Some fights are won with words before the first punch is thrown. George Jarvis made that fatal mistake when he questioned Regian Eersel’s Muay Thai credentials, providing the Dutch-Surinamese fighter with all the motivation he needed.
Eersel took exactly 84 seconds to silence every critic and leave his challenger on the canvas at ONE Fight Night 34 on Friday, August 1, inside Bangkok’s legendary Lumpinee Stadium. “The Immortal” defended his ONE lightweight Muay Thai world title with devastating efficiency, earning a $50,000 performance bonus to boot.
The pre-fight narrative had centered around Jarvis questioning Eersel’s Muay Thai skills despite his championship status. The British challenger suggested that Eersel lacked genuine Muay Thai credentials – comments that proved to be a dangerous miscalculation.
“George Jarvis said that I’m not a Muay Thai fighter, it only motivates me because I’m not the Muay Thai world champion for nothing,” Eersel explained. “So I had to show him, make him feel why I’m the Muay Thai world champion.”
Eersel entered the bout carrying those words as fuel. His original game plan involved dragging Jarvis into the championship rounds, where experience would prove decisive. Instead, opportunity presented itself immediately.
When Jarvis attempted to establish range with low kicks, Eersel countered. A piercing right hand dropped the challenger early, forcing an eight-count.
“From the fight, I think he underestimated me, also my power,” Eersel reflected. “I think maybe he thought, like yeah, I’m a tall, skinny guy, I don’t hit very hard.”
When action resumed, Eersel unleashed his trademark finishing sequence with clinical precision. Another devastating right hand found its target and Jarvis crumpled to the canvas at the 1:24 mark, his challenge ended in brutal fashion.
“The first one, the one-two, my coach told me to go to the middle so I did,” he explained. “He went down and got the eight-count. After that, I saw that he was open and a little bit dizzy, so I put the straight right, right to his nose.”
The quick finish surprised even the champion himself.
“No, I didn’t expect this to go this fast. My game plan was to drag him to the fourth and fifth rounds,” Eersel said. “But when I see the opening, especially in the four-ounce gloves, I will go for it.”
