“He must have accumulated a lot of damage” - Masato Kobayashi praises tough Masaaki Noiri in loss to Superbon

Japanese kickboxing legend Masato Kobayashi was disappointed his countryman, former ONE interim featherweight kickboxing world champion Masaaki Noiri failed to unite the gold against reigning king Superbon.

But he’s proud of how the Japanese striking star carried himself in his performance.

Noiri lost a tough unanimous decision to Superbon in the main event at ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri last month, and while it was certainly an exciting fight, it ended in heartbreak for the hometown bet.

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Kobayashi said on YouTube:

“Noiri’s low kicks to the calf must’ve also hurt Superbon’s leg. But, on the other hand, he was also able to guard against Superbon’s high kicks…well, it was more of a kick to the arm rather than a high kick.”

Kobayashi continued:

“Noiri is tough and resilient, so he was able to take Superbon’s shots. But I think he must have accumulated a lot of damage. When round three was over, when I saw Noiri’s face during the break before the fourth round, I thought, ‘wow, he looks exhausted.’”

ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri took place live at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan last November 16. ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri is available to North American fans via video-on-demand live.onefc.com.

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Superbon offers high praise for Masaaki Noiri in tough five-rounder

ONE featherweight kickboxing world champion Superbon finally understood what makes Masaaki Noiri such a tough matchup, after sharing five grueling rounds with him at ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri in Tokyo.

He told the media at the press conference:

“I'm not surprised. He looked very tough and he’s really tough in the ring. He had it big for me. He get a lot of damage from me and he's still standing there, never backed [down]. I enjoy, the fight and really fun to fight with him. And I love Japanese fan. All the fans support him, support me. Cheered for him, cheered for me. I love Japanese fans, thank you so much.”

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Edited by Saiyed Adeem Karim