Hisyam Samsudin is doing his best to honour his late father

Hisyam “Zephyrus” Samsudin’s bout with Jeremy “The Predator” Meciaz will live in the Malaysian striker’s memory forever.

The bout immediately followed one of the most heart-wrenching moments of Samsudin’s life, as on the eve of the bout, he rushed to hospital to be with his father, who had passed out. Tragically, Samsudin’s father had passed away before Hisyam arrived at the hospital.

“I was at the hotel,” he told ONE Championship as he recalled that heartbreaking night..

“It was the early morning, and my mom sent me a text saying that my dad passed out. He did not wake up from his sleep, and they just sent him to the hospital. So my mom told me to go to the hospital.

“I am not really sure [what happened], because my mom was the one at the hospital.

“Before that, he was just fine. He did not get sick, or anything. I really do not know how else to say it. The thing that I know is, when he came to Jakarta to see me, we really did not expect that. He was just like his normal self.

“My mom is the one that has a heart condition. I am not sure what the doctors told my mom, but they did not tell me anything.”

With his bout against Meciaz due for the following day, Samsudin was obviously unsure whether to compete or withdraw citing emotional issues.

“At first, I just wanted to go home,” he admitted.

“But my mom was there, and I did not want her to be alone. So, at first, I was thinking of going back with my mom.

“My mom told me that she and my father went there just to watch me, and my father wanted to see me compete, and he wanted to see me win. She really pressed on about wanting me to compete, and winning for my father.”

Samsudin felt he had little option but to go through with the bout. While he was understandably conflicted going into the contest, he headed to the cage determined to put on a performance to honour the memory of his father.

“From the walk-in, all I was thinking about was my dad. I really wanted to win for him,” the Malaysian continues.

“Even when Jeremy got me in the heel hook, and the kneebar and all that, it really hurt. But I did not care about the pain because I really wanted to win. So I went through the pain, and I finished Jeremy in the first round. And then, I wanted to go home with my mom.”

Fast forward six months to present day, and Samsudin is ready to return once again, this time under less stressful circumstances.

The Malaysian will take on Indonesia’s Sunoto in a bantamweight bout at ONE: IRON WILL in Bangkok, Thailand on Saturday, 24 March.

“Zephyrus” says he’s aware of his opponent’s explosiveness and striking ability, but believes he has the skills and the know-how to finish his opponent early on in the contest.

“For his advantage, it would be his power, and his strength. I can see he has a well-built body, and bigger muscles. That can add power to his punches, and explosiveness to his takedowns,” he suggested.

“As for his weakness, since he has all that muscle, I do not think he can last long. He might get tired fast. He does not use his striking because he only looks to take his opponent to the ground. He does not use much of his striking because it will cost him his stamina, and he will get tired.

“I envision this match to be on our feet. We will be standing for most of the time, and I am going to throw more strikes so he cannot shoot for his takedowns. I see the match ending in the first round via knockout.”

Samsudin wants to impress against Sunoto, then look to move up the ranks of the ONE bantamweight division and eventually position himself for a shot at the world title.

He’ll continue to compete for the man he lost on the eve of his last bout, as he continues to honour his father in his performances.

“I want to win for my father.”