Featherweight Muay Thai king Tawanchai shows ultimate respect, says Superbon “will always be” his idol after ONE 170 duel

Tawanchai PK Saenchai once again proved his dominance, but he maintained that Superbon will always be his greatest Muay Thai inspiration.

The reigning ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion retained his gold in his world title rematch against Superbon in the main event of ONE 170 this past Friday at Impact Arena.

Tawanchai was a picture of pure Muay Thai power when he knocked out the ONE featherweight kickboxing world champion in the second round of their world title redo.

Taking to Instagram, Tawanchai thanked those who have supported him and admitted that he'll always be a fan of Superbon's despite their ongoing rivalry.

He posted:

"Thank you to everyone who has always supported me. All of you are part of every success. ❤️🔥 You are, and always will be, my idol. @superbon_banchamek"

Superbon and Tawanchai are already two of the greatest strikers from their respective generations, but they ultimately feuded over the ONE featherweight Muay Thai world title since 2023.

Tawanchai, 25, is nine years younger than Superbon, but their ages never mattered when they first squared off at ONE Friday Fights 46 in December 2023.

Their first match was an instant classic, with both fighters putting on considerable offense throughout the five-round encounter. Ultimately, Tawanchai retained the gold via majority decision, a result that made fans clamor for a proper sequel.

That redo came more than a year later at ONE 170, where Tawanchai decided he wouldn't need the judges.

After thrilling first round, Tawanchai pushed the afterburners and dropped Superbon three times to capture the TKO win 1:10 into the second and retain his world title.

---

Tawanchai eyes Superbon's kickboxing throne

Tawanchai isn't content reigning over the featherweight Muay Thai landscape.

Following his world title defense, Tawanchai said told ONE Championship commentator Mitch Chilson that his next goal is achieve champ-champ status and go after Superbon's ONE featherweight kickboxing world title.

Tawanchai said in his post-fight interview:

"It's been a while since I earned that bonus. Now my dream is complete. My next dream is to get that kickboxing belt on my other shoulder."