- Mark Chamberlain was crowned WBC silver lightweight champion
- He knocked out Joshua Wahab in the first round of their fight in Saudi Arabia
- After the fight, the British fighter insisted he ‘wanted to keep winning’
Mark Chamberlain put in an emphatic performance to knock out Joshua Wahab in the first round of their WBC Silver Lightweight Championship fight on Saturday night.
The sensational knockout win sees Chamberlain, 25, claim the WBC’s vacant silver lightweight championship belt after slamming his opponent to the canvas twice in the fight.
With 45 seconds left on the clock, Wahab stepped forward and left himself exposed, waving his left arm at his British opponent.
Seeing the move coming, Chamberlain moved to his left and delivered a crushing punch to his opponent’s face, sending him to the ground. Wahab was able to continue, but the British left-hander saw his chance to take the victory.
He pressed the Nigerian fighter again, pushing him into the corner, before throwing a flurry of punches that Wahab could do little to counter. Chamberlain delivered a brutal right hand to Wahab’s head, which appeared to stun the 26-year-old, before catching him again with another right hook, sending his opponent to the ground.
British fighter Mark Chamberlain (right) delivered a brutal right hook to defeat Joshua Wahab (above left) in the first round of their fight
Chamberlain (center) slammed his opponent to the canvas twice during the fight before delivering a brutal knockout punch
Chamberlain, who comes from Portsmouth and will remain undefeated after tonight, is nicknamed ‘Thunder’ and he certainly lived up to that tonight.
He has now extended his fight record to 16-0-0 and was greeted in the ring after the fight by his promoter, Frank Warren.
“I thought I was going to have a tough night, but look what I just did in the first round,” Chamberlain told TNT Sports Box Office.
“Thanks to His Excellency (Turki Alalshikh) and Frank Warren, this is life changing.”
This is the second time the 25-year-old has fought in Saudi Arabia, having claimed the previously vacant WBA intercontinental lightweight title with a TKO win against Gavin Gwynne on the undercard of Anthony Joshua’s fight against Francis Ngannou last year.
He had knocked down Wahab (left) earlier in the first round, but the Nigerian fighter was able to continue
After the fight resumed, the British boxer (right) pushed Wahab (left) into the corner of the ring where he would eventually land the winning blow.
Chamberlain (left) was subsequently crowned WBC silver lightweight champion
Chamberlain, pictured here with his promoter Frank Warren (right), insisted he ‘wanted to keep winning’ after the fight
Of his victory, Chamberlain said: “He [Wahab] was on my feet, I then thought I should be a little wary, but the second [punch] blew him away.
“I hope to be back in Riyadh to continue and have fun. I want to keep winning.’