Bahamian Dewitt "D.C." Pratt remained undefeated in Thailand last week, winning by knockout in his second pro fight.
The 23-year-old martial artist used a left-right striking combination to take out his opponent, Yodmongkol Singmanasak, in the second round of their scheduled Muay Thai fight last Friday. He improved to 7-1-1 overall, in his brief two-year professional career.
"I was elated of course. It's my first knockout. He almost had me down in the first round, so it was good to respond the way I did," said Pratt from Thailand. "It was good to finish the fight early. I was in better shape so I wanted to eventually wear him down, but I got a solid combination in the second round, and he couldn't recover. It came just in time."
Pratt fights out of the Sumalee Boxing Gym in Thalang, Phuket, Thailand. He is coached by former Muay Thai fighter Lamnamoon Sor Sumalee. Pratt said he's hoping to step back into the ring sometime in July.
"Even though I got the knockout, I'm not really satisfied. I see where I need a lot of improvement, especially on defense. He almost had me down, and I don't want to experience that again."
Pratt won quite a few gold medals in international competition as an amateur before venturing into the professional ranks. As an amateur, he fought out of Atlanta, Georgia before returning home to The Bahamas. Travelling with the Beast Mode Fight Team, Pratt won gold medals on the International Chinese Martial Arts circuit and in International Kickboxing Federation (IKF) matches.
He specializes in Muay Thai, a combat sport which uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques.
This past Friday, he fought on Thai national television. The style of boxing that Pratt and his Thai opponent engaged in was Kard Cheuk, a form of fighting which requires the use of wraps and not gloves. The only way to win a Kard Cheuk fight is by knockout.
"That's really traditional Muay Thai right there, before they started using boxing gloves," said Pratt. "I'm a striker, so I'm used to punches and kicks. After that near knockdown, I was able to maintain my composure and stick to what I do best which is striking."
Pratt usually fights out of the 155-pound division. However, he said that there wasn't any weigh-ins for this particular fight.
"In Thailand they only have weigh-ins for championship fights, so there wasn't any weigh-in, but I'm like 160 and I'm sure that guy had to be at least 180," said Pratt.
Currently, there is an International Wushu Sanda Federation's proposal for the sport's entry into the Olympic Games on the table. It is being reviewed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the 2020 Olympics. Pratt said that acceptance of the sport into the Olympic calendar would be great for the practitioners back here in The Bahamas, but he added that he probably won't be eligible due to decision to turn professional.
"To see the sport grow to that extent where it is in the Olympics, that would be great, just to put The Bahamas on the map," he said.
The physical and mental sporting discipline of Muay Thai is known as "the art of eight limbs" in Thailand because it is characterized by the combined use of fists, elbows, knees, shins and feet. Pratt fights in a professional league in Thailand that is governed by the World Muay Thai Council.

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