Inverell has a new king of the ring, with heavyweight Rick Peter Sandral claiming victory in Tweed Heads.
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Entering the fight on Saturday weighing 105kgs for four two-minute rounds against 100-kg Jack Farrell, the win has cemented his mission to go pro next year.
Farrell was competing on home turf in his own Seagull's Club gym for the War Zone Three Heavyweight Title, but despite being the underdog, Sandral - 'the Lumber Jack' - took the championship belt.
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"Coming away, I think the pressure is my strong point, I love to put the pressure on the opponent, but I know I definitely need to work more on my cardio now," he laughed.
The win takes him to four for zero losses, and puts him a step closer to his plans of taking the head gear off and going pro in 2023 - a chance to "make his mark" and put Inverell on the map.
"It's something that has been done since the dawn of time. It's the oldest sport known to man, figuring out who the best man is, I just love it," he said of what drew him to the career.
"I wanted to leave my mark on the world, and there is no reason why not to - I'm on the farm at the moment and boxing isn't something I'll do forever, so I can box for a while and then go back to the farm."
His coach, Grant Cunningham from Nick King's Lifestyle Center, said his 21-year-old prodigy had more work ethic than anyone he'd ever met.
"I debuted him 18 months ago, and hasn't taken a backward step," Cunningham enthused.
"If he's not cutting trees down with an ax, he's at the gym or garage doing training. This kid goes on YouTube and watches boxing videos to improve his technique."
The fight went smoothly, with Sandral winning every single round convincingly with his unique "old-school" style of boxing with both hands.
Over 30 family members from Tasmania to Inverell flocked to cheer on their boxing champ as he took down his more experienced opponent.
"It sounded like the whole place was cheering for me, there was so many of them!" Sandal laughed.
"All we asked of him was to show professionalism. And he did that perfectly," Cunningham said. "We couldn't have asked for a better performance."
While he's been involved with combat sports for most of his life, Sandral started chasing a career in boxing when his almost-achieved hopes of joining the army were dashed due to his coeliac diagnosis.
Turning 22 this weekend, with a big party planned on the family farm, Sandstock Ag, he already knows exactly what to focus on for his next upcoming fights: stamina.
His next bookings include one in May for Super Heavy Weight North Coast in Gatton, and the other in June for Croatia Promotions at Broadbeach.
Sandral wasn't the only one fighting on the weekend. Coach Nick King took his MMA fighter, Jake Deaves from Bundarra, to Brisbane for his second cage fight on Saturday after winning his first.
While he didn't come away victorious in the dangerous game, he won big points for coming away with only a bitten lip and the "hunger" for more. King said it was a brutal day, with many fighters getting "smashed", having to be carried out and taken to the hospital.
"In cage fighting, there are so many variables... Virtually every combat sport in one system of fighting or competing," he explained.
Deaves will now be working on his Jujitsu moves for his next fight in June.
"I think he's a lot more hungry. He is more focused and ready for his next challenge," King said.
King is now working on bringing a major World Koshiki Karatedo Federation (WKKF)-endorsed Koshiki Karate tournament to Inverell in June. The event is set to see hundreds of people from NSW and QLD visit.
"We are looking at having that here at around June," King explained.
"Hundreds of people will fill out the hall, in every age group, weight-class and experience level."
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