AFTER POONSAWAT Kratingdaenggym, changed, in a matter of minutes, the complexion of professional boxing in Ireland, Bernard Dunne’s promoter and manager Brian Peters was asked if it was a blow to the sport. “That’s for sure,” replied the Meath man with a shake of his head.

Poonsawat arrived with a reputation for being a human demolition ball and Dunne tumbled.

There was little complaint, no what ifs, no second guessing. The Thai fighter’s explosive assault on the Irish man and his title in Dublin was audacious and ferocious enough to silence almost 9,000 fans into stunned, reluctant admiration. And some tears too.

In the aftermath Dunne was emotional as his dream of a prolonged run as WBA super bantamweight champion was pricked and the fight stopped according to the WBA three-knock down rule.

A left hook in the third round started the chain reaction of detonating lefts, which ended with the Irish man splayed on the canvas surrounded by his concerned trainer Harry Hawkins, a team of doctors and in the background, the Irish Boxing Union’s Mel Christle, standing up and decisively gesturing that the fight should halt.

“It is a tough time here for Irish people, Irish boxing people, especially with the passing of Darren (Sutherland). I wanted it so badly this week just to give a little joy,” said Dunne in the ring afterwards. Dunne had been just three seconds short of the end of the third round. He had held the title for six months.

Afterwards Peters, with time to reflect on the percussive effect of Poonsawat’s close in power, rolled into the Green Room at the back of the arena and admitted that for once, he might be stuck for words.

In defeat, however, he was effusive in his praise although when the suggestion of a rematch came up, a wry smile crossed his face that seemed to say, ‘Are you out of your mind?’

“Not unless myself and Harry Hawkins and Martin Donnelly (sponsor) get in the ring with him,” said the manager, before adding, “with baseball bats.”

Far from seeking to disparage his own man, Peters was acknowledging the force of the typhoon that blew in from the east, using a style wholly unsuited to the more technical and tactical strengths of Dunne. He knew it. They all knew it. Two mandatory fights, both against compact powerhouses, Kiko Martinez and Poonsawat. Two defeats, his only two.

“This guy is a very, very good fighter, a hell of a fighter. Obviously not the style of fighter we would go looking for,” added Peters, reminding everyone Poonsawat was the WBA’s mandatory challenger. Of course Dunne’s team tried to get out of it but they were not about to go to court with the WBA and Poonsawat couldn’t be persuaded to kindly back off.

“It was a heavy, heavy knock down. It will be hard to come back from. No wonder Caballero (WBA and IBF super bantamweight champion Celestino) wouldn’t fight him.”

Where the second professional defeat, which had him briefly in Beaumont hospital as a precaution, leaves the Neilstown fighter’s career is unknown. Even Peters was unsure of the future, except there would be one.

There was talk of him moving up a weight, which might be more natural for his body shape and perhaps power up his punching. That would mean another campaign in a different division for the 29 year-old, possibly at featherweight. Another long, hard road.

“Bernard certainly didn’t struggle to make the weight,” said Peters. “Feather would be a possibility. I certainly believe Bernard Dunne will come back. I believe there are many good routes open to him, but first he will take a rest.”

Poonsawat remained courteous and humble. He came in, bowed, and sat bolt upright in his chair with his hands clasped in front on the table. A celebrity in Thailand even before taking Dunne’s belt, he confirmed what many had thought about how the fight unfolded.

“First and second round I was trying to get close to see how he punched,” he explained. “Then when I knew I could beat Dunne, I just pushed harder and harder and did it.”

So he did. He probed for a couple of rounds – which Dunne may have won with his defensive left jab and combinations – then turned up the tempo and made the ring a hotter, more dangerous place to be. In the third round, a sliver of opportunity. The boxing ended and the fight began and it was there Poonsawat found the critical mass, his tipping point.

“There’s no doubt about it, Bernard caught him with a few decent shots that bounced off him like superman,” said Peters. “Bernard was drawn into a fight and that’s what he didn’t want against this guy.”

Dunne was self-critical for allowing the fight to develop close in and not keep his distance. But the moot question was, whether in the face of such high tempo aggression, he could have contained Poonsawat for much longer. Similarly, had it gone for five or six rounds would the challenger have wilted? Those hypotheticals will add to the heap already placed at courageous Dunne’s door. The others are how his head, as much as his battered body, heals and where his talent will now take him.