Standing in the centre of the ring, King in the Ring championship belt shining around his waist and golden confetti clinging to his shoulders, Titus Proctor soaked in his moment.
The 19-year-old from Hamilton entered last month’s eight-man tournament as a relatively unknown commodity on the national stage butleft with his name in lights; winning three fights in one night to clinch the super middleweight title in New Zealand’s premier kickboxing event.
The title was a symbol of the work and dedication Proctor has put into developing his skills since joining Tihipuke Muay Thai at the suggestion of his nan; a moment he says changed his life for the better.
“[I was] getting into trouble outside the ring,” Proctor tells the Herald. “I didn’t really have stuff to do with my time and I was using my time in the wrong ways. When I found the gym, it took up a lot of my time and it gave me something to wake up to and look forward to every day.
“I was getting into mischief; getting in trouble with the police and at school, fighting in the street – just little petty stuff.
“The second I started training, I was like ‘man, I love this’.”
Titus Proctor won the final King in the Ring event of 2023. Photo: Supplied/Combat Sports Network
The King in the Ring field was one packed with young talent and former event champions, with eight stables from around the country represented. Proctor beat Jake McCowatt (Manawa Toa Muay Thai, Rotorua), before stopping former champion Sam Parkes (Rangataua o Aotearoa, Gisborne), then ultimately beating Dion Wilson (Core MMA, Hamilton) in the final.
Proctor joined an ever-growing list of King in the Ring champions, etching his name alongside the likes of current UFC stars Israel Adesanya, Dan Hooker and Carlos Ulberg.
“I feel like we’re all just pushing that extra step further now. Everyone’s setting their goals a little bit higher. We’re all talented, and all those previous King in the Ring champions, all those City Kickboxing boys, big ups to them for paving the way,” Proctor says.
But the UFC is not the promotion Proctor has his sights set on reaching. Instead, he wants to compete in One Championship where many of the world’s top kickboxing and Muay Thai practitioners ply their trade.
“I’m not really into MMA. I haven’t trained MMA, I haven’t done any MMA fights, I’m more into stand-up – kickboxing and Muay Thai – so I feel like One Championship would be a better goal than the UFC for me.
“I feel like everyone’s just taking that Israel Adesanya wave. Everyone wants to be a UFC champion and get megabucks, but I just want to leave a legacy and create something for when I die for people to remember me by. One Championship kickboxing world champion would be my ultimate goal ... I feel like within four or five years I can get there.”
For the immediate future, Proctor already has solid plans to stay active, including appearing on the Arsenal X card in Auckland in March. Arsenal X is also run by King in the Ring promoters Jason and Arna Suttie, but fights are in a hybrid model with a different rule-set for each round. Proctor will follow that with a bout in Australia later that month.
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.
