England’s Jake Peacock stuck to his word and pulled off a sensational debut as he defeated Japan’s Kohei Shinjo in their bantamweight Muay Thai showdown during the ONE Championship in Bangkok on Friday.
Peacock, who was born without his right hand and forearm, stunned Lumpinee Boxing Stadium as he dominated his adversary and displayed his versatile skill set across all three rounds.
The 30-year-old punched, kicked, and elbowed his way through his Japanese foe, earning the unanimous decision win in the process.
Peacock is the son of ex-Chelsea, QPR and Newcastle footballer Gavin Peacock and grandson of Charlton Athletic legend Keith Peacock.
In an interview with Sky Sports, Peacock, who took up martial arts at the age of seven, said opponents who view his right arm as an area to exploit have been proved wrong.
“A lot of people come into the fight and maybe think that is my weaker side and are going to target that area but it has not worked out for anyone who has done that.
“I can’t help but finish people. I do damage with my right arm. I have dropped a couple of people.
“I manage my distance and range well and I make it uncomfortable for people. If they put it on me, I am going to try and give something back.
“I have always been strong and had good technique but when I turned pro I had a whole mindset shift. My mentality was different, I just had this killer instinct in me.
“My dad kicked balls for a living and I kick people’s heads! My grandad played over 500 games for Charlton so it is in the blood.”
Former ONE featherweight kickboxing world champion Superbon Singha Mawynn emerged victorious against American Marat Grigorian, landing low kicks to keep his rival at bay from the first minute.
Grigorian was forced to mix up his game as he began to connect with uppercuts from inside the pocket.
Superbon managed to adapt on the fly throwing heavy shots and pushing the pace across 15 minutes action and eventually left the ring with the interim strap around his waist with a pivotal unification rematch with Chingiz Allazov now in question.
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