Calgary's Jake (The One) Peacock is looking forward to putting on a show Friday in his Muay Thai debut in the One Championship promotion.
It's fair to say his opponent, Japanese bantamweight Kohei (Samurai Warrior) Shinjo, and the fans at the storied Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok will never have seen anything like it.
The 30-year-old Peacock was born without a right hand. The amniotic band was wrapped around his arm in the early stages of development, which stopped it from growing.
It hasn't stopped him from leaving a trail of opponents in his wake.
Peacock fought his way onto the Bangkok card, winning the Road to One tournament to secure a US$100,000, six-fight contract with One Championship.
"It is life-changing," Peacock said from Thailand. "It's definitely a career-defining moment for me and it's going to change the trajectory of my life potentially."
"I'm in the best shape of my life and mentally, physically I'm prepared for this moment," he added.
His fight credentials are impressive.
Peacock improved to 12-1 as a professional, with 11 finishes, when he battered Abdoul Wafar to earn the One contract with a first-round stoppage in November in Calgary. It was his third tournament win and he marked the victory by leaving the ring to celebrate with watching friends and family.
He has been training ever since.
There are two title bouts on "One Friday Fights 58: Superbon vs. Grigorian II."
Thailand's Superbon Singha Mawynn takes on Armenia's Marat Grigorian for the One interim featherweight kickboxing world championship in the main event. Superbon, a former featherweight world champion, won a title defence by decision over Grigorian when they met in March 2022, only to lose his crown to Georgian-born Azerbaijiani-Belarusian Chingiz Allazov in January 2023.
And Montreal's Jonathan Di Bella defends his One strawweight kickboxing world title against Thailand's Prajanchai PK Saenchai. Di Bella won the vacant title in October 2022 when he won a decision over (The Fighting Rooster) Zhang Peimian of China and defended the belt last October by winning a decision over Thai-Australian Danial Williams.
Prajancha is bidding for two-sport glory, given he already holds the One strawweight Muay Thai title.
Noting that Muay Thai is the art of eight limbs (fists, elbows, knees, shins), Peacock says he has simply adapted to his body.
“It’s really just a difference of timing,” he said. “Some people would think it’s a disadvantage. But I’ve been born with it so I don’t know anything different.”
His fighting style is unique.
"There's no one that's going to mimic me. That equals it out right there," said Peacock. "I'm always dynamic, I think outside of the box. I may be one limb short but I introduce mentality to the game. That's the difference."
One's Muay Thai bouts feature three three-minute rounds (five rounds for a title bout) with fighters wearing four-ounce mixed martial arts gloves. Knockouts can be scored via punch, kick, knee, elbow or legal throw.
Peacock, who will be fighting at 145 pounds Friday, only wears one glove but uses his right arm to deliver elbows and other strikes.
(One's kickboxing division allows for knockouts via punch, kick, or knee with fighters wearing boxing gloves).
Ranked 14th in the WBC world rankings at welterweight, Peacock is the current WBC Canadian welterweight champion and North American super-welterweight champion and former European super-welterweight title-holder.
Married with two kids, he is also the founder and head coach at Calgary's Dunamis Gym.
Peacock is no stranger to arriving with a bang. In August 2019, he won his Lion Fight promotion debut in Las Vegas, stopping American John Garcia with a first-round head kick on the undercard of Lion Fight 57.
Peacock has a sporting pedigree.
His father Gavin Peacock was a professional footballer for 18 years, playing for Queens Park Rangers, Chelsea and Newcastle United among other clubs. He turned to ministry after his playing career, moving to Canada where he is now an associate pastor at Calvary Grace Church of Calgary.
Born and raised in London, England, Jake was enrolled in martial arts at the age of seven to learn discipline and self-defence. After moving to Canada at 14, Peacock transitioned to full contact Kyokushin Karate, eventually moving to Muay Thai and kickboxing.
Peacock has one MMA fight under his belt, losing to Skye Folsom in June 2016 on a Hard Knocks Fighting Championship card in Calgary.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 3, 2024.
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
