"I’m fighting for Africa" - Bokang Masunyane says he's not just competing for himself, but for an entire continent

Bokang Masunyane knows that whenever he fights, he’s not just fighting for himself, he’s representing the whole of Africa, too.

ONE Championship’s No.1 strawweight contender will represent the continent once more when he takes on Jarred Brooks in a title eliminator at ONE 156: Eersel vs. Sadikovic on April 22. The event will be broadcast live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

During the virtual media day ahead of the card, Bokang Masunyane, who hails from South Africa, said:

“Honestly I don’t feel pressure [for this match], it’s something I’ve been doing my entire life and it’s something I’ve always wanted to be doing. The only pressure I feel is, of course, because this is bigger than myself. Now I’m fighting for Africa. I’m fighting for a lot of fighters in Africa to be recognized and that’s the pressure I feel behind me, my family, and my friends.”

A win for Masunyane would give him the opportunity to challenge the Philippines’ Joshua Pacio for the ONE strawweight world title. The South African added that a win over Pacio will chalk off one of his career targets, and that is to become ONE Championship’s first African champion.

“Of course, I’d like to be the first world champion coming out of Africa, born and raised in Africa, and I’m gonna make use of this opportunity… I’m here to become a world champion and at the moment Jarred is the person in front of me from competing for a world title.”

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Bokang Masunyane is prepared for Jarred Brooks’ pressure

Bokang Masunyane is undefeated in his first two fights in ONE Championship and his next one might just be his toughest yet. Brooks, the No.2 contender in the division, also holds a 2-0 record in the promotion and he’s been nothing but dominant in his early run in the organization.

‘The Monkey God’ has a submission win over Lito Adiwang and a unanimous decision victory over Hiroba Minowa.

Discussing Brooks, Masunyane told the media:

“I know I’m fighting one of the toughest guys in the division, so I got myself as well prepared as possible,” said Masunyane, who holds wins over Rene Catalan and Ryuto Sawada.

‘Little Giant’ added that he’s ready for whatever Brooks throws at him and he believes his quickness would ultimately give him the advantage in their contest.

“I believe he has good wrestling, he has good hands, strong power behind him, but I believe I’m more agile, I’m more mobile than he is. I believe I’m quicker than him so that’s gonna make a difference in this fight.”

Tune in to ONE 156 this Friday to see if Masunyane can earn a shot at ONE gold.