PUTATAN: 18 July 2025 – Making his professional debut proved a memorable occasion for Dan Derron bin Joimi, as the 25-year-old boxer from Kampung Sunsuron, Tambunan, secured a victory over Ahmad Shamel bin Salahudin – better known as “Abang Besi” – in a six-round contest at Dewan Sri Putatan on Saturday.
The win marked Dan Derron’s first step towards building a name on the professional circuit, having previously competed mainly as an amateur.
For Dan Derron, the triumph brought great satisfaction after all the effort and training he had put in ahead of the bout finally bore fruit.
“I am very proud of myself. I want to say thank you to my coach, my friends and my family for always supporting me. Without their support, I would not have won today,” he said.
Commenting on the organisation of the tournament, Dan Derron said the event management had run smoothly, and he also praised the comfortable surroundings at the venue, which allowed the boxers to perform well.
He said the good condition of the ring helped him deliver his best performance without encountering any problems during the fight.
“I felt today’s bout went very well. The organisation was good, the timing was right, and the venue was comfortable. I didn’t feel too hot when I was fighting.”
“If they can hold another tournament like this next year, I hope there will be more bouts like this one,” he said.
Despite making his first appearance in the professional arena, Dan Derron admitted that facing “Abang Besi” was not as difficult as he had expected.
He said his experience competing in the amateur category had greatly helped him adapt to the pace of the contest.
“Before this, I competed in the amateur category over three rounds. In those three minutes, I had to attack quickly.”
“But in this bout, I controlled the rhythm more, threw punches one by one and conserved my energy. I was able to last the full six rounds,” he said.
According to him, his professional debut had originally been scheduled for four rounds, but the contest was extended to six at his opponent’s request.
Sharing his strategy against Ahmad Shamel, Dan Derron said his main focus was on controlling distance, accumulating points and looking for opportunities to land accurate punches.
“In the first round, I wanted to gauge the distance and pick up points. If I managed to land clean shots, I had a chance to score.”
“In the second round, I grew more confident in the strategy and kept control of the fight,” he said.
However, Dan Derron acknowledged that stamina was his biggest challenge when facing “Abang Besi”, who possesses high physical endurance.
He said he had to manage his energy wisely to ensure he could last until the final bell.
“The biggest challenge was stamina, because my opponent has great endurance. My stamina was a little weaker than his.”
“But thankfully he didn’t attack much, so I could recover my energy and continue the fight,” he said.
For Dan Derron, the confidence that he would win began to build from the first round, when he observed his opponent’s fighting pattern.
“I started to feel confident from the first round because he didn’t attack much. The second round was the same.”
“By the fourth round, I had landed plenty of clean punches, and that was when I grew even more certain I would win,” he said.
Dan Derron said he underwent two months of training in preparation for his first professional bout.
According to him, that training regimen began after his participation in the Male Cup tournament, before he turned his full focus to this fight.
He also expressed his appreciation to his coach, Raymond Pitagatulik, who has guided him since the age of 20.
“After being trained by Coach Raymond, I was able to fight like this. I also want to thank my parents, siblings and friends for always supporting me,” he said.
He also mentioned his gratitude to his friend from Indonesia, Rifdanur Nashwa, who he said had been a constant source of support since the early days of his career.
Commenting on Ahmad Shamel, Dan Derron described his opponent as a good boxer and said he respected the challenge he had presented throughout the bout.
He said the opportunity to face “Abang Besi” had been a valuable experience in his professional journey.
“I respect him. It was an honour to fight against him. I hope we can meet again, and I wish him all the best for his career,” he said.
Following his debut victory, Dan Derron wants to remain active on the professional scene if given the opportunity.
He is targeting another bout in September at the Prestige tournament in Ranau, as he continues to build his professional boxing career.
For the Tambunan native, victory over “Abang Besi” is not the end, but rather the beginning of a longer journey to make a name for himself in the world of boxing.
