Denice Zamboanga says fight with Julie Mezabarba is ‘important’

With her standing as a ONE atomweight world title challenger rocked recently, Filipino fireball Denice Zamboanga looks to reassert herself by piling up quality wins, including in her scheduled fight this week.

Zamboanga, currently the No. 3 contender in the division, will battle Brazilian Julie Mezabarba at ONE Fight Night 9 on Prime Video on April 21. The venue is the famous Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, with the event available to North American fans with an active Prime Video subscription.

Denice Zamboanga said her showdown with Julie Mezabarba is important to her, in line with her goal of remaining in the conversation for a shot at the title, long held by champion Angela Lee.

‘The Menace’ told ONE Championship in an interview:

“This is such an important fight for me because I want to hold onto this third spot in the atomweight division, and one day, God willing, I’ll be back there on top and getting a world title shot.”

Denice Zamboanga, who trains at T-Rex MMA Training Center along with her brother and fellow ONE fighter Drex, got back on the winning track in her last fight in December, defeating Lin Heqin of China by split decision.

Prior to that, she absorbed back-to-back losses at the hands of No. 2 contender Ham Seo Hee of South Korea. While the losses hit hard, the Filipino campaigner said they were the push that she needed to improve and be better as a fighter.

Out to frustrate Zamboanga is Mezabarba, who is also on a mission to firm up her footing in the division and win consistently.

ONE Fight Night 9 is headlined by the title showdown between ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nong-O Hama and British challenger Jonathan Haggerty.