The 19-year-old Kyabram local, who fights out of Wickham’s Martial Arts Centre in Echuca, claimed his sixth win last weekend in Melbourne, defeating Jerome Simbahan to improve to 6-0 in the professional ranks.
“I came away with the win, but it was a real tough fight for me, it was a big step up,” Matthews said.
“A lot of people thought I was going to lose this one, so I had to prove them wrong kind of thing.
“I got cut open in the first round with an elbow, so I had to dig deep. I came back from the first round and I was like 'oh f*** I’m in it now’.
“I came out in the second and I was lucky enough to cut him as well, and then it was just an even game from then, back and forth, but I was lucky to come away with the win.”
Matthews possesses a brutal left kick, although his weapon of choice was shelved for his bout with Simbahan, who, like Matthews, also fights in a southpaw stance.
Despite a nasty cut early that required multiple stitches, Matthews stuck to a game plan that consisted of elbow strikes, which eventually paid off.
“I’m more of a kicking-based fighter, I like to use my left kick to kick the arms and wear them down over the rounds,” he said.
“This one we had a different plan, we had more of an elbow game, which worked in my favour.
“I knew I couldn’t really use my left kick as much because he was a southpaw as well.
“This was my first time fighting another southpaw, so I knew he was going to be expecting my kick so I had to change it up as well, so that’s why we did use the elbows.”
Matthews’s brother Jack is also a talent in the Muay Thai scene, having just claimed the Victorian title, and while Daniel is keen to have a belt of his own, he isn’t going to rush the process.
“I'm just going with whatever comes to me, really,” he said.
“I’m obviously wanting title fights, but I’m not hungry for them, I’m not going to go to a random promotion that gives out belts left and right.
“I want to earn my belt on the promotion that I’m currently fighting on, Rebellion, because I know I’ve earned it then, because he doesn’t give out belts that often.
“So I’m just going to keep going with what I’m doing and then if a belt comes, it comes, but I’m not going to chase one, I’m just going to let it come to me type of thing.”
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