"We all work hard"- Jackie Buntan credits Boxing Works team for turning her into a world champion

Inaugural ONE women's strawweight kickboxing world champion Jackie Buntan knew she was destined for greatness as soon as she entrusted her career to Brian Popejoy and the rest of the famed Boxing Works gym in her formative years.

In an interview with Beyond Kick ahead of ONE 169: Malykhin vs. 'Reug Reug' this past Friday, Nov. 8, Buntan stated:

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"I've been with Boxing Works since I was a kid and the environment my coach Brian [Popejoy] has made is such a welcoming environment. Everyone is so like-minded and we all work hard and we all focus on the art of it. I think that's the main thing. Everyone is like-minded at that gym, which makes it easy to work together and succeed."

Buntan, Popejoy, and all of Boxing Works' collaborative efforts bore fruit at ONE 169, where the Filipino-American won her first ONE world championship by upsetting striking legend Anissa Meksen via unanimous decision.

Aside from it being the biggest victory of her career, the fight also marked Buntan's seventh win in ONE.

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Jackie Buntan learned from her 2022 defeat to Smilla Sundell

Jackie Buntan took her loss to Smilla Sundell in April 2022 over the inaugural ONE women's strawweight Muay Thai world championship as a learning experience, which led to her momentous achievement at ONE 169.

Buntan opened up on how losing to 'The Hurricane' ended up becoming a crucial event in a recent interview with ONE:

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"The biggest difference from when I first competed for the inaugural Muay Thai belt with Smilla is that I, as every athlete does, put a lot of pressure on myself. But each fight is a learning experience. And like I said, things happen for a reason."

Fans in the United States and Canada with an active Prime Video subscription can rewatch ONE 169 on demand.

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