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Jonathan Di Bella took Chatri Sityodtong's constructive criticism in stride and vowed to unleash his true capabilities.
The former strawweight kickboxing world champion captured the interim 125-pound crown at ONE 172 last March, where he outclassed the legendary Sam-A Gaiyanghadao in a five-round masterclass.
The Italian-Canadian speedster had the Thai icon rocked several times throughout the contest, but couldn't quite finish the 41-year-old.
While Di Bella was pleased with his unanimous decision victory, Chatri Sityodtong made it clear that he could have done much better.
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During the post-event press conference, the promotion's Chairman and CEO said Di Bella must showcase an urgency to knock out his opponents. According to the ONE head honcho, it's the only thing holding him back from being one of the best strikers on the planet.
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In a recent interview with Nick Atkin of The Bangkok Post, Jonathan Di Bella addressed Sityodtong's challenge:
"It did give me more motivation because he said that, and it was good and bad for me. It motivated me more. But I did fight a top legend like Sam-A - who wasn’t easy to finish," he said.
The interim strawweight kickboxing king continued:
"I’ve fought a lot of top guys, too, but I believe he sees potential in me being a superstar. And I believe he just sees me lacking the knockouts to make it into a superstar."
Jonathan Di Bella says rematch with Prajanchai is the top priority
After absorbing the first loss of his career against Prajanchai PK Saenchai last year, Jonathan Di Bella won back-to-back fights against the top contenders in the division.
As far as the Italian-Canadian striker is concerned, the two-sport king cannot deny him now, and it's time they run it back to unify the strawweight kickboxing world titles. He told Nick Atkin:
"Right now, I'm focused on my division. So my focus is all Prajanchai. I don't want to call people out. I'm not a guy who calls out people. But, if the fight gets offered to me - or a super fight - for sure."
Watch the full interview:
