In his last fight, Tawanchai PK Saenchai erased all criticism with a dazzling knockout of Superbon at ONE 170. In his next fight, he will try to claim the ONE Interim Featherweight Kickboxing World Title at ONE 172 against Masaaki Noiri on Sunday, March 23.
Ahead of his showdown with the kickboxing ace at Saitama Super Arena in Japan this weekend, Tawanchai believes his previous bout has helped him level up.
“I feel relieved after my last fight. Everything has been unlocked. Before the fight, I was under a lot of pressure,” Tawanchai said.
“Now I'm back on track again.”
Although Tawanchai expected a small break after he defended his ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Title, an unexpected phone call from ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong changed everything.
“After my last fight, I only rested for one to two weeks. Then the boss called me and offered me a fight. When the boss contacted me, I was happy and I was also shocked. It was sudden,” the Thai star said.
The chance for kickboxing gold was too alluring to pass up.
Although he enters with tremendous momentum, Tawanchai wants to assure everyone that this is a very dangerous matchup against an elite kickboxer.
“I feel excited, and I also have to fight in Japan too. I have to fight in his country. He is a K-1 Champion. He has more experience than me. If anyone wants to look down on him, like my fans who say that he is an easy match for me or something, let me tell you, he’s anything but easy,” Tawanchai said.
“Masaaki's fighting style is punching violently and relentlessly.”
With a win, Tawanchai wants to secure another match against Superbon — this time to unify the kickboxing titles.
He stands five rounds or less from notching that chance, but he knows entering hostile territory will make his job that much more difficult on March 23.
“He won’t let me bully him easily,” Tawanchai said. “Trust me. This man is a Kickboxing Champion. He’s fighting in his home country, so he won’t give up easily.”
ONE 172: Rodtang vs. Takeru airs live on Sunday, March 23, from Japan on global pay-per-view via watch.onefc.com.
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