He's sometimes called the Baby-faced Assassin. But he could be called the Smiling Assassin, and that would be entirely apt too.
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However, after recording his second KO win in only his third professional Muay Thai fight, let's call him Josh "Lights Out" McCulloch.
Read more: Josh McCulloch reveals his secret zen weapon
At the Mansfield Tavern in Brisbane on Saturday night, the red-hot fighter made light work of the much bigger Corey "the Broomstick" Barrett.
The Tamworthian stopped Barrett in the second round with a series of precision head punches, after he said he "rocked" him with a head punch at the end of the first round.
"I put an eight count on him with punches," McCulloch said of the second-round action, adding: "I pretty much knocked him out while he was standing."
"Like, he just froze, knocked out standing up ... He was leaning against the ropes, but he was fully unconscious."
At that point, McCulloch said Barrett's corner was about to throw in the towel but the referee stopped the contest. Sunshine Coast-based Barrett towered over McCulloch, and went into the fight with 12 wins from 20 fights.
In capturing a Destiny championship belt, to go with his Rise championship belt, McCulloch fought at 62.5kg, when his ideal weight class is featherweight (58.9kg).
In February, he captured the Rise championship fighting at 61.25kg - the stunning first-round KO head kick introducing him to the professional ranks in viral fashion: the video of the victory was widely viewed.
In his second pro fight, in March, he was awarded the performance of the night when he schooled his outgunned opponent over five rounds.
McCulloch and his trainer, Scott Chaffey, are eyeing a coveted WBC national title. On Sunday morning, Chaffey said: "We have something really big lined up for September that will be announced in the next couple of months."
"I'm really happy with Joshy's performance [on Saturday]," he added. "I'm definitely not surprised by the outcome, and I honestly couldn't be more proud of him."
McCulloch's record has improved to 19 wins against two losses and two draws in 23 bouts. He now has six KOs, and is unbeaten since 2016.
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Mark Bode
I’m passionate about writing stories that resonate with people. And I’m genuinely interested in the people I interview; I want to know about them and present their stories in a meaningful way.
I’m passionate about writing stories that resonate with people. And I’m genuinely interested in the people I interview; I want to know about them and present their stories in a meaningful way.
