This strong punch came from Kosovo boxer Arigon Avdimetaj, delivered against Serbian boxer Momcilo Janjic.

The 21-year-old from Strellc i Epërm in Decan made a highly successful professional debut, winning the fight in the second round with a powerful knockout against his opponent.

Speaking to KosovaPress about this major victory, Avdimetaj said that before the fight he had made it clear to himself that “he could not lose to a Serb.”

“I felt great because it gives you extra motivation, of course. Normally you also feel a bit of extra pressure when you know he is Serbian, because you know you must not lose in any way. But it was very, very extra motivation, also to train harder… To be honest, I had no other option but to win. I can’t lose to a Serb. In the first round I was just observing how my opponent was boxing, what he was doing, what mistakes he was making, and then I caught him in the second round,” Avdimetaj said.

Regarding the decisive strike that led to the knockout, Avdimetaj also said he received some criticism.

“At that moment I also received quite a lot of criticism for when I hit him while he was down. But if you watch the video carefully, he didn’t have both hands or knees on the ground. He was still in the fight, so I was allowed to strike again, and I did that,” Avdimetaj explained to KosovaPress.

Asked whether there was any communication with the Serbian boxer after the fight, Avdimetaj said there was none.

“No, no, I didn’t shake his hand, nothing at all. No communication with the opponent… Of course this is extra motivating, because when you know you have the whole people behind you, how can you lose? You can’t. It gives you a lot of motivation,” he said.

Finally, the 21-year-old emphasized that the strong support he has received in Kosovo after this victory is motivating him further to pursue more wins in his professional career, which has just begun.