Darm Phakphai’s journey to represent Australia at the Olympic Games has commenced.
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The Kempsey High School student recently claimed the Boxing NSW Title for the U18s 69kg division and he has now set his sights on conquering the nation when he does battle for the Australian Title in Perth on March 21.
The two best boxers from each state will compete at the event but Phakphai remains confident of leaving victorious.
“I want to win it, it’s the next step in my plans,” Phakphai told the Argus.
“I want to go as far as I can as an amateur and winning the Australian Title is a huge step in the right direction.”
The boxer who claims the Australian Title will be eligible to compete at a Australasian event in Samoa later this year.
Phakphai wants to become a professional boxer in the future but first he wants to dominate the amateur circuit.
The Year 12 student plans to spend the next two years preparing for the pinnacle of amateur boxing.
“The ultimate goal is to get to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games,” Phakphai said.
“I want to fight as much as I can between now and then to get more experience and see how far I can go before turning professional.”
The Kempsey resident has proven he’s capable of matching it against skilled opponents as the majority of his fights have came against older competitors.
Phakphai’s preparation for the NSW Titles included training six days a week and rising at 5am every morning to begin working out.
Phakphai cruised through the rounds on the way to claiming the NSW Title.
The orthodox fighter first won his NSW semi-final bout against Patrick Hill on March 3 in dominant fashion.
Phakphai dazed his opponent and forced a standing eight count in the second round and continued to apply the pressure for the rest of the match.
The win advanced Phakphai to the NSW Final where he faced Jason Devine.
It was a similar outcome with Phakphai winning on a unanimous decision as he demonstrated his superiority.
Phakphai thanked Renold Quinlan, trainer George Ptolemy, Port Macquarie Boxing Club, Dean groth, Kevin Raymond, Adam Fathers and everyone who has helped him in chasing his dreams.
The NSW Champion is hoping to receive sponsorship from local businesses to help with the travel costs to the Australian Titles.
