“She's really the best partner for me” - Jackie Buntan says retired Janet Todd still pushes her in training
Janet Todd may have walked away from professional fighting but she hasn't really left the gym. This was revealed by her Boxing Works teammate Jackie Buntan, who is grateful to continue being under the wing of one of the best female strikers of all time.
The 27-year-old striker is slated to vie for the inaugural women's strawweight kickboxing world title at ONE 169 on Nov. 8 inside 'The Mecca of Muay Thai' Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
In a ONE Championship interview, Buntan happily shared that 'JT' has been preparing her to pull off the upset against the favorite Anissa Meksen.
"Now it's quite inclusive to the Boxing Works team. No secret I'm lucky to have Janet," she said.
She added:
"She's still training, still able to get her out of her 'retirement' since she's in the gym most of the time still. But she's really the best partner for me right now to train for this kickboxing fight."
Todd, the former ONE atomweight Muay Thai and kickboxing world champion, officially retired last March in a heartfelt moment at ONE Fight Night 20.
Then again, the 38-year-old American has happily passed the torch to her training partner turned lifetime friend Jackie Buntan.
Jackie Buntan says battle-tested Anissa Meksen is her most formidable challenge yet
This coming Friday, Jackie Buntan has an opportunity to strike 26 pounds of gold if she can get past one of the most decorated female strikers in history.
Anissa Meksen has won world titles wherever she goes and has far more experience in kickboxing, compared to the Filipina-American hitter who has competed primarily under Muay Thai rules.
Still, the Boxing Works affiliate will enter this match-up with the utmost confidence in her abilities.
"She has way more experience. She's been in kickboxing. So that is my fuel, being able to fight somebody on paper better than me," Buntan told ONE.
ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug will air live in US Primetime free of charge for Prime Video subscribers in North America.