“Anything can happen” - Superbon says Masaaki Noiri’s KO of Tawanchai speaks to the unpredictability of the fight game

When you’re sitting on the ONE featherweight kickboxing throne like Superbon, you pay close attention to who’s next in line. So he was definitely watching when Masaaki Noiri stepped in against Tawanchai at ONE 172.

Like most people, Superbon expected a tough fight. But what he didn’t expect, nor did a good number of fight fans online, was for Noiri to stop Tawanchai cold and walk out with the interim belt. But that’s just the nature of the game, he says.

"A little bit [surprised], yes, but it's normal because, like in this class, this weight class, everyone can win."

Noiri had been an easy target for fans to downplay since he hadn't been as known on the global stage, but Superbon reminded everyone that he was a warrior by his own right before he ever entered the promotion:

"Look, he's very good in kickboxing, he's a champion in Japan, in K1, or everything. It's not easy to beat [him] up. You cannot let him down because you feel like Tawanchai is too good, but you know, in this sport, anything can happen."

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“I'm not going to fight boxing with him” - Superbon says he already has a plan to shut down Japanese star Masaaki Noiri

Noiri’s power and boxing looked slick against Tawanchai, but Superbon’s not planning to walk into the same trap. He’s already thinking about how to neutralize that threat when they meet for a title unification.

"How do I fight Noiri? [There are] Many ways to fight Noiri. I think with Noiri, I can not fight with boxing. I'm not going to fight boxing with him, because I think he's going to be better at boxing than me."

ONE 172 is available via replay on watch.onefc.com.

At the moment, there is no update regarding the ONE featherweight kickboxing unification match. Follow ONE Championship on social media for the latest news and updates.