Suablack Tor Pran49 Stops Stephen Irvine And Calls For Hyu Rematch Toward A World Title Shot

Suablack Tor Pran49 recovered from an early knockdown to stop Stephen Irvine with a second-round knockout in their flyweight Muay Thai bout at ONE Fight Night 45 on Saturday. The Thai fighter, whose name means "Black Tiger", earned a US$50,000 performance bonus after the finish.

Early setback, quick response

Irvine opened strongly in round one, sending Suablack down with a clean right hand that seemed to put him in control. But Suablack came out with clear intent in round two, landed a right hand of his own, and followed with a hard elbow that ended the contest.

Irvine could not beat the referee’s count, and Suablack said staying calm after the knockdown helped him turn the fight around. "After I got knocked down, I tried to stay calm and then tried to stay up to finish the round because I already said to the fans, to my family, that I want this victory," Suablack said.

Eyes on Hyu and a title shot

The 30-year-old also said he saw Irvine was hurt after the count and moved in to finish with his trademark elbow. "When he got counted, I saw that he got hurt and so I just went up to him to finish him with an elbow. And most of my fights in ONE, I have won with an elbow, so I was confident that I could finish him," he said.

Suablack now wants a rematch with Japanese kickboxing sensation Hyu after an earlier defeat this year. He also believes a ONE World Title chance is close. "I'm ready for both Muay Thai and kickboxing. Definitely, I want to rematch with Hyu in kickboxing, and later on, anyone. I'm not that far from World Title shot. I think a couple more wins and it should be that time," Suablack said.