IN an unfamiliar position as “challenger” in her upcoming fight, ONE Championship women’s atomweight world champion Angela “The Unstoppable” Lee of Singapore said she is relishing the opportunity given to her and is looking forward to the challenge she is about to face.
To take on and challenge ONE women’s strawweight champion “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan of China for her title at “ONE: Heart of the Lion” on Nov. 9 in Singapore, Ms. Lee (9-0) is out to solidify her legacy as one of the best female fighters ever even as she said it is going to be easier said than done against a tough fighter like Ms. Xiong (13-1).
“I’m not the type of person who is comfortable where I am at. This is about my legacy. I want to be known as one of the baddest female fighters of my time and I see this as a great opportunity to shock the world and become the first female two-division world champion in ONE,” said Ms. Lee in a global media conference call for Heart of the Lion on Oct. 18, speaking of her decision to take on Ms. Xiong in a title fight.
While she is the challenger in the title fight, Ms. Lee, who last fought in May against Japanese Mei Yamaguchi and won by unanimous decision, said the “champion mentality” is still there and that she is going for the belt.
“For me I’m entering this fight as the challenger but I’m still the atomweight champion in the organization. But having said that, it doesn’t mean I don’t have that hunger to go out there and take on this challenge and get another belt. I still have that champion mentality,” said Ms. Lee, 22, eight years younger than Ms. Xiong.
“I’m excited for this. I think that this is a great opportunity. There is nothing that will get in my way,” she added.
The Xiong-Lee title fight headlines “Heart of the Lion” which will happen at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Serving as co-main event is the unification bout between reigning ONE world bantamweight champion Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes and interim world bantamweight champion Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon of the Philippines. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
