Lee Do-gyeom allowed his fists do the talking by knocking out the loudmouth champion Rolando Dy to claim the UAE Warriors World featherweight title.
The Korean had promised his answers would all be seen in combat after Dy tried to intimidate him with trash talk at the pre-fight conference.
Lee landed a cracking right hook to Dy’s jaw, and as the Filipino fell to his knees, he finished him off with a series of blows before the referee stopped the contest just over three minutes into the first round.
The result took Lee’s record to eight wins and six losses, and his first title belt in the Warriors VIII card.
“I’m really thrilled in winning the UAE Warriors title belt on my first visit to Abu Dhabi,” Lee said at the post-fight interview at the Mubadala Arena on Friday.
“The fight ended so quickly and I’m overwhelmed with the result. I want to thank all the fans, my team and my training partners for this wonderful result. I’ll be back to defend my title anytime any day when a challenger is named.”
Dy, 28, acknowledged he took his opponent for granted and paid a heavy price. “It was my fault,” he said. “I was over-confident. I was like eating a pizza in a corner when I walked on to the firing line of my opponent and then hit on my jaw.
“I learnt a good lesson tonight but I’m not finished yet. I’m very disappointed and heart-broken to let my fans down.
“Congratulations to Lee Do-gyeom on this win and thank you for the lesson. I’ll be back. I don’t know what’s next for me but for now, I want to get back to training for my next fight.”
Dy also called up his fiancée, Stephanie, on stage to announce his marriage when they return to the Philippines. “This night is also special for me,” Dy added while hugging Stephanie on stage.
Seven of the 12 fights, including the two main support contests on the card, ended before going the distance with one no contest.
Emirati Mohammed Yahya bounced back from his defeat to Britain’s Gavin Hughes last May with victory over Filipino Glen Ranillo in the lightweight division.
“I feel so good after this result,” Yahya said after stopping Ranillo in the first round. “I lost a lot of sleep after the last fight and then trained from the very next day for this moment. This is win is for my family, friends and my fans who have been behind me all the time.”
