Josh McCulloch on his faith and his grandmother

For some fighters, the ring is the loneliest place in the world. Not for McCulloch: he fights with God by his side, and with the eternal love of his grandmother also in his heart.

Ahead of the soaring Muay Thai exponent's bout against Thailand's Thongchai Petchrunruang in Sydney in November, he has spoken about the role God plays in his life - while also honouring the memory of his grandmother, Yvonne Chandler.

"My grandma was very religious," he said. "Before our fights, we'd always say a prayer together.

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"Since she's passed away, I've been lucky enough to have one of the pastors at Grandma's church call me, and we do a prayer together and have a Bible reading before all my fights.

"Obviously, I'm not as public [about my faith] or push it down people's throats. But He does have a place in my heart."

His grandmother and his faith, he continued, helped him get through the horror high school science lab accident that left him with third-degree burns.

"I used to say, 'Why was it me, Lord? Why was it me, Lord?'", he said of the accident. "Everything happens for a reason."

"When I went through my accident," he added, "there were times when I just wanted to go see Grandma. She was so comforting, and meant the world to me.

"And there were times when I didn't feel good, and she'd make me hot chocolate and we'd read the Bible together. She has a very special place in my heart, and I know she'd be very proud of me."

Yvonne never got the chance to see her grandson fight live, but she saw live feeds of some of his contests - steps that led to him turning pro at the start of 2022 and emerging as one of the most exciting lightweights (61kg) in the world.

Seven wins as a pro, including six stoppages, has propelled him to a WBC world ranking of 12. His past four opponents have been Thai - and he's stopped all of them.

"When I do my wai kru [ring dance] before all my fights," he said, "I'm always telling myself, 'God give me the strength, look after me' ... I do believe it helps. He gives me the ability to perform."

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