When Brandon Grach stepped into the ring against Liam Talivaa, he expected a knockout.
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And, in the second round via a rocket-propelled counter left hand, that's exactly what he did.
"Some people in the boxing world came up afterwards and said 'No-one was expecting that'," Grach said.
"[My team] all looked at each other and said 'We did'."
What came next however, he hadn't predicted.
"A lot of kids come up to me now and want to meet me and get a photo," Grach said.
"I've had a lot of people in Newcastle over the last week recognise me and have a quick chat about the fight. That's kind of cool."
The Newcastle product, who returned home in January having spent most of the three years prior living in Tamworth, became a local celebrity after putting Talivaa to sleep in front of his hometown on the recent Nikita Tszyu versus Dylan Biggs card.
It was the most recent step of a remarkably rapid rise for Grach, who took up training again late last year at One2Boxing Westside after a break of a dozen years.
Despite struggling with his fitness at the time, Grach won the amateur national championship in Melbourne on his return to the sport.
It reignited the love he had for the boxing as a teenager. And once 2023 rolled around, Grach decided he had no time to lose.
He returned to Newcastle with one goal on his mind: a professional debut.
It came to pass in September, where he earned a majority decision win over Johan Linde. Grach's second pro opponent was Talivaa, against whom he accepted a fight on short notice.
With five wins and no losses, Talivaa was the favourite to win. But once they were in the ring, Grach felt better than he had against Linde.
"I felt really good that night. I felt quick, I felt powerful and strong," he said.
"I felt my punches going through him, whereas in my first fight against Johan Linde, I remember his head being really hard. He was really tough.
"With Talivaa, I felt like my shots were going through him."
The 30-year-old said he had gotten fitter and stronger for this fight, and it paid off. After an attritional first round in which they were both dropped, two judges had scored it a draw with the third in favour of Grach.
That, he said, reflected how he felt in the moment.
"As I sat down on the stool, I thought I had the upper hand," Grach said.
"When I went down, I wasn't hurt, I was just mad ... and the way he fell at the end of the first, his legs went from under him, so I thought he was genuinely hurt."
The stunning finish came early in the next round. It sent the commentators wild, and has gone on the No Limit/Fox Sports shortlist for KO of the Year.
Grach was coy when asked about when he will next enter the ring. He said there might be a fight on short notice this month, but if not, he hopes to book his third pro bout sometime after his wife, Rhianon, gives birth to their third child in January.
Though his start in professional boxing has come relatively late, Grach shares the same goal as any other pro. He wants to win a world title.
And after signing with Glen Jennings on Saturday, who manages both of the Tszyu brothers, he sees no reason why he couldn't do it.
"I back myself, and I've got a good team," Grach said.
"My head's in the right place, so I believe I can go as far as I want to."
