“I’m not there yet” - Jonathan Di Bella says he still needs a ton of work before becoming pound-for-pound great

Jonathan Di Bella isn’t one to quickly put himself up on such lofty heights.

The Italian-Canadian star successfully retained his ONE strawweight kickboxing world title when he dominated Danial Williams at ONE Fight Night 15 this past weekend at the historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

Di Bella proved he’s one of the best strikers on the planet and one who should be considered for the pound-for-pound ranks. In his post-fight interview, though, Di Bella quickly dashed such assumptions.

Di Bella said he’s yet to build a staggering resume before he even tries to join the exclusive club.

He said:

“I'm not there yet I believe, but slowly but surely, but I'm not there yet, now’s just time to work.”

Di Bella was a perfect 9-0 when he entered ONE Championship, and he’s produced nothing but magic since joining the global stage.

He made his promotional debut in October 2022 and was immediately thrust into the main event picture. Di Bella took on Chinese star Zhang Peimian for the vacant ONE strawweight kickboxing world title in Singapore.

The fight turned into an instant classic, with Di Bella and Zhang trading leather with utmost precision. Di Bella, though, landed the pivotal shot when his roundhouse kick floored Zhang for the late knockdown.

Di Bella then had a world title defense to dream of when he took on the aggressive Danial Williams in Bangkok. The fight lasted all five rounds and it was a bout worthy of its position on the card.

If Di Bella traded with Zhang in his first fight, his match against Williams was almost a one-sided beating. Apart from Williams’ success on his leg kicks, Di Bella controlled the entirety of the fight and landed his punch combinations with relative ease.

By the time the fight reached the fifth round, it was clear that Di Bella did more than enough to secure the win and retain his gold.

Watch Di Bella's entire interview below: