Farkhan rings in a big one – with a TKO
PETALING JAYA: Boxer Mohd Farkhan Haron claimed his third title – and his biggest yet – after winning the International Boxing Federation (IBF) Inter-Continental Championship in the Johor International Boxing Championship (JIBC).
The Johor local did it in style, recording a seventh-round technical knock-out (TKO) win over Tanzanian Pascal Ndomba in the cruiserweight bout at the Persada Johor International Convention Centre (PJICC) in Johor Baru on Sunday.
Farkhan’s win now added the intercontinental title to his Asianlevel
World Boxing Association (WBA) and World Boxing Council (WBC) cruiserweight titles.
The 30-year-old said he didn’t expect the match to end early as Ndomba’s aggression kept him on the backfoot but he was glad his heavy punches felled Ndomba, who then threw in the towel.
“I didn’t expect to get a TKO win because I had a slow start and I actually injured my right hand during the fight. It slowed me down as I had to rely on my left hand,” said Farkhan who now holds 11-0 record.
“He fought aggressively in the first three rounds and I needed to do something so I started my fightback from the fourth round.”
“In the seventh round, one of my punches connected ... I think I hit his ribs and abdomen. Thank God, I am still undefeated.”
Farkhan also denied that Ndomba’s late arrival due to immigration issues in Qatar, which saw him miss the weigh-in and face-off session on Saturday, had affected the bout.
“I don’t think that was an issue. I believe both of us had good preparation and trained well for the fight. For me, a win is a win and loss is still a loss,” he added.