Stamp Fairtex Vs. Janet Todd II – 4 Keys To Victory
A riveting rematch will top the bill at ONE: KING OF THE JUNGLE when Stamp Fairtex puts her ONE Atomweight Kickboxing World Title on the line against her old rival, Janet “JT” Todd.
Both athletes know well what their opponent will bring to the contest in Singapore this Friday, 28 February because they spent five rounds together in their battle for the ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Title, which Stamp won.
However, the Thai World Champion and her Japanese-American rival are set to duke it out under a different ruleset this time, and they have had a year to sharpen their new weapons, so their second meeting could be completely different from their first bout.
When the first bell rings, it could be these four factors that decide who walks away from the Singapore Indoor Stadium with the belt.
#1 Todd’s Sharp Straights
Todd’s piercing jab and arrow-like cross will be vital in her quest to control the pace and distance of the contest.
The California native’s straight shots are thrown with precision. Her lead hand, in particular, snapped her foe’s head back several times in their first match and was the strike that was most effective at stopping the surging Fairtex athlete in her tracks.
Her right hand has also improved since they first met. Todd drilled Ekaterina “Barbie” Vandaryeva with the one-two to the head and body in their ONE: CENTURY clash, and used the combination to set up her bout-ending right high kick.
#2 Stamp’s Crunching Right
While Stamp’s punches may not have the same speed as her foe’s, the Pattaya resident makes up for it by landing with extra force, and she thinks her powerful right hand will come into play again in Singapore.
Stamp certainly looked like she had the power advantage in the boxing exchanges during their first contest as she absorbed Todd’s shots without flinching and replied with punishing overhand and straight rights that consistently flustered the Boxing Works representative.
The two-sport ONE World Champion used it to counter “JT’s” jab, and if she can do it again to make the Japanese-American hesitant early on, she could take control of the momentum.
#3 Todd’s Punishing Low Kicks
Todd believes she has the edge in the kicking battle, and her damaging low kicks in her recent encounters show why.
She drove her shin into Stamp’s thigh regularly in the first contest and the same sort of strikes also paid dividends in her tough battle with “Killer Bee” Chuang Kai Ting, but they were was most devastating against Wang Chin Long last May. Todd dropped the Chinese athlete three times after obliterating her legs.
Stamp will be more durable than that, but if Todd can use her footwork to evade the reigning two-sport World Champion’s right hand, she can chop into her lead leg to slow her down for the later rounds.
#4 Stamp’s Heavy Counter-Strikes
Stamp will not let Todd kick her way to victory from the outside without doing her best to counter and spoil the game plan. The 34-year-old learned that the hard way when she was blasted with hard counters throughout the first round of their original World Title clash.
A barrage of right hands followed almost every body kick, which made “JT” think twice about throwing them after that. However, the 22-year-old from Pattaya was also ready to uncork her right hand and right kick in reply to the low kicks, too.
The defending World Champion may not be able to catch kicks this time, but she has adapted to kickboxing rules before, and she will be ready to respond to almost anything that comes her way.
Read more: Janet Todd Reveals Her Keys To Victory Against Stamp Fairtex
