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ONE featherweight Muay Thai kingpin Tawanchai PK Saenchai still hopes that his showdown with fellow Thai great Superbon Singha Mawynn will be rescheduled somewhere down the line.
In fact, the 24-year-old phenom says he’s willing to wait for Superbon to heal up from his injury and be 100 percent healthy once their paths inevitably collide inside the Circle.
ONE Fight Night 15 was supposed to be headlined by Tawanchai’s world title defense against the former featherweight kickboxing world champion, who will be making his Muay Thai debut under the ONE banner.
A calf injury, however, scrapped this highly-anticipated showdown, which many believed could have rivaled the gargantuan Rodtang vs. Superlek megafight last month.
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Tawanchai has agreed to stay on the card and will now face another proven destroyer ‘Smokin’ Joe Nattawut in a three-round kickboxing affair.
While Jo Nattawut is still a worthy opponent for Tawanchai, fight fans can’t help but wonder how a showdown between two of the best kickers in Muay Thai would have played out.
The PK Saenchai star pupil was also admittedly disappointed by the unfortunate development, but said he understands that an athlete’s health and safety should be of paramount importance above anything else.
Tawanchai explained during his OFN15 pre-event interview with the South China Morning Post:
“Your body is important so it’s best to heal from an injury first. I don’t think [Superbon] pulled out because he’s scared of me or anything, according to the online world. I don’t think fighters and athletes are scared of each other anyway.”
Plus, if this epic showdown does materialize in the near future, Tawanchai wants to fight Superbon at his best, adding:
“I would prefer him to be in perfect condition when he faces me.”
In the meantime, we can watch Tawanchai’s duel with Jo Nattawut live on US Primetime, at ONE Fight Night 15: Le vs. Freymanov on Prime Video on October 6. The epic night of fights inside Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok is available free for Prime Video subscribers in North America.
Watch Tawanchai’s full SCMP MMA interview below:
