‘I Kept Believing’ – Masaaki Noiri Thrilled To Prove Himself With Shocking World Title Upset Of Tawanchai
On March 23 at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang, Japanese striker Masaaki Noiri delivered one of the biggest upsets the sport of kickboxing has seen in years.
In front of an adoring home crowd at Japan’s Saitama Super Arena, the 31-year-old scored an epic third-round knockout over Thai superstar Tawanchai PK Saenchai to claim the ONE Interim Featherweight Kickboxing World Title.
Winning a ONE World Title is a career-defining moment for any fighter, but for Noiri, his victory also marked a triumph over a man widely regarded as one of the planet’s top pound-for-pound strikers.
Indeed, Tawanchai is the reigning ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion and was riding an incredible nine-fight winning streak that dated back to 2021.
Noiri, meanwhile, is a decorated former two-division K-1 Champion but had struggled against top-flight competition in ONE. His stunning knockout of Tawanchai, he told the media, is a testament to his unending self-belief and hard work:
“For this fight, I knew the whole world was looking at me and saying that I was going to lose and Tawanchai would win, but I kept believing in myself. And my team and I were sure that we could get the belt. So we tried hard for this, and we proved we could do it.”
Most fans agreed that Noiri lost the first two rounds of the fight, as he consistently found himself on the receiving end of Tawanchai’s thunderous southpaw kicks and clean punches.
In the second frame, though, the Japanese fighter seemed to gain some steam and even pumped his fist after the bell rang.
While he sensed that momentum was shifting his way, Noiri admitted that he didn’t expect the knockout to come so soon:
“I didn’t feel like I was actually going to finish him in the third round, but as I said in the faceoffs, I was going to finish him within the course of five rounds. And in that third round, I saw my chance, and I took my shot.”
In that third round, a savage left hook from Noiri caused Tawanchai to stumble before a flurry of ferocious punches dropped him to the canvas – sending the crowd into a frenzy.
The Thai would answer the count, but Noiri poured on the aggression with more relentless punching combinations, ultimately forcing the referee to halt the contest.
With the win, Noiri is now the interim featherweight kickboxing king and will face reigning divisional titleholder Superbon in a massive World Title unification bout. While he carries no ill will toward Superbon, the Japanese striker envisions another definitive victory:
“For Superbon, I cannot say anything at this moment, but if I have the opportunity, I will go for the KO, and in any future fight, I’m gonna go for another knockout.”
Chatri Sityodtong Praises Noiri After Stunning Knockout
Even though Masaaki Noiri was confident that he could get the job done against Tawanchai PK Saenchai at ONE 172, few outside of his family and team felt the same way.
After all, he had won just one bout in ONE after dropping hard-fought decisions in his first two appearances. Predictably, fans and pundits alike expected the dominant Thai athlete to emerge victorious in Japan.
Even ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong was stunned by Noiri’s win. At the post-event press conference, Sityodtong gave the newly crowned ONE Interim Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion his due praise:
“You know, Noiri was a 10-to-1 underdog. I was not believing that he could do it. So, you know, incredible, incredible performance. Tawanchai is definitely the best 70-kilo (155-pound) fighter in the world right now. And you know, no one gave Noiri a chance.”
