Joseph Lasiri Has Sights on Kickboxing Gold After Striking Masterclass at ONE 157

Joseph “The Hurricane” Lasiri defied all odds at ONE 157 last Friday, 20 May, to claim the ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Title.

Now, the Italian-Moroccan striker wants to add another prestigious championship strap to his resume – the ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Title.

The divisional gold was left vacant when former titleholder Sam-A Gaiyanghadao officially announced his retirement a couple of months ago.

“I want to go to the kickboxing one. I want to come back with the gloves. The title in the strawweight kickboxing [division] is vacant, I hope [ONE Championship] will put me there,” he said.

After getting his tenure in ONE off to a four-match skid, Lasiri dropped down a division and turned over a new leaf. 

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He has been pretty much unstoppable since. His third-round TKO win over Prajanchai PK.Saenchai in the co-main event of ONE 157 marked his third consecutive win inside the Circle.

That evening, everything within his arsenal was no match for the Thai dynamo. Every time, Prajanchai stepped forward to find an opening, Lasiri had leather and kicks waiting to connect.

Joseph Lasiri couldn’t have had a better performance at ONE 157

At the end of the third canto, the Bangkok resident quit. As a result, Lasiri took home the gold and the US$50,000 performance bonus.

“Today, I only showed the people who didn’t know, but for me, I show myself every time, that I’m this man. The first time I came to ONE Championship, I lost. And then again, I came back, and I lost again. For me, I knew before that I could become a [World] Champion,” the 30-year-old shared.

“I am lucky to find people that help me every day – my teammates and my coach who are training me and supporting me, my mom, my dad, my family, my girlfriend, and everyone who supported me because it’s not easy before you come to fight week.”

Lasiri knew he had to be at his sparkling best to defeat one of the most tactical strikers today. And he isn’t too worried if ONE draws him against the former divisional king again.

As always, he knows he will be more than ready to defy the odds on the global stage.

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“I don’t care about my opponent. I told you when I’m training, when I’m fighting, I’m too focused on myself. So if you give me a rematch against Prajanchai or if you give me someone else, okay,” he warned.