"I put emotion into everything!" - Joseph Lasiri gets last laugh following Prajanchai jibe

Jospeh Lasiri gets last laugh after Prajanchai says he's 'too emotional'
Jospeh Lasiri gets last laugh after Prajanchai says he's 'too emotional'

Joseph Lasiri shocked the world when he finished Prajanchai to be crowned the new ONE strawweight Muay Thai World champion at ONE 157 on friday.

The Thai had suggested that his opponent was "too emotional" during the lead-up to the bout. The comment clearly struck a chord with the italian. 'The Hurricane' put on a masterclass as he pieced up the champion, and Prajanchai quit on his stool going into the fourth round.

Speaking in a post-fight virtual media session, he said:

"I put all my life inside the Circle. Prajanchai told me, 'Joesph Lasiri is too emotional for fight with me.' And this one is my emotion. He is the best one in Muay Thai. But emotion for me is everything. I put my emotion inside my training camp. I put my emotion before the fight. I put my emotion everywhere, and I show my personality. And that's the difference. I can fight anyone. Even if they have more experience. Even if I fail many times. I can fight everyone," explained the new champion.

The Milan native's win completes one of the biggest comeback stories in the history of the promotion. Having signed with the organization in 2018 he lost his first four fights in a row. He won three of his next five and is now riding a two-fight winning streak with both of those coming by knockout.


Joseph Lasiri wants to be two-sport world champion

Having fought the likes of Sam-a and Jonathan Haggerty, Lasiri has been in with some of the best in the world. The 30-year-old insists that he doesn't care who his opponent is, but expressed an interest in going for another belt in his next fight.

"I want to go in the kickboxing one. I want to come back with the gloves. This is for my coach Angelo Valenti. Because he's a kickboxing champion. They gave me a lot of this skill. And that made me improve a lot. I want to be a kickboxing champion in ONE Championship," explained Lasiri.

There is currently no ONE strawweight kickboxing champion, so it will be interesting to see if the ONE bosses give him a crack at it. There's certainly precedent for fighters holding belts in two disciplines. Stamp Fairtex famously conquered both of the women's atomweight kickboxing and Muay Thai divisions in 2017 and 2018.

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Edited by C. Naik