Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang can't help but marvel at ONE Strawweight Muay Thai world champion Smilla “The Hurricane” Sundell ahead of her second title defense in less than two weeks.
Sundell takes on Natalia “Karelian Lynx” Diachkova in the main event of ONE Fight Night 22 on 4 May at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, in a match where the 19-year-old prodigy could build her growing reputation.
But instead of people focusing on Sundell’s age, Adiwang believes they should consider the Swede’s experience.
Sundell a 'rhythm fighter'
“She might be young, but her level of experience with all her competition and training in the gym is different,” Adiwang said. “The level of the people she’s training with daily and the people she’s faced makes her different.”
The Filipino dubbed Sundell as a “rhythm fighter,” someone who gets better as the fight goes on and who could finish her opponents in a variety of ways.
But Sundell’s height also allows her to dictate the tempo of the match. After all, she’s good at fighting on the outside and counter-punching but can turn up the pressure if needed.
“She’s got the advantage when it comes to timing and her rhythm in Muay Thai,” Adiwang said.
“Another one of those advantages is her reach. She’s very tall, she uses her height to her advantage, and she knows how to use it for her Muay Thai. She can pressure as well if she needs to, but she can also hang back and look for counters, and that’s her advantage.”
That’s why Adiwang is pulling for Sundell to retain her title in this match, as her experience and composure will be key in this contest, according to him.
Give Sundell the edge
“I think this match is going to end up being a very technical match. Still, the edge goes to the champ, Sundell, in this match,” he said.
“One thing she should look at against Diachkova is her power and boxing. But if she keeps her composure against Diachkova’s pressure and counter effectively, I’ll definitely be taking Sundell.”
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