Suablack Turns Disaster Into Statement Knockout Over Stephen Irvine
A first-round knockdown looked like trouble. For Suablack, it was just the beginning of the story.
The Thai fan favorite stopped Stephen Irvine via a stunning second-round knockout in their flyweight Muay Thai co-main event at ONE Fight Night 45 on Friday, July 17, inside Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Suablack opened with sharp, purposeful striking, but Irvine quickly shifted the momentum, detonating a massive right hand that sent the Thai star to the canvas for the first knockdown of the fight.
Irvine surged forward in round two smelling blood, but Suablack weathered the storm and instantly flipped the script. He flattened “El Matador” with a blistering right hand for an eight-count of his own.
Moments later, the Thai striker closed the show, threading a thunderous counter left elbow that sent Irvine crashing to the canvas for good. The finish carried enormous weight for a fighter who arrived off consecutive losses.
“I’m happy with this win, and this time, for this fight, I wanted to show the fans the best performance for them.”
His record now stands at an impressive 63-23, and the drama of that early knockdown was never going to shake his belief in the outcome. Bouts between elite strikers, he knows, are rarely decided by a single mistake.
“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.”
With his momentum fully restored, Suablack’s attention has already turned toward Japanese rising star Hyu, the man who handed him a defeat he is eager to avenge. He believes he is edging closer to a shot at world championship gold.
“I’m ready for both Muay Thai and kickboxing. I was born as a fighter, so whatever, I’m okay to do so. Yeah, definitely, I want to rematch with Hyu in kickboxing, and later on, anyone.
“I’m not that far. I think a couple more wins and it should be that time.”
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