It’s going to be a tough one, though.
With big names like Eduard Folayang, Joshua Pacio, and Kevin Belingon now out of the stable, Jhanlo Sangiao is being billed as the new face of Team Lakay.
He knows he should earn that title, though. And there’s immense pressure and challenges that come with that.
But he is more concerned about his upcoming battle against Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu, who an official in Sangiao’s camp categorically described as “scary.”
After all, anointing him as the face of the fabled stable is up to the fans.
“Para sa 'kin, ‘yung mga tao na lang magsasabi niyan. Basta ako magte-training ako, magfo-focus na mapanalo mga susunod na laro,” the soft-spoken fighter told One Sports.
A day before the match at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, the son of Team Lakay coach Mark Sangiao is confident he will emerge victorious—if ever, his fourth straight since his ONE debut in December 2021.
“Siyempre naman (handang handa na). Nakapag-training na ako. Prepared na para sa Sabado,” said the 21-year-old fighter, who has been priming himself up for the match for five weeks now.
One of the red-hot fighters in ONE's stacked bantamweight division, Sangiao is treating this match the way he did his first three: with a sense of urgency.
But he admitted there’s extra motivation in knowing his Mongolian foe tormented fellow Filipinos Adonis Sevilleno and Rockie Bactol last April and May, respectively.
“Siguro oo, extra motivation na rin. Parang pambawi, babawi tayo sa Sabado,” he said.
If he delivers, Sangiao can make a case to be in the top five of his weight class and get a potential title fight soon. It will also be another step towards becoming the undisputed face of Team Lakay.
(MDB)