“I will come thinking I’m the underdog” – Joseph Lasiri will embrace the same mindset in rematch with Prajanchai

ONE strawweight Muay Thai world champion Joseph Lasiri is having the same “underdog’ mindset he had when he first battled Prajanchai PK Saenchai as he prepares for their scheduled rematch next month.

‘The Hurricane’ will defend his world title in a unification bout against Prajanchai, the interim ONE strawweight Muay Thai title holder, at ONE Friday Fights 46 on December 22 at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

The Thai powerhouse was the same opponent that Joseph Lasiri took the strawweight gold from in May last year, winning by technical knockout in the third round.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, the Moroccan-Italian champion said he is maintaining the underdog mindset when he took on Prajanchai for the first time. This, as he tries to avoid complacency and be thoroughly prepared for the rematch.

The 32-year-old Kick and Punch Milano standout said:

“I will come thinking that I’m the underdog, and I will come with the [same mentality]. I will not think about my last fight but if you told me if I have an advantage for me, I think I think my last fight is a big advantage.”

Check out what he had to say below:

Joseph Lasiri will be making his return to action at ONE Friday Fights 46, more than a year since he last competed in the promotion. He challenged Rodtang Jitmuangnon for his flyweight Muay Thai title in November 2022 but fell short, bowing by unanimous decision.

For his part, Prajanchai was a unanimous decision winner over Algerian Akram Hamidi in their strawweight kickboxing match in September. Prior to that in June, he claimed the interim strawweight Muay Thai world title at the expense of Sam-A Gaiyanghadao by second-round knockout.

ONE Friday Fights 46 is headlined by the ONE featherweight Muay Thai world championship clash between Thai superstars Tawanchai PK Saenchai and Superbon Singha Mawynn. It is available live and for free through ONE Championship’s YouTube channel and Facebook, or the ONE Super App.

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Joseph Lasiri said he was severely tested in Rodtang fight

Joseph Lasiri said he was severely tested when he went up against Thai superstar Rodtang Jitmuangnon last year. He, however, underscored that he learned a lot from the encounter and is looking to use the hard lessons he got moving forward.

The Milan native challenged ‘The Iron Man’ for his flyweight Muay Thai gold in November 2022. He went the full route but not after emptying his cache of weapons just to stand toe-to-toe with Rodtang. He still lost by unanimous decision despite his strong effort.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Joseph Lasiri shared:

“In the fight against Rodtang, it was hard. We expected that before we went to fight [facing his style] and I remember when I fought Rodtang it was like round for round, you have to change something.”

While he lost against Rodtang and missed out on the opportunity to become a double world champion, ONE strawweight Muay Thai king Lasiri is out to make a first successful title defense in his next fight at ONE Friday Fights 46 on December 22 in Bangkok Thailand.

Joseph Lasiri will take on the interim title holder Prajanchai PK Saenchai in a unification bout.