Superbon Unifies ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Title After Five-Round War With Masaaki Noiri At ONE 173
On enemy soil, Thai legend Superbon proved he remains the king.
The 35-year-old unified the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Championship in the main event of ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri on Sunday, November 16, dismantling interim titleholder Masaaki Noiri across five punishing rounds at Ariake Arena in Tokyo to claim a unanimous decision victory.
The Thai came to Japan with a point to prove. After falling short in his bid to become a two-sport World Champion against Tawanchai PK Saenchai in January, the reigning king faced questions about whether the interim titleholder had surpassed him since Noiri later knocked out Tawanchai at ONE 172. The answer arrived with clarity.
From the opening round, Superbon tested his infamous left high kick while Noiri looked to chop away with short calf kicks. The feeling-out process was brief. By round two, both fighters had been warned for clinching, but the Thai began turning up his left kicks with increased frequency. Noiri responded by firing punches with bad intentions, marching forward with aggression.
None of the Team Vasileus man’s attacks really rocked the Superbon Training Camp founder, however. If anything, it did bring out a more dangerous version of the Thai striking specialist in the third stanza.
Superbon timed his trademark step-in knees to perfection as Noiri entered the pocket with a chip on his shoulder. He mixed high attacks seamlessly, throwing both right and left high kicks that kept the Japanese challenger guessing.
The fourth round saw Superbon establish dominance down the center line. He punched through the middle with authority while landing sneaky head kicks off his back foot. Noiri kept advancing with punches, refusing to concede ground, but the accumulation was mounting.
Despite added pressure, Noiri walked the divisional king down when the fifth and final frame resumed.
He shrugged off massive punches coming from Superbon and marched into the fray with courage. But every forward step was met with step-in knees that disrupted his rhythm.
Superbon turned up the volume, and all the interim champ could do was absorb those thudding shots with his arms, which were battered and swollen from all the accumulated damage over 15 minutes.
When the final bell sounded, all three judges handed the triumph to the Thai, who improved to 117-37 and unified the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Championship. Superbon – the #1-ranked Featherweight Muay Thai contender – also made it clear that he wants to resume his mission at two-sport glory next.
