"You got to still do it" – Jonathan Di Bella on the importance of fine-tuning his kickboxing fundamentals
ONE strawweight kickboxing world champion Jonathan Di Bella has credited his success to solid fundamentals, which he continuously works on in training. He said it can be tiring, but it needs to be done for him to stay on top of the game.
The Canadian-Italian fighter shared this as he girds for his second defense of his world title on April 5 at ONE Friday Fights 58 in Bangkok, Thailand. He will take on ONE strawweight Muay Thai titleholder Prajanchai PK Saenchai in an all-champion clash.
Speaking to the South China Morning Post in the lead-up to his title defense, Jonathan Di Bella touched on the rigors of keeping his fundamentals sharp and its importance.
The 27-year-old Team Di Bella Kickboxing standout said:
"Just repeating the basics, repeating everything, over and over every day. The same thing over and over again and, you know, sometimes you get tired of it mentally but physically, you know, you got to still do it."
Check out what he had to say below:
Jonathan Di Bella retained his world title back in October against Australian-Thai challenger Danial Williams, who he defeated by unanimous decision. This came a year after he claimed the vacant ONE strawweight kickboxing world title over Zhang Peimian of China with a decision victory.
Looking to clip his reign as world champion is Prajanchai, who is angling to become a two-sport ONE world champion with a victory at ONE Friday Fights 58. He became the undisputed strawweight Muay Thai king by knocking out former champion Joseph Lasiri in the opening round of their unifcation bout in December.
ONE Friday Fights 58 will take place at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium. To watch it live from your location, check your local listings or visit ONE Championship's official website.
Jonathan Di Bella covering all bases in preparation for ONE Friday Fights 58
Jonathan Di Bella said he and his team made sure they covered all the bases in preparation for what they expect to be a tough challenge from Prajanchai PK Saenchai on April 5 at ONE Friday Fights 58.
The Team Di Bella Kickbxing standout will be making his second defense of the ONE strawweight kickboxing world title in the marquee event at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, and wants to make it a successful one.
To realize his goal, the Quebec, Canada native said they worked hard in training to come up with a winning performance against Prajanchai and continue his reign as world champion.
He told ONE Championship in an interview:
"I've been going through a rough training camp that my dad's been putting me through. I'm just going through it all, giving my all, and I'll be 100 percent ready for his fight. So yeah, can't wait."
Apart from the Di Bella-Prajanchai title showdown, another chamnpionship battle on deck at ONE Friday Fights 58 is the headlining rematch between Thai superstar Superbon Singha Mawynn and Armenian fighter Marat Grigorian for the interim ONE featherweight kickboxing world title.