Janet Ryan reveals 'dark side' behind her front-row seat to son Josh McCulloch's Muay Thai career

Sitting on the patio of her low-set Hillvue home, the mother of three admitted to being a stalker - or a rehabilitated stalker, to be precise.

Sitting next to her was the reason for her having behaved in a manner that she admitted was "not the best".

Her middle child, Muay Thai rising star Josh McCulloch, listened on as his mother explained that she used to "stalk" his opponents online.

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"I get really nervous before his fights," she said. "In the beginning, when he was doing a lot of fights, I used to stalk the opponent through his Facebook page.

"I'd be like, 'Aw, I don't know how he's [McCulloch] gonna go. This guy's really muscly and has lots of tattoos and whatever else.

"And then he'd [McCulloch] get in the ring and blow us away. I've stopped stalking because it's just not the best."

Ryan went "blah, blah, blah, blah, blah [as in, 'I can't hear you']" when her 22-year-old son - nicknamed the Baby-Faced Assassin - revealed that his next two fights will be against Thai opponents who have fought hundreds of times between them.

The match-ups constitute the most important phase of his highly promising pro career.

The former national amateur champion - who has blown away the competition and blown minds since making his professional debut early this year - will fight the Thais back to back in November and December.

The second bout, in particular, underlines McCulloch's rapid rise and the high regard he is held in among the Muay Thai fraternity.

On December 10 at the Sleeman Sports Complex in Brisbane, the St George Bank teller will be the No 2 fight - or the semi main event - on a promotion headlined by the mega bout between George Mann and Jake Lund for the WBC light heavyweight diamond title.

He will put his Rise lightweight championship on the line against Gold Coast-based Orono Pumlumnow. The Thai has had some 400 fights, according to McCulloch's trainer, Scott Chaffey.

But before that bout occurs, McCulloch - who has won his three pro fights in impressive style including two by stoppage - will fight another well-credentialled Thai at the Arena Sports Club in Sydney on November 12.

If he wins those two contests, he hopes to fight for a WBC national title next year.

Seeing an Instagram post of the card for the Rise event in December was a big thrill for McCulloch. Mann is a current WBC world champion, and Lund is a former WBC world champion.

"And I was like, 'Wow!'" McCulloch said. "I didn't think I'd be seeing myself co-maining [sic] an event, right next to these two legends in the sport, in my fifth professional fight. It's incredible."

Chaffey said "it's exciting times ahead" for his charge, who has 19 wins, two losses and two draws in 23 bouts - with six KOs - and is unbeaten since 2016.

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