The boy from the bush is back in town - and he is taking a second world championship belt on his way back out.
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Ben Thompson carried an aura of confidence as he strode towards the ring with the chords of Lee Kernaghan's Boys from the Bush in pursuit of the MASA K1 world welterweight title on Saturday night.
![The champion is here - and it's Ben Thompson. Picture: Dimiti Yianoulakis The champion is here - and it's Ben Thompson. Picture: Dimiti Yianoulakis](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/36vwtM5n3dmMVgNPycRBEHz/83d907f5-e2c3-46d5-9677-1d705e4e1b6f.jpg/r177_350_1579_1115_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
And it was all over 45 seconds into the second round of Monaro Fight Circuit 30's main event at the Hellenic Club of Canberra.
Cooma's Thompson has now claimed his second world title after a foot injury left Canberra-based Afghan rival Ajmal Fraji unable to continue.
"I'm feeling pretty good, winning my second world title here at home," Thompson said.
"I was expecting to finish him early, like I did. Plenty of gas left in the tank, I always look to do the five rounds. Big thanks to [trainers] Pete [Foster] and Shane [Tipa] for always looking after me and training me."
A dejected Fraji needed help walking downstairs post-fight as he managed the foot injury which cruelled his world championship bid.
"Ajmal, he fought very hard and he is very strong fighter," Chopper Muay Thai trainer Gaz Rees said.
"He injured his toe on my knee warming up, and that's one of the reasons why he couldn't continue, because of his toe.
"He would like to challenge Benny again for the title in the future, so we would like to get a rematch at some stage."
![Elijah Ngata stopped Nikola Kresovic in one round. Picture: Dimiti Yianoulakis Elijah Ngata stopped Nikola Kresovic in one round. Picture: Dimiti Yianoulakis](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/36vwtM5n3dmMVgNPycRBEHz/101670b4-51f1-47e4-ac2e-d5a4ddf17a45.jpg/r0_191_2048_1342_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
While that rematch lies in the future, Canberra super heavyweight Elijah Ngata put to bed any demons as he and Nikola Kresovic hit the replay button.
Ngata beat Kresovic in February but walked away with more to give - and this time he knocked out his opponent in the first round to claim the MASA K1 state title.
![Ben Thompson got the better of Ajmal Fraji. Picture: Dimiti Yianoulakis Ben Thompson got the better of Ajmal Fraji. Picture: Dimiti Yianoulakis](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/36vwtM5n3dmMVgNPycRBEHz/0d194176-e099-4f2f-b1a0-5ae96e762157.jpg/r0_191_2048_1342_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)