‘It Will Be A Barnburner’ – Tawanchai Excited For Long-Awaited World Title Defense Against Superbon
Tawanchai PK Saenchai hopes the third time will be the charm for his massive ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Title defense against Superbon Singha Mawynn at ONE Friday Fights 46.
The Thai superstars will headline the stacked bill in Asia primetime on December 22, and after setbacks postponed the bout twice already, the reigning king is eager to finally meet his compatriot inside the ring.
Their first scheduled encounter was booked for ONE Fight Night 15 in October, but Superbon pulled out due to injury. Tawanchai instead defeated Jo Nattawut in a kickboxing bout, and his World Title defense was rebooked for ONE Fight Night 17.
That time, it was the PK Saenchai man who had to withdraw. But ever since getting floored by a serious illness that put him in the hospital, Tawanchai has worked hard to make sure he will be physically ready to face Superbon at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
He spoke to onefc.com about the roller-coaster ride that led to this point:
“For the first withdrawal, I think he hurt his leg. The second, I got sick. I got infected with the influenza virus. I had to stay in the hospital for several days. I felt like I was having a hard time recovering. Therefore, I felt like I had to postpone this fight.
“But now I’m all good. After recovering from the sickness, I came back and trained twice as hard.”
Nobody has been more frustrated at the circumstances than Tawanchai, who is desperate to face off against the former ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion.
He also understands that fans across the globe are anxiously anticipating the battle, and that gives him even more motivation to deliver a fight for the ages.
The 24-year-old said:
“Fans have been waiting a long time for this fight to happen because it has been postponed twice already, so I’m glad it will finally happen.
“Superbon talks about me often. So I want to fight him, just as he wants. I think this is the right time for us to crash into each other.
“I don’t know if it is going to be the toughest fight I’ve had or not, but I’m sure it will be a barnburner.”
Tawanchai: ‘This Belt Belongs To Me’
In recent years, Tawanchai PK Saenchai has watched Superbon Singha Mawynn enjoy plenty of success atop the kickboxing world.
However, he also knows his 33-year-old challenger started out in Muay Thai and will present a difficult test in their World Title showdown.
With that in mind, the defending king is expecting the best from Superbon, acknowledging that his foe’s experience and elite striking make him a dangerous threat under either rule set.
Tawanchai said:
“I have known of, respected, and followed [Superbon] throughout his kickboxing career. But I’ve never watched him compete in Muay Thai.
“It’s no problem [that he hasn’t competed in Muay Thai much recently]. He has a Muay Thai background, and he has good skills. I don’t think he’s at a huge disadvantage. He is one of the best strikers in the world. He is definitely not an ordinary fighter.
“His strength is his head kick – he can kick really fast. And he has no weaknesses. I can’t let my guard down for a second, or he will put me to sleep.”
Still, Tawanchai has proven himself repeatedly since entering ONE Championship, producing a dominant 7-1 record with five stoppage wins.
His finishing prowess has gone to the next level thanks to a more aggressive boxing game, and he’s ready to let Superbon feel the heat when the former kickboxing king competes in 4-ounce gloves for the first time.
While he will be careful around the Singha Mawynn athlete, Tawanchai also plans to leave everything in the ring – and he has no plans to let anyone take his gold without the performance of their life:
“The small gloves will definitely make a difference from the kickboxing fights he is used to because the impact force between small gloves and large gloves is very different.
“I’ve prepared a lot of things for him. Let’s find out in the ring. I’m confident I will beat him as well. This belt belongs to me. I won’t give it to anyone without a fight. I will do my best to keep it.”
