ONE Championship features new dimension with first-ever boxing event in Bangkok, Thailand
ONE Championship, Asia’s largest sports media property, features its newest dimension as a group by staging its first-ever boxing event at “ONE: Kingdom of Heroes” in Bangkok, Thailand, on Saturday, Oct. 6.
Headlined by the world title clash between reigning World Boxing Council super flyweight champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai of Thailand and challenger Iran “MagnifiKO” Diaz of Mexico, ONE said it hopes Kingdom of Heroes further propels its move to go beyond presenting just top-class mixed martial arts action.
“World championship boxing has always been on the radar for ONE Championship, ever since we introduced the ONE Super Series. In Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, we have the perfect athlete to introduce the sport of boxing to the largest martial arts organization in the world. Sor Rungvisai embodies the fiery willpower of Thai martial arts and is a great representative of ONE Championship. This is going to be the biggest event in Thailand’s history, and with thousands of fans expected to come out and cheer for their hero, I can’t wait to witness greatness unfold in the ONE ring,” said ONE chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong when the world title fight was first announced in August.
Mr. Sor Rungvisai is riding a 19-fight winning streak and is considered one of the best boxers Thailand has produced. He currently holds a 46-4-1 record.
Challenger Diaz (14-2-3), meanwhile, is one of the fastestrising stars in Mexican boxing and has won three of his last five fights. He is now angling to get the better of champion Sor Rungvisai to introduce his name to a wider audience.
“Performing in Bangkok in front of all the Thai fans, I feel invigorated. This is a huge development in my career and I feel that ONE Championship can help me bring world-class boxing back home to Thailand,” said Mr. Sor Rungvisai in the lead-up to the fight.
“I am honored to be in this position and I know millions of fans will be watching, which is why I have to give my best performance. Right now I am in the best condition of my career and I am deep in training so that I can give a good performance on October 6. This is going to be a very exciting fight. I can’t wait to climb into the ring again and showcase my talent in front of the whole world,” he added.
Interestingly, if Mr. Sor Rungvisai gets to defend his title anew, he could face reigning International Boxing Federation super flyweight champion Jerwin “Pretty Boy” Ancajas of the Philippines in a unification bout next year.
Serving as co-main event at Kingdom of Heroes is the ONE Super Series Kickboxing Atomweight World Championship between champion Kai Ting Chuang of China and Stamp Fairtex of Thailand.
It also features the lightweight clash of Japanese legend Shinya Aoki against Malaysian Ev Ting as well fights of Filipinos Robin Catalan and Ramon Gonzales against separate foes.
ONE: Kingdom of Heroes will take place at Impact Arena in Bangkok and can also be viewed on the ONE app. —