"I went back into training" - Jonathan Di Bella says he never stopped grinding after postponed match-up with Prajanchai
Jonathan Di Bella has spent a long time working on his game plan for the biggest fight of his career to date. However, after what occurred last April, the stakes have become very different for him after the fight was postponed.
Di Bella's strawweight kickboxing world title defense against Prajanchai was canceled the day before fight night.
The champion was unable to pass his hydration test after being incredibly ill throughout fight week, leading to him losing the belt on the scales.
He needed time to recover before the fight could get rebooked for the main event of ONE Friday Fights 68, where he will meet the strawweight Muay Thai world champion in a vacant kickboxing title fight.
Despite the fight being pushed back, Di Bella hasn't taken his foot off the gas.
He told ONE Championship that after recovering from his battle with illness, he went right back to working on his plan to defeat his opponent:
"Well, as soon as I got back home, I started feeling better slowly. And as soon as I felt better, I went back into training and continued the same game plan I had the last time."
Jonathan Di Bella has a point to prove
Jonathan Di Bella was already considered to be an underdog when his fight with Prajanchai was first put together.
Whilst he may have more of a speciality in kickboxing, his Thai opponent has got an incredible amount of experience competing against the best in the world.
However, Di Bella now has the opportunity to produce his biggest win to date and win back his world championship in the process.
A win in the main event at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium on June 28 will show once and for all that Di Bella can compete with the absolute best.
He's coming to win back his title but make no mistake about it, defeating an opponent like Prajanchai is arguably an even bigger accomplishment.
ONE Friday Fights 68 will air live at Asian prime time. Check your local listings for more details.