Cambodian Kun Khmer fighter Pich Sambath, known by his nickname “The Wild Buffalo”, believes in moving forward, not looking back. That why he is taking nothing for granted in his upcoming third bout with Ncedo Gomba, taking place this Sunday night at the Vattanac Industrial Park in Phnom Penh — even though he knocked the South African fighter out in their second encounter.
Sambath still vividly recalls Gomba’s ability and fierce fighting style, which led to Sambath suffering a points defeat in their first match. Things changed in their second bout, a title match held in November last year. Gomba was defeated at the end of the first round, after Sambath landed a heavy left punch to Gomba’s right ear, followed by a knee strike, causing him to hit the canvas.
At the time, Gomba didn’t appear seriously injured — in fact, he got up on his own. However, he clutched his right ear, signalling that he was experiencing issues from the heavy blow, which prevented him from continuing the fight.
Some fans later accused him of intentionally losing the match, but Sambath firmly dismissed this kind of speculation.
“I landed a heavy punch directly on his ear and followed with a knee. That’s when he started to wobble and fell. It wasn’t because I pushed him or hit him while he was falling,” he said.
“At the time, I didn’t think I’d be able to knock him out. His strikes were faster and more accurate than mine. He landed first when we engaged. It’s just that he made a mistake. I got a solid hit in before him, so he lost,” he explained.
As for their upcoming third encounter, he noted that it will be a difficult match. He praised Gomba’s skills, even saying he considers him stronger than Sok Thy, whom Sambath recently lost to on points in a June 28 championship fight at the TV5 Hanuman Arena.
“Between Sok Thy and Gomba, I’d say Gomba hits harder and is faster,” he said.
“I think it’s going to be a tough fight because he’s seeking a rematch. He also requested to use lighter gloves with exposed fingers, so I’ll just try to give a good performance,” Sambath added.
Mol Ny, the head promoter at TTK Arena, revealed the reason for allowing Ncedo Gomba a third chance to fight Sambath — primarily to show appreciation for Gomba’s contribution to promoting Kun Khmer internationally.
“Honestly, we could have arranged for Sambath to fight someone else. But we wanted to thank Gomba for helping to promote Kun Khmer in Africa, especially in his home country of South Africa,” he said.
“He has even brought several African fighters to experience Kun Khmer. Some have even taken up training in the martial art. Out of respect for his deep love for Kun Khmer, we always try to grant his requests to fight in Cambodia. We hope the public will understand and appreciate this,” he added.
