“I don't think I've reached my peak, I think there's still a lot of room for improvement. Being champion is not necessarily the pinnacle because it's more difficult to defend the title and remain champion. .”
This week at ONE Friday Fights 58, he will face Jonathan Di Bella in a unification bout. The undefeated Canadian will retain the regular belt and Prajanchai will be the interim champion, and the two will meet in the co-main event at Lumphini Stadium.
Even Di Vera admits he comes into this contest as an underdog, but Prajanchai doesn't see things that way.
“I don't think he's the underdog. I feel like he's the king of kickboxing and I'm the underdog. I'm not as familiar with the rules as he is and he's never lost in ONE Championship, so , I consider myself a loser.”
While Di Vera has yet to experience any setbacks and is undefeated as an amateur or professional, Prajanchai withdrew on a stool in the third round of a strawweight Muay Thai title fight in 2022. It was a big upset on the wrong side. With Joseph Lasiri.
Last year, Prajanchai avenged that loss by stopping Lasiri in the opening round and reclaiming the belt that was out of his reach this Friday. It was thought that the loss would have made him stronger, but the 29-year-old doesn't see things that way.
“Winning the rematch with Lasiri didn’t make me stronger. But I believe that if I train well, stay disciplined, and keep to my routine and schedule, I can get stronger.”
Di Vera is several years younger than Prajanchai, but the Canadian says he is in his prime. This is a source of motivation for interim champions who want to test themselves against the best opponents.
“I would be happy if I could beat him. I remember him saying in an interview that he was at the peak of his career, and if I could beat him at that peak, that would be a great accomplishment.”
Prior to this fight, he received advice from Superlek Kiatmoo9, who is considered one of the greatest kickboxers in Thai history.
Super Rec recently defeated Takeru Takeru at ONE 165, cementing his status as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport.
Superlec started out in Muay Thai and switched to kickboxing relatively late in his career. Prajanchai agrees and says he has learned some tips from the flyweight champion.
“I'm happy that Superlec has found success in kickboxing. We know each other and talked before this fight, so I'm going to use his advice.”
Prajanchai will be aiming for the seventh major title of his career, along with the regional belt he won in traditional boxing. Clearly, the novelty hasn't worn off.
This match is “important'' for him, as he is determined to become the absolute kickboxing champion for the first time.
“Being a two-sport world champion is very important to me. It would make me proud.”
It's been 13 years since he achieved his goal of becoming the first member of his family to win the belt, but it's clear there are still challenges that excite the decorated Thai champion.
