Some people expect Denice Zamboanga to harbor some ill will toward Ham Seo Hee entering their big rematch in the second part of ONE X this Saturday, March 26. But the No. 2-ranked atomweight quickly shot that notion down.
While understandably fired up after her controversial loss in the first round of the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix last year, the Filipina knows that Ham didn’t have anything to do with the decision.
“Do I hate her? No, I don’t. It’s all about business. I still respect her. I know that the decision in our previous fight wasn’t her fault. She doesn’t get to control the judges or the committee, so there’s no animosity on my end towards her,” Zamboanga said.
“Actually, when I found out that she had to pull out from the Grand Prix because of an injury, I reached out to her and told her that I wish her the best and a speedy recovery, and I wish to see her soon.”
The split-decision loss to Ham was not the only controversy involving “Lycan Queen,” whose blunt statements sometimes rub people the wrong way.
The pride of Quezon City also made headlines in 2020 when she asked ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion Angela Lee to vacate her belt as the Singaporean-American entered a maternity break.
Those comments resulted in a tense back-and-forth with Lee, but Zamboanga insists it’s all “part of the game.”
“It’s pretty much the same with whoever I face, I don’t hate them. Even the people that I talk trash to or someone I exchanged words with. It’s nothing personal,” the Filipina said.
So, while she knows Ham wasn’t responsible for how their first encounter ended, the Marrok Force star vows to go all out against the South Korean and leave nothing to the judges this time.
“I am motivated by the controversial finish to win this fight and finish her in this rematch,” Zamboanga added. “I’m going to choke her out and put her to sleep."
See the full card for the historic ONE X here and watch it live on the following channels: bit.ly/WatchONE | ONE YouTube
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