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Tawanchai (left) and Superbon will close out the year at Lumpinee Stadium. Photo: ONE Championship
Martial ArtsMuay Thai

Exclusive | ONE Championship reschedules Tawanchai vs Superbon for December 22 on ‘biggest Friday Fights card of the year’: source

  • Muay Thai title bout to bolster stacked card at Lumpinee Stadium, which also features Anissa Meksen vs Phetjeeja for interim belt
  • Featherweight champion Tawanchai had been set to defend his belt on December 9, but spent a week in hospital with a ‘serious virus’
ONE Championship
Nicolas Atkin
Nicolas Atkin
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ONE Championship has rescheduled Tawanchai PK Saenchai’s Muay Thai title fight against Superbon Singha Mawynn for December 22, a source has told the Post.

The highly anticipated bout will bolster a stacked year-end ONE Friday Fights 46 card at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok.

It was all set to headline ONE Fight Night 17 on Prime Video on December 9 at the same venue, but Tawanchai withdrew from the bout after spending a week in hospital with a “serious virus”.
Tawanchai was released from hospital on Saturday, the same source said, and talks got under way the next day to find a third date for the title fight.
Tawanchai PK Saenchai is out of hospital after spending a week there with a ‘serious virus’. Photo: Handout

Friday Fights 46 already features an interim atomweight kickboxing title fight between veteran Anissa Meksen and rising Thai star Phetjeeja “The Queen” Ormeekhun.

The card will be the fourth quarterly tentpole edition of ONE’s Friday night broadcast at Lumpinee, which has consistently garnered big ratings on Channel 7 in Thailand.

September’s tentpole card, headline by Superlek Kiatmookao’s victory over Rodtang Jitmuangnon, produced “the highest Muay Thai viewership in history”, according to ONE chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

Chatri bans coach, fighter from ONE Championship after Haggerty altercation

To cap the promotion’s first year at the famed venue, ONE plans on ending 2023 with “the biggest card of the year for ONE Friday Fights”, a source said, with several more high-profile matchups expected to be announced.

Tawanchai and Superbon could end up closing the show, with martial arts promotion ONE surely hoping it is third time lucky after already rebooking the fight once before.

The pair were first set to main event last weekend’s Fight Night 16 card but former ONE featherweight kickboxing champ Superbon withdrew in late September after suffering a 3.54cm tear in his calf muscle.

The 34-year-old Thai was at Lumpinee Stadium on Saturday morning to promote the fight against Tawanchai, with a face off in the ring planned, and he was unaware of his compatriot’s health issue.

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