"He lost to himself" - Prajanchai chimes in on Jonathan Di Bella surrendering his kickboxing belt on the scales
Undisputed ONE strawweight Muay Thai world champion Prajanchai PK Saenchai certainly understands the heavy burden that comes with being the king of the division.
While the revered Thai striker empathizes with Jonathan Di Bella for the way he lost his strawweight kickboxing crown, he also believes champions should be held accountable for their mishaps.
Unfortunately, the Italian-Canadian striker fell ill ahead of his initial pairing with Prajanchai at ONE Friday Fights 58 last April, which led to him failing his hydration test and being stripped off the belt.
The bout was scrapped altogether and eventually rescheduled after Di Bella was deemed unfit to compete on the planned date.
Speaking to the promotion ahead of their rebooked five-round battle, Prajanchai talked about Di Bella's fall from grace:
"I think Jonathan will feel more pressure than me because he used to say that he stands at the top. I replied that it would hurt more if you fall. I think he realized what I meant from the last time. He didn't lose to me, he lost to himself, and he just fell from the top."
The now-vacant strawweight kickboxing throne will finally have its ruler this coming June 28, in the curtain closer of ONE Friday Fights 68: Prajanchai vs. Di Bella.
The full event, emanating from the iconic halls of Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, will air live in Asian primetime. Check your local listings at onefc.com for the availability of the event in your region.
Prajanchai expects to be a two-sport world champion at ONE Friday Fights 68
Prajanchai hasn't been shy about expressing his desire to join ONE's prestigious group of two-sport world champions.
He gets his well-deserved shot this coming Friday, and he's going all out to make sure he leaves 'The Mecca of Muay Thai' with two golden belts in his possession.
The PK Saenchai superstar told ONE:
"I can't predict anything, but you guys can expect to see two belts on my shoulders."