Kempsey’s Darm Phakphai earned the NSW Youth State Titles in the 69kg division, defeating two opponents by point decision.
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He defeated Kadeem Frater in a unanimous points decision and before requiring a split decision result against Antonio Labbobetar to claim the title the next night.
However, Phakphai’s aspirations to compete at next year’s Common Wealth games started after a strong showing against an experienced 23-year-old figher at the Laurieton Hotel a fortnight earlier.
Phakphai dropped to 64kg for the bout and out boxed his opponent, earning the victory and claiming the Fighter of the Night honours.
The win built a desire within him to train hard and aim high.
“It has given me motivation to see how far I can go with amateur boxing,” Phakphai said.
“Hopefully I can continue to get better and make a name for myself.”
The 17-year-old trains five nights a week and said his dream is to represent Australia at a national level.
“It would be awesome to wear the green and gold and compete against the best in the world,” PhakPhai said.
