Undefeated German boxing star Viktor Jurk has revealed how his one-second knockout of Edwin Castillo went viral, surpassing his expectations of gaining fame through a unique ring walk. The 26-year-old heavyweight knocked out Colombian Castillo just over a second into their fight on the undercard of Paddy Donovan vs Karen Chukhadzhian in Mannheim, Germany, last Friday.
Jurk, who stands at 6'9", rushed to the centre of the ring and landed a devastating left hand that sent Castillo to the canvas, forcing the referee to wave off the contest immediately. The knockout was shared millions of times worldwide, including by the WorldStar Instagram account, which has 43.8 million followers.
Speaking exclusively to Mirror Fighting, Jurk said: 'We've been talking over last couple of months, how we can make sure I go viral on Instagram. We had some couple ideas. We thought first, it's going to be viral with my ring entrance, because you never had someone walking in with a robot. But it was the KO. You know, it was just the work.'
Jurk added that he hopes his opponent is recovering well, as he did not realise the impact of his punch at the time. He said: 'I hope my opponent is cool. I hope he's good, because in the ring, I didn't realise what I did. Now, over the days when it calms down, you realise, 'All right, damn, that was a shot.'
Despite the sudden fame, Jurk insists he remains grounded. He said: 'My life didn't change. I still live in my flat back home. I still drive my car. I still I'm able to breathe. I'm still a normal human. But, the world sees you different.' He added: 'I enjoy the moment, but to be honest, I like to be still a normal person.'
