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Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson walked out to the Tenacious D's song called 'Wonderboy'. The 37-year-old picked up the victory against Geoff Neal via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45).
Funnily, enough the lyrics of the song go:
There sits Wonderboy, sitting oh so proudly..
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power?
Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck man?
The former kick-boxer started the first round brilliantly constantly switching stances and pushing Neal back with side-kicks. The Karate black-belt established his jab early from both stances, consistently building to a one-two.
Neal's game plan revolved around his left-hand and the only chance he had of landing the strike was when he could corner Wonderboy to the cage. However, that wasn't often, especially in the first three rounds.
In the 4th and 5th round, Wonderboy appeared to be chasing the finish as he decided to stand in the pocket and fight Neal. The southpaw had much more success trading punch for punch with Wonderboy. But ultimately, the Karateka's skill and movement proved too much for Neal to handle.
Wonderboy's win proves his credentials in the division and the 37-year-old could prove to be a tough tactical matchup for the champion Kamaru Usman. Ahead of the fight, he knew that a win over Neal will propel him back to the title picture.
"We all know Geoff Neal is a tough and big welterweight.
"A good win over him, (and) they gotta be putting me up against somebody in the top 5 next. So, not giving up on the title, in 2021, I am gonna be champ," said Wonderboy in the lead up to the fight.
The 5th ranked fighter called out Jorge Masvidal in his next fight for a re-match of their closely contested fight back in 2017. He also hinted that he will happy to fight Leon Edwards, who dismissed him not so long ago.
