“I’m not saying Angela is an easy opponent” - Denice Zamboanga picks Stamp Fairtex to beat Angela Lee, believes it’s friend’s toughest battle

No. 2-ranked atomweight Denice Zamboanga has a vested interest in the main event bout at ONE X, where No. 1-ranked contender Stamp Fairtex takes on reigning ONE women’s atomweight world champion Angela Lee.

Firstly, Denice Zamboanga considers Stamp Fairtex a very close friend. They are almost like sisters. Secondly, ‘The Lycan Queen’ has a long-standing rivalry with Lee, which dates back to more than a year ago, when Zamboanga was initially set to challenge Lee for the atomweight strap.

Lastly, Denice Zamboanga is expecting to face the winner of this bout, whoever that may be.

In a recent interview with ONE Championship, Denice Zamboanga broke down the matchup, and picked Fairtex to win. However, she also says it won’t be a walk in the park for the 24-year-old.

“Angela Lee, she has good wrestling and takedowns, and grappling of course. That’s her strength. But Stamp, in terms of striking, she’s just incredible. She has great hands and excellent kicks, and even takedown defense. What she showed in her last fight was super impressive. I would say, for me, Stamp has a good chance to win this fight because she has really improved a lot. But I’m not saying Angela is an easy opponent for her. We can’t really say for sure. Angela is the champion as well, and she also constantly improves her game with every fight,” said Zamboanga.

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Denice Zamboanga on who has better striking

Angela Lee has said in previous interviews that she feels her striking is underrated, and that she may even have more power in her fists than Stamp Fairtex herself.

While Denice Zamboanga can’t say for certain if that’s true or not, 'The Lycan Queen' finds it hard to believe, since Fairtex is a former Muay Thai and kickboxing world champion. If anyone is going to dominate the standup, Zamboanga says it’s her Thai friend.

“I mean, I can’t really say if that’s true because I’ve never fought Angela before. But I have trained with Stamp in the past, and I know how powerful she really is. In terms of skills, there’s no question. Stamp is a class above Angela Lee when it comes to striking.”

Zamboanga continued, detailing what she thinks Stamp needs to do to win:

“I think Stamp just needs to stay true to herself, and stick to her real game which is striking. She needs to avoid Angela’s takedowns, obviously, and try her best to keep this fight on the feet. If she can stay at range and pick Angela apart as she comes in, I think she’s going to win. I think Stamp is going to win by stoppage.”