Masaaki Noiri believes he's spotted Tawanchai's greatest strength inside the Circle. On Sunday, March 23, Noiri will have the chance to capture his first 26 pounds of gold when he meets Tawanchai at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang for the ONE interim featherweight kickboxing world championship.
It will be just one of five massive title tilts as ONE Championship heads to the iconic Saitama Super Arena in Japan for one of the biggest fight cards in promotional history.
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Speaking with ONE ahead of his highly anticipated clash with the reigning ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion, Noiri believes that Tawanchai's best attribute is his ability to read his opponents and capitalize on key moments.
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"Tawanchai’s strength? I’d say it’s his decisiveness—especially in his punches," Noiri said. "Also, his ability to capitalize on key moments. For example, in his last fight against Superbon, I’d say Superbon had the advantage in the first round and was controlling the fight well. But Tawanchai was able to read his opponent within that round and landed a punch right after a kick, which was really impressive."
Tawanchai seeks two-division glory against Masaaki Noiri at ONE 172
Tawanchai heads to The Land of the Rising Sun riding an incredible nine-fight win streak, including victories over Saemapetch, Petchmorakot, 'Smokin' Jo Nattawut, and Superbon.
In his most recent outing, he scored a stunning second-round knockout against Superbon in the art of eight limbs, further establishing himself as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport today.
Now, he'll look to add kickboxing gold to his collection, but if he hopes to become a two-sport titleholder, he'll have to go through one of Japan's most accomplished grapplers.
As a former two-division K-1 champion, Masaaki Noiri has been here before, but it's safe to say that he's never faced an opponent quite as dangerous as Tawanchai.
Who comes out on top and leaves Japan as the new ONE interim featherweight kickboxing world champion?
ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang will emanate from the Saitama Super Arena in Japan on Sunday, March 23. Head over to watch.onefc.com to learn more about how you can watch the event live.
