By Nick Creely
Jayden Wright’s journey is something to marvel at, he has turned his life around through kickboxing, something he believes has saved him.
The 26-year-old Officer man has now moved to a professional record of 8-0 after defeating Taner Gumatsas at Powerplay 37 last Saturday night, in a unanimous victory that makes him one of the most hunted athletes in Victoria.
It’s an extraordinary achievement and another win in his remarkable career to date. But what makes him tick?
“The thing we strive for is to keep that zero, but at the same time I always want to put on an ultra-exciting fight for everybody – I’ve said it before, I’d rather lose than win a boring fight,” he said.
Unsure of exactly what he was coming up against in front of a packed out crowd at the Melbourne Pavilion, Wright explained his and his coach’s mindset when being faced with their next challenge.
“We had a feeling he’d come straight out and sprint it – so we were aware of that, and I just took it, and stood my ground and pushed forward like I always do,” he said.
“We only had a little footage of him, and I just go off what my coach said, and he had a feeling that he was going to sprint it, so we assumed he was fit, but it’s rare that someone as fit as I am to keep that pace for a whole fight. I knew my fitness was going to overtake him.
With every win comes even greater expectation, but Wright is a confidence machine, and starting to learn even more about himself as he moves along.
“The confidence is great, the best thing about this win was that the comfort levels during a fight are getting so much easier, there are no nerves anymore, it’s just the fun part. It’s all focus, and no adrenaline dumps anymore, and I can remember everything,” he said.
“This win doesn’t change anything for me, I’m still just going forward – I’m sure the coaches have got things plan that we’ll announce soon, hopefully some big fights are around the corners, and that’s as far as I know.”
That winning feeling, recognition of dedication, hard work and utter resilience is something Wright craves, keeping him on the right path in a life that has thrown him some curveballs.
“It (boxing) keeps me on track, and it also lets me keep going forward in life happily – I’ve had such a bad past, and now I just keep striving for the next win,” he said.
Jayden will next take to the ring on 27 July, in preparation for the Powerplay 38 on 25 August.
