May matutumba, o may magtatanggol ng titulo?

Bilang paghahanda sa matinding salpukan, pagtutuunan ng pansin ng kampo ni reigning ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio ang malupit na kaliwang suntok ni Rene “The Challenger” Catalan sa kanilang paghaharap para sa titulo sa Masters of Fate sa Nob. 8 sa Mall of Asia Arena sa Pasay City.

Hindi lingid sa kampo ni Pacio ang lakas ng kamao ng 40-anyos na dating wushu artists matapos nitong patumbahin si dating ONE Strawweight World Champion Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito sa ONE: REIGN OF VALOR noong Marso. “You can’t underestimate Rene because his hands have already been proven, particularly his left hand,” pahayag ni Team Lakay head coach Mark Sangiao sa ABS-CBN sports.

Aminado si Pacio na paghuhugutan nito ang mga kaalaman sa striking lalo pa’t mayroon itong 6-game winning streak at gutom na gutom sa titulo.

“His greatest strength would be his wushu striking and I would not consider his ground game to be his weakness as we have seen in his past bouts. In his tenure as a martial artist, he was able to develop his other skills and that is why I have a huge level of respect for him,” wika ni Pacio.

Hinggil naman sa kahinaan ni Catalan, may ilang bagay silang nakitang kahinaan nito lalo na sa kanyang edad kung kaya pa nitong tumagal ng 5 rounds sa laban. “We’re looking for weaknesses in Rene. We’ve seen some, and I think we should also consider his age. That’s where we’ll work on him,” saad ni Sangiao.

Para naman kay Pacio, determinado itong maipagtanggol ang kanyang titulo at wala siyang plano na isuko ito. “I will do everything I can to defend my title and show the world the fighting spirit of Team Lakay,” sambit ni Pacio.

“It is something I am determined to accomplish and I know that he plans to do the same. He has been working hard for this opportunity and I am not willing to let go of this title,” dagdag nito.