A Russian middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Anatoly Malykhin commented on the upcoming fights of his compatriots at the ONE Fight Night 22 tournament, which will be held on May 4 in Bangkok.
In the main fight, Natalya Dyachkova will challenge current ONE Muay Thai strawweight champion (56.7 kg) Smilla Sundell. Both rivals are in the ONE League with the same record – four wins and no losses.
Former gold contender Dmitry Menshikov will also feature on the main card. The 26-year-old Russian will face Thai Muay Thai star Sinsamut. The fight will take place in the ONE lightweight division (up to 77.1 kg.)
— What do you think about the upcoming fights between Natalia Dyachkova and Dmitry Menshikov in ONE Championship?
— Dyachkova is a very dangerous athlete! She hits well, is very strong physically and mentally charged. My wife watches her closely and predicts a championship for her. The next fight is a good test for Natalya. Smilla Sundell is a powerful opponent against her. We will support and worry about Natalya,” Malykhin said, as quoted by ONE. — Dmitri Menshikov is from Kuzbass, where I come from, and that already says a lot. Kuzbass has very strong guys, in addition, Thai boxing is developed there at a very high level, there are excellent coaches and good support for the guys. They have been proving their superiority in battles with the world elite of Muay Thai for many years. This guy packs a really strong punch, he hasn’t lost in a long time. To go ten years without a defeat is a huge period. Dmitry is a great athlete. I think there are still one or two fights left, and he will try his luck again to fight for the belt. I am sure he drew the necessary consequences from the defeat. Soon, a second world champion will appear in Kuzbass!
— Do you think Natalya has what it takes to defeat Smilla and become the champion?
– Certainly. The main thing is to be able to use it correctly. In addition to preparing for combat, you must be well prepared. All fighters have excellent qualities: they have strength, endurance and fighting spirit. But not every fighter can use these qualities on fight day – many become exhausted and begin to get sick. If Dyachkova overcomes all these adversities and comes out in her best shape, then, of course, she can win the belt. But she has a strong, hungry young opponent, so I’d bet 50/50 on this fight.
—And Dmitri Menshikov? Will he be able to solve the problem in the form of Sinsamut?
— Sinsamut is a strong and persistent fighter with a good school. Dmitry has a wide base of amateur fights and a good Kuzbass Thai boxing school – the best in the world, in my opinion. I would put 70-30% in favor of Dima. I think Menshikov has even better hands than Sinsamut. Dmitry needs to work more on his hands, I see the key to victory in this – working on the body, working with transitions from body to head.
The tournament will start on May 4 at 03:00, the live broadcast will be broadcast by and Match! Fighter”, as well as the sites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.
Source : MatchTV
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
