Middlesbrough martial artist Steven Long has vowed to return to the Thai boxing arena with renewed strength and focus in 2015 after suffering a first round stoppage loss to Salah Khalifa on the Yokkao 10 show.
The 27-year-old got stopped inside the opening minute at the Macron Stadium in Bolton after being put on his back by a clean counter left hook.
The defeat means Long slips from third place to fifth in the British 68 kilo rankings, but he is already working hard ahead of his expected comeback on the next Yokkao event in Bolton in March, and a possible outing in Sedgefield at the end of April.
“Stoppages are something that can always happen in this sport, and unfortunately I was on the end of one before we had even got going,” Long said.
“We had only exchanged a couple of kicks and he swept me once before he caught me probably cold.
“At the time I thought I’d only gone down on my knees, but looking back on the video it’s obvious the punch put me on my back.
“I got up and wanted to continue but the referee is there for our safety and he obviously thought I wasn’t in shape to carry on.
“But fair play to Salah, he is a top fighter and had been stopped in his last fight himself.
“All of my favourite fighters have been stopped as well. It’s part of the game you have got to learn from.”
The Khalifa defeat was Long’s first inside the distance setback apart from being stopped on cuts, and he is putting in the hours in the gym to try and ensure it is a one-off.
“Defeats can pick up your faults, and I’m already changing a lot of things,” he said.
“I’m doing a lot of strength work and it’s given me a kick up the backside to go that bit further and not put too much pressure on myself.
“Bigger shows bring more pressure, but I’ve just got to get my mindset right and get back to loving it.”
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