WHEN Simeon Powell rocked up to Anthony Joshua’s fight with Wladimir Klitschko, little did he know the effect it would have on his life.
The then-teenager – who had just started training in Muay Thai – arrived at the 90,000-seater to work a security shift.
What Powell did not know is that he would have a front row seat – for free – to watch one of the most dramatic and thrilling fights of recent years.
He told SunSport: “It was crazy! Definitely didn’t do my job properly that day.”
Joshua climbed up from the canvas to sensationally knock Klitschko into retirement after 11 classic rounds.
Powell – an MMA hopeful at the time – watched in amazement with the inspiration to one day follow in AJ’s heavyweight heroics.
READ MORE IN MMA
He said: “It gave me chills, I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.
“It was crazy, the production, the atmosphere, I was like, ‘This is what I want.’”
Light-heavyweight Powell, now 24, made his professional MMA debut in 2021 and has since raced to an unbeaten 9-0 record.
He was last year signed to the Professional Fighters League, a rivalling promotion to the UFC.
Most read in Boxing
And this year, he entered the three-stage knockout PFL Europe tournament and returns in the final this Friday in Dublin.
A win will bag him $100,000 and a spot in the PFL’s global season next year, where he can times his earnings by TEN in the $1m season.
Powell takes on Jakob Nedoh at Dublin’s 3Arena and does so with more than just money and a title awaiting him.
He said: “I feel like this is the fight which is going to elevate me. How I’m gonna get the job done, I feel like it’s my, ‘I’m him moment.’
“This fight will be what gives me that global respect in a sense.”
Impa Kasanganay, 29, took this year’s PFL light-heavyweight crown by winning his two qualifying bouts and the subseuqent semi and finale fights.
And Powell was a keen viewer with his eyes on the $1m world championship prize.
He said: “It was a great performance, Impa is a nice guy, nice story but I’m a competitor at the end of the day and I definitely feel like I can compete with them boys.
“I feel like I definitely could have won it this year as well. It’s always been the dream since day one to be world champion.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
