Joseph Lasiri believes his ‘passion’ earned him decisive win against Asahi Shinagawa 

Joseph Lasiri feels that his recent win against Japanese striking sensation Asahi Shinagawa is one of his sweetest victories under the ONE Super Series banner.

The Italian-Moroccan fighter needed just over two minutes to knock out his Japanese foe at ONE: Winter Warriors II, a pre-taped show that aired on Friday, December 17.

As per his Instagram post, it was not just the manner in which he earned his 42nd career win which made it a memorable one.

Below are some translated excerpts from Joseph Lasiri’s post:

“I don't like to call it passion because stress, fatigue, fear while preparing for an important competition is sometimes so strong that it is difficult to go along with the word PASSION even if it is part of it."

“I want to use the word passion in moments like this where you feel you are LIVING YOUR LIFE, where you have done your duty, and whether you win or lose you feel lighter and satisfied with who you’ve become.”

Joseph Lasiri also thanked his coaches:

“I sincerely thank @kickandpunch who taught me how to live this positive and magical side that you can only find in a gym with a team like this and in a sport like ours. The attention of @lochner_emanuele in this camp educated me as no one has ever managed to do, it was a complete and perfect athletic training!”

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Is Joseph Lasiri one win away from the world title?

Despite arriving at the promotion with a huge reputation as one of the best Muay Thai talents from Europe, Joseph Lasiri had a slow start to his career in ONE Super Series.

The 30-year-old Monza native endured three straight losses at the hands of Sam-A Gaiyanghadao, Singtongnoi Por Telakun, and Jonathan Haggerty. Analyzing his shortcomings, Lasiri started training with more intensity before moving up a division.

Since then, ‘The Hurricane’ has been near unstoppable, winning three of his four contests.

Joseph Lasiri currently sits at third in the strawweight ranks - behind only Sam-A (1) and Australia’s Josh Tonna (2).

Things are looking bright for the Italian-Moroccan. Should he get a victory against either of the fighters mentioned above, a crack at division king Prajanchai seems very likely in 2022.