Jack kicking down the door for state title bid

That knowledge will prove invaluable in just over a week’s time, when Matthews steps into the ring to take on Quang Pham, with the winner taking home the WBC Muay Thai State Title.

The fight, set for Saturday, February 10 at Melbourne Pavilion, will see Matthews step up a weight class, however a favourable head-to-head record has the rising star feeling optimistic about his chances of securing the belt.

“I fight at 61.2 kilos, but this time I’m fighting at 63.5 so it’s a bit heavier, but I fought at this weight before when I first started,” he said.

“The guy I’m fighting, I previously fought him maybe two years ago. I had about maybe seven fights, he had about 12 at the time.

“It was a split point win last time we fought, so I’m pretty confident. I’ve trained the hardest I’ve ever trained with this camp, because it’s for the title and it’s for the main event.”

Matthews has previously fought for a title against seasoned campaigner Isaac Tomlinson, which he lost via a split point decision, however the experience he gained from the loss has prepared him both mentally and physically for his second chance.

“I just lost that fight (against Tomlinson) by split point, so just one point difference, but I learned a lot from that,” he said.

“So that was five rounds, five by three (minutes), same as this one. I’m confident that I can last the full five rounds because I’ve done it before multiple times, and I’m very happy with how I trained this camp.

“This has been the hardest camp and it’s really shown with my stamina and everything.”

With a strict regimen beginning well before Christmas, Matthews, under the watchful eye of Eikkasit, has slowly been building his body up to the rigours that a title fight demands.

It’s blatantly obvious, even just watching a light session on the pads, that he is in fighting shape, although he stresses it has not come easily.

“For this camp, because it’s for the main event, Kiw has really pushed me extra,” Matthews said.

“He’s even said that is the hardest camp he’s put me through, and he said that he’s tried to kill me.

“I haven’t died obviously, but yeah, it has been very hard this one.”

Just over one week out from fight night, for which Matthews’ name will be emblazoned on the fight card as the main event, he says he isn’t feeling the nerves.

He knows they will come, but for a young man still in the early days of his career, he possesses a remarkable ability to stay supremely focussed on the task at hand.

“I don’t know, it hasn’t really hit me, I think it hits me maybe next week,” he said of the nerves.

“Because I have fought so often and I’ve been fighting since I turned 18, and it’s been multiple times a year, I’m kind of used to the fight camp and preparing for the fight.

“You always get nervous, but for me, I don’t start nervous. I kind of get nervous maybe the last week when it’s getting really close, but then I’m so focused on my weight cut, so it doesn’t affect me.

“Then on fight day, I’m just focused on what I’m going to do and how I’m going to do it, so for the nerves, it doesn’t really change.”

What exactly he has to do is overcome another highly touted young gun in Pham, and while brazen confidence may come across as arrogance, it’s anything but. Matthews simply fully believes in his own ability.

“I do expect to win,” he said.

“When you’re fighting, it’s such a mentally demanding sport as well as physical.

“I think you’ve always got to back yourself because you don’t really want to give any doubt for yourself.

“Obviously you have doubt, but the moment you can shrug that off and realise that you’ve trained and you put yourself through it, you can have a chance.

“There’s no point in doubting myself because it’s not going to change anything.”

Matthews will take on Quang Pham for the WBC State Title at 6pm on February 10 at Melbourne Pavilion. Tickets to the event, as well as a livestream of the fight, can be accessed at hardcorethaiboxing.com.au