SUMMARY
- Thongpoon PK Saenchai takes on Zakaria El Jamari at ONE Fight Night 22.
- Ahead of the bout, Thongpoon predicts a knockout finish to the contest on May 3.
Thailand fan favorite Thongpoon PK Saenchai is aiming for his second consecutive first-round knockout in U.S. primetime. The 26-year-old fighter faces Moroccan athlete Zakaria El Jamari in strawweight Muay Thai action at the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 3 at ONE Fight Night 22: Sundell vs. Diachkova on Prime Video.
He will enter the contest following his ruthless TKO win over Timur Chuikov in February. But Thongpoon will also be facing a new stylistic challenge, as El Jamari carries some of the division’s best hands with experience in boxing. While Thongpoon agrees that his foe has lightning in his punches, he maintains the same confidence that has turned him into a global superstar.
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“Zakaria is indeed a fast fighter. But from my point of view, I still think that I can throw weapons faster than him. His advantage is his larger body, so I will rely on my agility and smarts to fight with him. I’m certain that I can win by first-round KO,” he said.
But that is not Thongpoon’s only plan. He says that fans may also see something different from him this time around.
“Like always, I prepared many tools for this fight, but I will focus on my punches in the first round because I hope to win the bonus. But if he can survive and the fight goes to the second round, everyone will definitely see other weapons from me,” Thongpoon said.
Indeed, Thongpoon earned his reputation as one of the most feared punchers, as evident from his highlight-reel stoppage of Chuikov and another pair of first-round knockouts in ONE Friday Fights.
Thongpoon PK Saenchai reveals his surprising mindset
Bringing massive confidence ahead of this showdown with Zakaria El Jamari, Thongpoon PK Saenchai doesn’t consider it arrogance. In an interesting perspective, Thongpoon assumes every opponent is the better fighter.
“For me, I will always see everyone as better than me because it will make me not careless. In the past, I used to think that I was better than others, and it made me arrogant and narcissistic. I became careless and made mistakes,” he said. “Now, I don’t think I’m better than anyone else. So, Zakaria is definitely better than me in this fight, and I must overcome this challenge.”
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As Thongpoon said, his new approach will ensure he puts his best foot forward each and every time he competes. And hopefully that leads to another astounding finish over El Jamari at ONE Fight Night 22.