ONE Friday Fights 46 will have Lumpinee Boxing Stadium rocking with a massive featherweight dream fight. Superbon Singha Mawynn will challenge ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai. The ONE Championship main event title tilt goes down on Friday, December 22.
The match itself has been in the making throughout 2023. Both men have had to withdraw from prior outings, but this time, it is set for a showdown in Bangkok, Thailand. Recovered and in peak shape, Tawanchai is excited to give fans the Muay Thai war they deserve.
“For the first withdrawal, I think he hurt his leg. The second, I got sick. I got infected with the influenza virus. I had to stay in the hospital for several days. I felt like I was having a hard time recovering. Therefore, I felt like I had to postpone this fight. But now I’m all good. After recovering from the sickness, I came back and trained twice as hard,” Tawanchai told ONE.
The 24-year-old believes this is the right time for the matchup to come together, and it is difficult to disagree with the notion. Tawanchai is on a six-bout win streak and has defended the Muay Thai title twice. Superbon, the former kickboxing titleholder, rebounded after losing his gold with a KO of the Year candidate against Tayfun Ozacan to set the stage for this incredible contest.
“Fans have been waiting a long time for this fight to happen because it has been postponed twice already, so I’m glad it will finally happen. Superbon talks about me often. So I want to fight him, just as he wants. I think this is the right time for us to crash into each other. I don’t know if it is going to be the toughest fight I’ve had or not, but I’m sure it will be a barnburner,” the PK Saenchai star stated.
Superbon is no stranger to Muay Thai himself, but for years, his focus has been on rising to the top of the kickboxing world. Tawanchai is not banking on his experience advantage, noting the exquisite technique of his compatriot. Tawanchai is well aware that the margin for error is almost nonexistent on December 22.
“I have known of, respected, and followed [Superbon] throughout his kickboxing career. But I’ve never watched him compete in Muay Thai. It’s no problem [that he hasn’t competed in Muay Thai much recently]. He has a Muay Thai background, and he has good skills. I don’t think he’s at a huge disadvantage. He is one of the best strikers in the world. He is definitely not an ordinary fighter. His strength is his head kick – he can kick really fast. And he has no weaknesses. I can’t let my guard down for a second, or he will put me to sleep,” Tawanchai said.
Even though he expects Superbon to be at his best, the difference in glove size makes the PK Saenchai athlete feel at least one advantage in the matchup. As the reigning king, he feels pressure to keep the gold around his waist. That is why Tawanchai is planning a few surprises to help close out the year in style.
“The small gloves will definitely make a difference from the kickboxing fights he is used to because the impact force between small gloves and large gloves is very different. I’ve prepared a lot of things for him. Let’s find out in the ring. I’m confident I will beat him as well. This belt belongs to me. I won’t give it to anyone without a fight. I will do my best to keep it,” Tawanchai said.
ONE Friday Fights 46 airs live on Friday, December 22. The event will be broadcast on global pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com for $39.99. The action gets underway at 7:30 a.m. EST/4:30 a.m. PST.
