Zamboanga: Angela Lee will come later

ONE Championship’s topranked atomweight contender Denice “Lycan Queen” Zamboanga has had her run-ins with reigning world champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee in the past.

Their social-media accounts attest to that.

But when it comes to a potential showdown between the two, the Filipino, now based in Bangkok, is completely focused on her next match and admits she’s not even thinking about facing the champion right now.

Zamboanga is one of eight women who will participate in the upcoming One Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix. She faces dangerous South Korean veteran and No. 5 contender Seo Hee Ham in the quarterfinal round of the tournament, which commences at One: Empower early next month.

“Lycan Queen” maintained that she is completely focused on her next opponent.

“I have no doubt Angela will be back. She’s the champion for a reason and she’ll be back stronger than ever,” Zamboanga said. “But right now in this tournament, there’s a lot of work to be done. I have a very dangerous opponent in Seo Hee Ham, and I am not looking past her.”

Despite Zamboanga’s position at the top of the rankings, many believe Seo is the favorite to win the match with the Filipina coming in as the underdog.

In fact, Seo is considered the “dark horse” to win the entire tournament, including Lee.

But Zamboanga is no stranger to overcoming adversity and defying the odds. No one expected her to beat highly regarded Malaysian star Jihin Radzuan and former One world title challenger Mei Yamaguchi, either.

But she put together some amazing performances to earn her place in One’s deep atomweight division.

The winner of the Grand Prix will challenge Lee for the world title.

This next fight is no doubt a very important one for Zamboanga. The 24-year-old reiterates that she is fully fixated on overcoming the odds yet again and taking care of business with Seo, before she even thinks too far ahead into the future.

“I’m not even thinking about the fight with Angela yet. That’s not even on my mind. I just want to prove that I am the number one contender to the title again,” Zamboanga said. “It’s great that Angela is thinking of me, I am flattered and wish her well. But right now, I am not thinking about her at all. I am completely focused on my next fight.”

The historic all-women’s fight card, One: Empower, will broadcast live on Friday. In the main event, reigning women’s strawweight champion “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan defends her title against grappling superstar Michelle Nicolini.