppy was so focused on handing out a beating he had forgotten his mouthguard.
But the Nuzku Muay Thai fighter then began to dominate proceedings.
With Wilkins reeling on the ropes, Choppy landed a jab-cross combo and followed it up with a jumping knee to the solar plexus.
The devastating body blow sounded a brutal thud heard throughout the Colonial Club’s function room and was enough to end the fight, with Wilkins unable to continue.
After the win, he said a title fight was now in his sights.
“Hopefully I’ll be fighting for a title (in Cairns) in May, but I want to get two or three more fights in before then,” Choppy said.
“I just want to stay active this year — last year I didn’t have many fights and it was quite frustrating. I just want to get on as many shows and fight as much as I can.”
Cairns fighter and Choppy’s Nukzu Muay Thai teammate Brian Ross made a return to the ring in the night’s semi-main event.
In what turned out to be the fight of the night, Ross went down via TKO to F16/Onyx Muay Thai’s Bernard Temu.
During the fight, both fighters threw the same elbow at the same time, but it was Ross that came off second-best.
“Props to Bernard for the win — we knew it was going to be a battle that ended in stitches or a KO,” he said.
“I was a little bit rusty after being away for a couple years, but onwards we go.”
NIGHT GOES OFF DESPITE LATE BLOW
Path to Elite’s 10-fight card had to be reduced to eight after wild weather and road closes forced the late withdrawal of Townsville’s Taipan Combat Ring Sports fight team.
“We wish Mick Parker and his boys all the best and we will endeavour to match the same fights for our May event,” said Explosive Fight Promotion’s Corey Elgers Larkin.
“We also hope that Oceanic Martial Arts Academy are also safe and sound as Brooke Mitchell wasn’t able to make it up.”
Originally published as Matthew “Chopsticks” Smith wins Path to Elite main event
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