MUAY THAI
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He fell just short of a massive upset victory but Wollongong fighter David Pennimpede stamped his name on the Australian muay thai scene in finishing runner up in the Nexus four-man eliminator tournament in Melbourne on Saturday.
The 18-year-old was a heavy underdog going into the tournament given the large gap in age and experience between himself and the other three contenders. But he looked every bit the veteran in accounting for Victorian light-heavyweight titleist and 40-fight veteran Areta Gilbert in the preliminary bout, cutting him in the second round and earning a shot at the Nexus belt and $5000 prize.
The 70-fight veteran Kim Olsen proved too strong in the final, winning a five-round war by decision, but Pennimpede certainly showed he can mix with Australia's best.
"Physically backing up was really tough but I pulled up pretty good after the first fight," Pennimpede said.
"Areta Gilbert's really tough but I out-worked him in the clinch and landed lots of knees and leg kicks. I pulled up pretty well from that fight, I had a bit of a bump on the head and the shins were a bit banged up but ... not too bad.
"The five-rounder was definitely a lot tougher. It was a battle, a real war, but Kim [Olsen] was just too smart. He's had 70-plus fights and he had his first fight before I was born and that proved the difference on the night.
"It was close - I watched the replay and it seemed even closer but he was just too smart in the end."
Pennimpede lost no fans with his performance and certainly picked up a few more in a fight sure to open doors into the future.
"Going into it - win or lose - I wanted to make an impact and I think I've done that," Pennimpede said.
"I was definitely the underdog going in being the youngest and having the least amount of fights by a long shot but I backed myself.
"I believe in my ability and I thought I was a good chance of winning.
"A lot of people are talking about me now and saying how impressed they were.
"It was a proud moment for me and it's definitely going to open up opportunities for me interstate because a lot more people know who I am, what I can do and that I can step up and fight the bigger names."
Pennimpede will enjoy just a brief spell this week ahead of his next bout on JNI Promotions' 100th show card in Sydney on August 28.