“All we used to watch” - Jonathan Di Bella says boxing legend Arturo Gatti was a big influence on him growing up 

Jonathan Di Bella frequently shows shades of greatness because he learned from those who paved the way for him. One of those who left a lasting impression on the 28-year-old is Arturo Gatti, one of Canada's all-time best boxers.

Appearing on the Story of the Fight Podcast on YouTube, the former ONE strawweight kickboxing world champion recalled being mesmerized by the Boxing Hall of Famer after meeting him during his early years.

"So my dad and Arturo [Gatti] used to be good friends. My dad was actually going up in the boxing community and going back and forth from Montreal to New York, New Jersey. On the side, in the summer, when amateur boxing was not happening, my dad was actually his kickboxing coach. He used to do kickboxing for fun. They became friends."

The Italian-Canadian striker added:

"He brought him to amateur tournaments. He used to live in Jersey, so I used to watch him on TV. Before, there was no MMA around, there’s no kickboxing, really. There was just boxing. So I used to watch fights on HBO and he was on it, and that’s all we used to watch. Then one day, he just brought him over and we started playing, we started hanging out. It was cool."

Watch Jonathan Di Bella's full interview:

Jonathan Di Bella honored to share the Circle with Muay Thai royalty Sam-A

On March 23, Jonathan Di Bella can earn another opportunity to battle with the only man to best him in combat, two-sport kingpin Prajanchai PK Saenchai.

But to do so, he must first capture the interim strawweight kickboxing crown against Thai legend Sam-A Gaiyanghadao in the talent-stacked ONE 172: Takeru vs Rodtang blockbuster at Saitama Super Arena.

In the aforementioned interview, the Team Di Bella Kickboxing star revealed his excitement to duel one of the most revered names in 'The Art of Eight Limbs':

"It is a dream fight of mine. When I signed with ONE, he was a champion, and my goal was to fight him. I've been watching him forever. I was excited to fight him, and then he retired, and I was so mad. I'm like, 'Ah, I missed my chance to fight him."

Don’t miss ONE 172: Takeru vs Rodtang, which will air live on pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.