Masaaki Noiri believes he’ll need to ‘put extra focus’ for inevitable unification match against Superbon: “A step up from Tawanchai”

Masaaki Noiri expects to be tested to the limit when he locks horns with Superbon in their impending ONE featherweight kickboxing world title unification joust.

The Japanese warrior booked his ticket to tango with the divisional king off a fine showing at ONE 172, which emanated live from the Saitama Super Arena last Sunday, March 23.

Noiri rattled ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai with an ill-intent left hook and followed up with more devastating shots to emerge victorious via TKO just five seconds shy of the two-minute mark in the third round.

As much as he'd like to completely take time off, recover, and spend time with his family, Masaaki Noiri knows he has no time to waste as he believes Superbon will be a much tougher test than the PK Saenchai Muaythaigym fighter.

The Team Vasileus martial artist told My Navi News earlier this week:

"Superbon will be a step up from Tawanchai. So I will put extra focus on my camp, beating him with my techniques and trying to learn new techniques for that fight."

Watch the full interview here:

Noiri's win in Saitama, Japan, was his second straight triumph in ONE Championship.

In January this year, the 31-year-old delivered a bucketload of calf kicks to finish Iraqi talent Shakir Al-Tekreeti in the second round.

Fight fans can head to watch.onefc.com to catch the full ONE 172 event replay.

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Masaaki Noiri sings praise for Tawanchai's destructive kicking game

Despite being the first man to floor Tawanchai under the ONE banner, Masaaki Noiri remains impressed by what his opposite number brought to the table in Japan.

In particular, Noiri singled out the Thai's world-class kicking game as his best weapon, admitting that he felt the immense power of it from the time the very first one landed.

"When I got hit from Tawanchai's kicks, I thought, 'Wow, this is dangerous.'And that was something that happened during the match. I knew from the very second that my opponent's attacks were dangerous," he continued in the same interview.