Few fights have the power to properly end an exceptional year for ONE Championship’s Muay Thai divisions, but the bout between ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai and top-ranked contender Superbon Singha Mawynn certainly did the job.
The battle of Thai megastars capped off ONE Friday Fights 46 on December 22 in Bangkok, Thailand – and it delivered an instant classic on pay-per-view.
From smart counter-attacks to gritty exchanges, the five-rounder at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium had everything that makes high-level Muay Thai fascinating to watch.
The 24-year-old Tawanchai began his second World Title defense with push kicks from the outside, preventing the former ONE Featherweight Kickboxing Word Champion from loading up on his infamous high kicks.
But the fighter from Singha Mawynn adapted rather quickly. Instead of attacking from the outside, he turned his efforts inward, slashing at Tawanchai with elbows that many thought the kickboxing great had forgotten how to throw.
True to his word, Superbon used them well and used them often. But so did Tawanchai. Over the course of the fight, he rattled the 33-year-old’s skull with elbows that would’ve stopped lesser men.
Eventually, Superbon began to attack with high kicks, getting closer and closer with each attempt. But Tawanchai, showing a fight IQ that separates the average from the great, rolled away from them, smirking as he stung his compatriot with perfect counter-punches.
Tawanchai’s aggression kept him narrowly ahead on the scorecards for all 15 minutes, and in the end, he got the nod from two of three judges to win via majority decision.
With his monumental victory, the PK Saenchai representative retained his ONE Featherweight Muay Thai Word Title and upped his professional record to 132-31-2.
But he also hinted at a possible move to another sport.
“I showed everyone now (that I am the best in Muay Thai),” Tawanchai told commentator Mitch Chilson during his post-fight interview. “Next, I want that kickboxing belt.”
