Denice Zamboanga was controversially eliminated from the atomweight Grand Prix. But she is following the tournament closely and will be rooting for her friend Stamp Fairtex tomorrow night.
Zamboanga used to train alongside Stamp at the Fairtex Gym. She knows the Thai fighter better than most and says they are still friends,
“This final round is very exciting because Stamp is there, and obviously, she’s my friend. She’s one of the most amazing and most dangerous strikers in the division. Ritu is very good with her wrestling.”
Hard to call
Zamboanga admits it is ‘hard to call’ the contest but thinks that Stamp clearly has the edge over Ritu Phogat in the striking department,
“It’s hard to call this bout. If Stamp dominates Ritu in the striking department and keeps this fight from hitting the mats, I think she’s going to win hands down. She has great takedown defense and her ground game is very well developed.”
Zamboanga acknowledges that Phogat’s wrestling is superior but feels that Stamp is the more well rounded of the two fighters,
“I’m maybe a little biased here, but I think Stamp wins this fight because she’s a more complete fighter,” she said.
Future fight
Zamboanga left the Fairtex camp because she was potentially going to end up fighting Stamp in the Grand Prix. Things didn’t play out that way but it is a fight that will surely happen sooner or later.
At ONE: ‘Winter Warriors’ tomorrow night though Zamboanga will be rooting for her friend and former team mate.
