Montreal’s Jonathan Di Bella defends kickboxing title in Bangkok

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Di Bella is 12-0 as a professional, was unbeaten as an newbie and went 2-0 as a professional boxer.

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The Canadian Press

Neil Davidson

Revealed Apr 04, 2024  •  3 minute learn

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Jonathan Di Bella is not any stranger to the large stage, having fought 5 instances at Madison Sq. Backyard.

The 27-year-old from Montreal returns to a different storied fight sports activities venue on Friday when he defends his One Championship strawweight kickboxing title towards Thailand’s Prajanchai PK Saenchai within the co-main occasion of “One Friday Fights 58: Superbon vs. Grigorian II” at Bangkok’s Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

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“I at all times dreamed about preventing in Lumpinee Stadium as a child. And now I’m doing it and defending my title. It’s an honour,” Di Bella mentioned from Thailand.

Di Bella received the vacant strawweight kickboxing title in October 2022 when he earned a choice over China’s (The Preventing Rooster) Zhang Peimian, who was then 19, in Kuala Lumpur. The Canadian defended the championship belt final October in Bangkok, profitable a choice over Australia-Thai fighter Danial Williams.

Lumpinee payments itself as “the beating coronary heart of Muay Thai In Thailand attracting the best fighters of this technology.”

Prajanchai suits that invoice. The 29-year-old Thai fighter’s professional document is a staggering 342-52-3.

Di Bella has but to lose, nevertheless. The five-foot-eight 124-pounder is 12-0 as a professional, was unbeaten as an newbie and went 2-0 as a professional boxer.

Prajanchai fought 11 instances in 2015 alone, posting a 9-1-1 document. Di Bella calls him the hardest fighter he has confronted to this point.

“I can’t wait,” he mentioned.

Di Bella’s silky placing abilities will likely be put to the take a look at towards Prajanchai, who hopes so as to add Di Bella’s kickboxing title to his One Championship Muay Thai crown.

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Fighters in One’s kickboxing division put on eight-ounce boxing gloves (10-ounce gloves for featherweight or heavier) and might rating a knockout through punch, kick or knee. Muay Thai bouts see the fighters put on four-ounce MMA gloves and might knock out opponents through punch, kick, knee, elbow or authorized throw.

Prajanchai has a wealth of expertise in a wide range of fight sports activities,

“This man has like 400 fights and we’re preventing in his hometown … He has much more expertise than me so I imagine he has all of the benefit over me,” mentioned Di Bella.

Prajanchai confirmed his enamel in December when he knocked out Moroccan-Italian Joseph (The Hurricane) Lasiri at Lumpinee Stadium with a nasty elbow to unify the One Muay Thai title.

Whereas Prajanchai celebrated in entrance of his hometown followers, Lasiri — who had received the title from the Thai in Might 2022 — wanted assist from 4 officers to regain his ft.

A gifted technical striker with piston-like leg kicks, Di Bella poses issues of his personal for Prajanchai.

“We’ll see on combat night time. Something can occur,” mentioned Di Bella. “I’ve simply bought to be prepared for something.”

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Friday’s essential occasion pits Thailand’s Superbon Singha Mawynn towards Armenia’s Marat Grigorian for the One interim featherweight kickboxing world title.

Superbon, a former featherweight world champion, defended the title with a choice over Grigorian once they met in March 2022, solely to lose his crown to Georgian-born Azerbaijani-Belarusian Chingiz Allazov in January 2023.

Calgary’s Jake Peacock makes his One Championship debut Friday when he meets Japanese bantamweight Kohei (Samurai Warrior) Shinjo on the undercard. Peacock (12-1) is a singular expertise given he was born with out a proper hand. The amniotic band was wrapped round his arm within the early levels of improvement, which stopped it from rising.

Peacock received the “Street to One” event, recording three straight wins to earn a US$100,000 six-fight contract with One Championship.

Di Bella began within the sport when he was two years previous. His father Angelo was a kickboxing champion in his personal proper and has his personal health club in Montreal.

Jonathan turned professional at 19, preventing primarily in New York the place the kickboxing scene is extra vibrant. He trains in each cities lately.

Outdoors the ring, Di Bella and girlfriend Emely have a espresso enterprise. Di Bella Espresso is billed as “the place ardour meets perfection in each sip.”

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