Muay Thai: Top pick for 2015 Daniel McGowan loses by 2nd round TKO

Muay Thai purists tend to scoff at the thought of a foreigner being successful in the unforgiving Bangkok stadiums, but 18-year old Daniel McGowan looked to be on track to break the mold.

The first ever fighter sponsored by one of the major Muay Thai gyms, the Petchyindee prospect was unbeaten in Bangkok stadium fights, including his first bout under the Petchyindee banner.

Until today.

In a bout at Rangsit Stadium, McGowan was stopped in the second round by Kongfark Sor.Chairoht. No footage of the bout is available yet, but Bloody Elbow understands he was hurt by a high kick around the ear, and a follow-up assault brought the bout to a close.

It marks a disappointing end to a topsy-turvy couple of weeks.

McGowan was due to fight on the 26th January against Bangkok-based Japanese fighter Yusuke. Yusuke pulled out, and a new opponent was found with the bout moved to the 22nd January on a bill headlined by legendary fighters Saenchai and Nong-O. When Saenchai pulled out injured, McGowan's fight was moved to the 25th.

Learning fights are expected for young fighters, especially foreigners fighting far more experienced Thai opponents. However, this loss will be put under the telescope as McGowan has received unprecedented attention from worldwide media due to being picked up by a prestigious gym like Petchyindee.

There's no doubt that McGowan will bounce back. He is due to fight back home in England against tough Italian Gery Bavetta on May 23rd at the Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham.

Bloody Elbow hopes to get a comment from him in the next few days once he has had time to recover.

To get more of an insight into McGowan and his journey from England to one of the sports great fight teams, take a look at this brilliant documentary from Muay Ties, the leading Bangkok fight filmmaker. This was released just this past Friday, and features interviews with both McGowan and his promoter 'Boat' Wachirarattanawong as well as training footage, all in glorious 1080.

For more on 'Boat', check out this interview with him on Bloody Elbow.