WEST HOPING TO DINE OUT IN COMEBACK BOUT
JOSH West is out to make up for lost time when he returns to the Muay Thai ring for the first time in months against a fellow Far North fighter for the WMO Australia Middleweight title.
Nukzu Muay Thai’s West will headline the Powerhouse Fight Series show at Mackay in a highly anticipated bout with Athlete Muaythai’s Quinton Smith.
A bout was planned six months ago but was scrapped three weeks out after West succumbed to a health issue that could have forced him from the ring.
He had gone through a regular training session when he noticed swelling, and after hot and cold spells over the next few hours found himself at the ER at Cairns Hospital.
“I went downhill really quick,” he said. “I ended up spending two nights there on antibiotics.
“I was sent home after that, still on antibiotics, but just two nights later the bottom of my leg was painful to touch and it had ballooned.
“I went back to the hospital and they had to operate.”
Officially, it was an infected leg haematoma which caused the swelling, led to the operation and meant he was off his feet for weeks.
He never lost his hunger for competition, and after two weeks on crutches he was back on feet and back training regularly at the Manunda gym.
It was a wild ride for West, who had been in a hot run of form and was eyeing a number of major fights through the year.
One of those was to be against Smith for this title, and while two men, who are among the best fighters out of the Far North, will finally face off on Saturday night, there were a number of big fights in the pipeline.
The injury, and recovery, has meant a delay to those plans, but a win is crucial.
“The start of the year was phenomenal, I won the state title and fought in Melbourne as well,” West said.
“I was supposed to fight at the end of October, but they pulled out fairly late. I’m just itching to get back into it.”
As for his preparation, he said everything had gone to plan so far, with the addition of a nutritionist to his pre-match planning making an enormous difference.
But after six months of trying to fight, it is finally time.
“This same fight was supposed to be six months ago ... in hindsight, my diet probably had a lot to do with the infection. I wasn’t getting enough protein.
“It’s been well worth the time and money.
“We check in every few weeks but there’s a full meal plan, what to eat and when, how much. I feel way better with it all.”
Fellow Far North athletes Oliver Hansen (Full Boar Gym, Cooktown), Hannah Dayes (Fight Academy), Steele Day (Nukzu Muay Thai) and Brayden Marzona (Athlete Muaythai) are all fighting for titles at Powerhouse IX.