Walter Goncalves had pressure on his shoulders ahead of his ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix quarterfinal match at ONE 157: Petchmorakot vs. Vienot on Friday, 20 May, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
The Brazilian striker was on a two-fight skid coming into the event, and he was determined to show that he deserved his spot in the illustrious tournament.
Goncalves was originally slated to face top-ranked flyweight Muay Thai contender Jonathan “The General” Haggerty. He would have served as a perfect opponent to achieve that goal against, but the British star had to pull out due to medical issues, so in stepped Josue Cruz to replace him.
Despite the last-minute change, Goncalves’ goal remained the same, and his performance against ONE’s first-ever Mexican Muay Thai athlete exhibited just how dangerous the 23-year-old is.
Goncalves scored the only knockout of the tournament's opening round, and he needed just 35 seconds to do it. The Brazilian striker opened the bout with a measured approach, cautiously establishing distance between himself and his opponent. Then, when the time was right, he swiftly closed the gap and landed a hook to Cruz’s body that dropped him to the canvas.
The Mexican debutant was unable to recover, and Goncalves earned his first win in the Circle and a place in the Grand Prix semifinals – which he can now prepare for unscathed.
“It's an advantage indeed not to get hurt at all. And on [the following] Monday, I was already going back to training to get ready for the next fight," Goncalves said.
"This is a world-class [Grand Prix], so you never know who's really going to win. I would say it's the most confident and the most prepared I've ever been. I'm very confident and prepared. So, I don't want to make predictions. I just want to go there and show them what I can do."
Goncalves will face Thai striking sensation Superlek Kiatmoo9 in the semifinals after “The Kicking Machine” scored a dominant unanimous decision victory over Japan’s Taiki “Silent Sniper” Naito in their quarterfinal showdown.
The new #5-ranked flyweight Muay Thai star has a lot of respect for his next opponent, but he’s eager to take him en route to the tournament’s coveted silver belt.
“I have been waiting for this fight. Now I have the win and am ready for more. I am a big fan of Superlek, but we are going to war. It’s what we have to do,” Goncalves said.
“Now you know who Walter Goncalves is. It's time to talk about [me] and how dangerous I am. Because I came here to win, and it's my time now.”
Watch ONE 158: Tawanchai vs. Larsen live on Disney+ Hotstar or Star Sports Select 2., beginning with the lead card at 3 p.m. India Standard Time (IST) on Friday, 3 June. The main card broadcasts live on Disney+ Hotstar and Star Sports Select 2 at 6 p.m. IST.
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