Jonathan Di Bella delivered a near-perfect performance to retain his ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Title at ONE Fight Night 15: The vs. Freymanov, Saturday morning, October 7, Asian time.
The undefeated Italian-Canadian striker dominated ‘Mini T’ Danial Williams with smooth boxing techniques to secure a unanimous decision victory in their five-round action at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Defending his title for the first time, from one of the most iconic combat sports arenas in the world, was particularly memorable for Di Bella. And the fans in attendance certainly helped make the night memorable for him.
After his victory, the king of strawweight kickboxing declared:
“This energy is really, really cool. It’s an honor and a dream come true [untuk bertarung di Lumpinee Boxing Stadium]. It was incredible.”
As usual, Williams’ tenacity made this match very entertaining. He never backed down from Di Bella’s attacks and delivered a powerful low kick, which left a significant mark on the title holder’s right leg.
However, this doesn’t really surprise the 27-year-old Italian-Canadian dynamo, who expects ‘Mini T’ to do his best to win the gold belt.
However, when the decision was submitted to the judges, the leader was very confident that the gold belt would return with him to Montreal.
Di Bella explains:
“Williams is very strong. I knew before the fight that he wouldn’t be an easy opponent. He was there for the full five rounds, so I already knew that.
“I believe [dengan keputusan itu]. I think I won every round. However, my appearance could have been better. It wasn’t what I wanted, but I won.
Jonathan Di Bella expects upcoming US title defense
With another impressive win, Jonathan Di Bella took his perfect record to 12-0 and secured his position at the top of his division.
The ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Champion is in a strong position as leader of the division, but he won’t be too concerned about his next assignment. Di Bella is ready to defend her gold belt against any challenger, although a fight in North America would be her biggest wish.
He said:
“The next one could be anyone.” Anything anytime. I am open against anyone. I hope I can fight on the mat in the United States. That’s the real hope, and that’s what I want next.”
With ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Champion Joseph Lasiri, interim titleholder Prajanchai PK Saenchai and former dual sport king Sam-A Gaiyanghadao still active in the division’s Muay Thai ranks, Di Bella plays with the idea of changing discipline. .
However, the Italian-Canadian star’s main goal is to first prove that he is the best in the world in his discipline, and that is where his motivation lies at the moment.
DiBella said:
“I thought about [mencoba disiplin berbeda]. But I want to be one of the kickboxers pound for pound better, and that’s my goal.
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