Kwon Won Il put on a fantastic performance at ONE Fight Night 11 to hold his #4 spot in the official ONE Championship athlete rankings. The South Korean star defeated Artem Belakh by second-round TKO. And ONE Bantamweight World Champion Fabricio Andrade was on-hand to take it all in at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.
A right hand sent Belakh to the canvas, where “Pretty Boy” followed up with bout-ending ground and pound. Then came the post-match interview, where Kwon shined even brighter with an entertaining promo to silence his doubters. Kwon stated that he was the king at bantamweight and called for a title shot.
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The two talented bantamweights first met in June 2022. Andrade took care of business in just 62 seconds, and the win served as Andrade’s final push to get a title shot against John Lineker. But Kwon has shown he has made progress to his game in order to get the all-important title shot against the Brazilian.
But Andrade is not ready to give him a shot at the crown immediately. In a post made to Instagram after the event, “Wonder Boy” stated that he had business with Stephen Loman first, but then Kwon would get his chance. Loman is currently the #2-ranked contender in the division.
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“I saw that Kwon say that he wants to fight me again. Kwon, I have some business to finish first with Loman. I’m going to knock [out] Loman first, and then after, it’ll be my pleasure to give you a second chance. Be ready because I’m going to knock you out again, for sure,” Andrade said.
The prospective match against Loman will not be easy. The Filipino breezed past former titleholder Bibiano Fernandes and will push Andrade every step of the way. However, if “Wonder Boy” can defend the crown for the first time, a rematch with Kwon seems to be on the horizon.
If the stars align just right for the rematch, fans will be treated to another explosive meeting between the two finishers. In 14 combined victories on the global stage, only one match has gone to a decision. It is another exciting bantamweight option on the table as the division stays red-hot in 2023.
