Tyson Harrison endured a torrid opening three minutes against Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek U-Thai. It was no surprise when the Australian didn’t come out for the second round as he appeared to have already taken more than enough punishment for one night.
But Harrison revealed after the fight that there was more going on than meets the eye, with his decision to war black shorts very much vindicated. The 22 year old admitted that one of Kulabdam’s body shots was so hard it made him soil himself,
“One punch in the stomach (and) shit myself. Tell me how I’m supposed to continue fighting?”
Oh no.
"Everybody will be thinking, I don't have no heart, you tell me how you can even think about fighting after full shitting yourself."#ONEFridayFights34 pic.twitter.com/h3rJ8TyYjA
— Beyond Kickboxing (@Beyond_Kick) September 22, 2023
Public humiliation
Harrison lives and trains in Bangkok so would have been well aware of just how big ONE Friday Fights 34 was. It was screened live on Channel 7 in Thailand and the Australian understandably decided he didn’t want to be known as the man who shat himself on live TV.
However it doesn’t appear as if the referee was aware of Harrison’s predicament. When he decides not to send the Australian out for the second round it seems more due to concerns over the state of his face than the condition of his underwear.
The swelling 😨
Kulabdam 🇹🇭 wallops Tyson Harrison to force a doctor's stoppage after Round 1.#ONEFridayFights34 | 🔴 Live Now
🌍 Live TV broadcast in 190+ countries (check local listings)
🌍 Also available on ONE YouTube and ONE Facebook (geo-restrictions may apply)
🌍… pic.twitter.com/pbBjAgfc3v— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) September 22, 2023
Right decision
At the time it looked the right decision because Kulabdam had basically been using him for target practise. He had relentlessly attacked the body and head with Harrison forced to constantly defend.
He tried to soak up the punishment with a high guard but that is more difficult to do with the smaller gloves and inevitably leaves the lower body exposed. Kulabdam spotted these openings and capitalized ruthlessly.
But the referee didn’t just save Harrison from further punishment. He also saved a member of the ONE Championship team from having to do a job that absolutely no-one wants.
Presumably there is someone at ringside whose job description includes clearing blood from the ring. There was certainly plenty of it spilled in the main event when Rodtang cut Superlek badly.
But if Harrison had been allowed to fight on there might have been some even less pleasant substances staining the famous Lumpinee Stadium ring. So it is probably a good thing that he wasn’t.
