QUEANBEYAN international kickboxer Ben Edwards says he has "reinvented" himself upon scheduling his own comeback fight from six months out with injury at Canberra's Helenic Club on November 15.
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Edwards will line up against New Zealand heavyweight champion Tafa Misipati, who Edwards said would be a great comeback opponent given he has won his country's 'King of the Ring' event two years in a row, where he beat three men in singular nights on each occasion.
The event, named The Return of Bangin' Ben Edwards, has been put together by Edwards' manager Nick Boutzos, who has been successful in gaining Glory Sports International World Series contracts for Edwards in the past.
The night will also see fellow Queanbeyan fighter Josh Tonna become just the second fighter, after Edwards, to fight for a world title in Canberra, and former world champion in Sydney's Steve McKinnon will also fight.
But for Edwards, the event will be a great chance for him to get his best fighting form back, after his last fight in Denver, USA on May 3 saw him suffer a technical knockout after just two minutes and fifty seconds in the first round.
He suffered his shoulder injury during that event, after he broke it in 2008, but having given up full-time fighting in the last six months, he said he had matured a lot, and adjusted his lifestyle to a greater professional standard.
"Good things come out of every situation. I've got an awesome physio team that's helped me get back on track, and they've also helped my with my strength and conditioning," Edwards said.
Besides his training regime, Edwards said he had also been able to improve his mentality to his diet, and what he does when.
"This is a new version of me. I had to change something... everything I was lazy with before... I never ate consistently like a champ, I never slept consistently like a champ, and now I do."
"Ninety per cent of the time I eat like a professional athlete, and 10 percent of the time I relax... I had to go through that let-down period to actually change."
Edwards, a former Canberra Raiders rugby league junior representative and two-time world title winner, said future international fights were still a while away, but he hoped a good fight in Canberra would help him secure another Glory contract for next year.
Meanwhile, he said it would be an honour to have fellow Queanbeyan fighter Tonna go for a title of his own at the same event.
"He's been a mate of mine since he was 18, and I used to work with his dad in security... he was a really shy young man, but now he's a chance at being a world champion, and I hope he gets the win," Edwards said.