Steve Moxon fights Frenchman Yohan Lidon.
STONE COLD Steve Moxon could have been forgiven for being disappointed to lose his A1 Kickboxing Middleweight World Championship fight against Yohan Lidon on Friday night at The Pavilion in Flemington.
He lost the bout by the narrowest of margins in a split decision.
But the Miners Rest kickboxer takes a different view after lasting the distance against the experienced French fighter.
After five three-minute rounds, two judges scored the fight 48-47 to Lidon. The other judge scored it Moxon’s way, 49-47. It could barely have been closer.
“It’s hard to be disappointed to last the distance against someone who has six world titles, with over 100 fights under his belt,” the 25-year old said.
“I felt quite happy. It was his title, so I’ve lost nothing. I lost it by one point. One judge gave it to me, the other two gave it to him. At the end of the fight I was standing, thinking it could have gone either way.
“The workrate was phenomonal. I was spent at the end, so was he. He might have actually gone home with more of a headache than I did.”
Moxon tried to nullify Lidon’s reach advantage by getting in close and punching. Lidon in turn tried to keep the fight at a distance with long kicks. The Ballarat-based fighter said it was like a game of chess.
“He was so awkward. He was unpredictable, and he was flicking out punches and kicks almost at the same time. It was hard to find any rhythm against him,” Moxon said.
“His ring craft was great. I enjoyed the mental battle because it was like a chess game. His experience might have showed at the end.
“He didn’t hurt me with anything but he kept me at bay and kept on scoring.”
Moxon’s next fight is in London on March 23, as part of the Glory World Series.
