- George Chung
- Apr 23, 2024
- 3 min read
After winning the Road to ONE, Sean Climaco is ready to make his presence felt on the global stage in his ONE Championship debut at ONE Fight Night 22.
The American striker will take on Josue “Tuzo” Cruz in a flyweight Muay Thai battle to open the card on May 3.
“Fans should expect technical violence. I’ve got knockout power in both my hands and hard kicks,” Climaco told ONE.
“I have an aggressive and exciting fighting style. I’m ready to put it on show for the fans inside Lumpinee Boxing Stadium and those watching all over the world.”
The road to the top of the division may seem daunting as a flyweight. Rodtang Jitmuangnon, Superlek Kiatmoo9, and a host of other talented strikers fill the ranks.
Climaco, however, is taking everything one bout at a time and focusing on the task at hand.
“It’s an honor to compete and be in the same weight class as these guys, but I’m not going to let all the media and the lights affect me once it’s time to fight. I’m just going to treat it like it’s another day in the office, go in there and fight the way I fight, and not let all the outside stuff distract me,” the American said.
“Of course, I’m training harder than ever, but that’s how you’re going to have to do it whenever you get called to fight in one of the biggest organizations in the world. I think I’m fully prepared for that.”
For the matchup with Cruz, Climaco is just trying to enter in peak form. Although he has taken a look at some video of his opponent, he is ready to adapt to whatever happens on May 3.
“I saw a little bit of film of his fights. I think he’s going to come out and take his time. He’s a Mexican fighter, so he’s probably more boxing-heavy. But I’m not taking too much of what I’ve seen into this fight because we’re fighting in ONE Championship now,” Climaco mentioned.
“It’s a different atmosphere. He might come out differently than he does in his fights that you see online. Sometimes guys are going to fight like they see red and start swinging like crazy trying to get the $50,000 bonus.”
“I’m just gonna fight my fight.”
Climaco understands the pressure of competing on the global stage, but he is trying to take everything in stride to kickstart ONE Fight Night 22 with a massive knockout.
However, if it needs to be a three-round war, the Californian is also prepared for that. Regardless, Climaco hopes to show his victory in the Road to ONE tournament is just the beginning of his ascent toward flyweight contendership.
“The ideal way to win would be a knockout, but I’m not going to force it. I always fight to hurt my opponent, not score points,” Climaco said.
“But I also have to fight smart. You can’t be reckless with the little gloves. I have been sparring with the little [4-ounce] gloves to prepare, and it’s a different ball game.”
“I see myself finishing him in the second round. The first round will be more like getting those ONE debut jitters out, feeling, seeing what he’s got, but after that, I’m going to finish it in the second.”
ONE Fight Night 22 airs live on Prime Video on Friday, May 3, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The event is free for all Amazon Prime members based in the U.S. and Canada.
