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Masaaki Noiri may be satisfied with his ONE interim featherweight kickboxing world title win over Tawanchai PK Saenchai, but he knows his job is far from done.
The Japanese fighter, who represents Team Vasileus alongside Takeru Segawa, took the hallowed ring of the Saitama Super Arena at ONE 172 to dish out one of his career-best finishes against the Thai megastar and ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion.
After two back-and-forth rounds, the 31-year-old took control of the third frame with his savvy counters and piercing attacks. While Tawanchai continued to find a way to land his kicks, Masaaki Noiri did the same and switched targets to land a brutal short left hook that sent his dance partner down.
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Just as the PK Saenchai Muaythaigym star regained consciousness, the Japanese warrior went in for the kill with a final barrage of strikes to capture the TKO stoppage at 1:55 of the stanza.
The victory not only earned him the organization's coveted 26 pounds of gold, but also booked him a ticket to a world title unification contest against reigning kingpin Superbon.
Speaking on his success inside the Saitama Super Arena and that inevitable showdown against the Superbon Training Camp head honcho, Masaaki Noiri had this to say during a recent appearance on My Navi News:
"I know this is just the interim belt, yes, it still means a lot. But I want the real one. This was a good way to get myself ready for the real one."
Watch the full interview here:
Masaaki Noiri looks to add 'some improvements' to his arsenal for Superbon war
Despite his US$50,000 performance bonus-winning display in Saitama, which improved his overall record to 51-13, Masaaki Noiri knows he still needs to improve his world-class arsenal as Superbon will be a much tougher test than Tawanchai.
In the same session with My Navi News, the former two-division K-1 champion added:
"As I said, there are areas I need some improvements in. But I'm ready to work on it and improve my plan when I do get that match [against Superbon]."
Fight fans can catch the entire ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang card via replay at watch.onefc.com.
