ONE featherweight Muay Thai world title challenger Jamal Yusupov was recently seen sharpening his boxing skills ahead of his bout with divisional titleholder Tawanchai PK.Saenchai. The bout, which will be the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 7, will be Yusupov's first world title shot in ONE Championship.
'Yeniceri' was seen doing some boxing foam stick drills in the gym, sharpening his hand-eye-coordination and slick head movement. With just one glance at the Instagram video uploaded by ONE Championship, you can tell that the Turkish striker is absolutely dialed-in with his training.
Here's a video of Yusupov's training:
"Jamal Yusupov challenges Tawanchai PK.Saenchai for the ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Title on February 24 at ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video! 🏆 @yusupov_jamal"
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
It looks like Jamal Yusupov is looking to cover all the bases when it comes to facing perhaps the greatest raw talent Muay Thai has seen in recent generations. ONE featherweight Muay Thai king Tawanchai PK.Saenchai is one of the fastest, most technical strikers you'll ever see.
Yusupov should be on-point with his boxing, kicking, and defensive techniques if he's going to walk out of the Lumpinee Stadium on February 24 with gold around his waist.
Tawanchai hits the focus mitts ahead of bout against Jamal Yusupov
It looks like Tawanchai is also sharpening his boxing ahead of his clash with Jamal Yusupov. In an Instagram video posted by ONE Championship a few weeks back, we saw the 23-year-old prodigy hitting the focus mitts in the gym at his home gym in Pattaya, Thailand.
The video was captured during the early stages of Tawanchai's fight camp, but the young world champion was already looking sharp.
Watch it here:
"Tawanchai PK.Saenchai defends the ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Title for the first time on February 24 at ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video against Jamal Yusupov! 🏆 @tawanchay_pk"\
Tawanchai is noticeably focusing on his hands in this training video. The ONE Muay Thai king is already considered one of the most lethal kickers in the sport today. Adding fast and powerful hands to his arsenal will make him that much more dangerous.
Focus mitt training and having boxer-like footwork is definitely a new layer in Tawanchai's already-dangerous game. Traditional Muay Thai fighters are mostly used to rhythmic, forward-back movements. Adding fancy footwork is definitely an evolution for the young warrior.
Jamal Yuspov should be prepared to deal with Tawanchai's new-found lateral footwork and piston-like straight punches come ONE Fight Night 7.