Gina Iniong’s most anxious moments against Jihin Radzuan came after the fight.
Iniong could only breathe a huge sigh of relief when she was awarded a narrow win over Radzuan, who was undefeated coming into Saturday’s bout, in ONE: Clash of Legends in Bangkok, Thailand.
“To be honest, I got nervous when they announced it as a split decision,” said the Filipina, who improved to 8-4.
“I thought I should have won it by unanimous decision. I almost lost my breath because of that, but it’s okay.”
It’s understandable for Iniong to feel as if she’s sitting on pins and needles before the announcement was made after two of her Team Lakay teammates in Joshua Pacio and Geje Eustaquio both dropped close decisions in their title defenses last month.
But it wasn’t the same case during the fight where Iniong said she felt calm from the get-go.
“I think I did well, I was able to execute our game plan during the fight. I was relaxed throughout the fight even when she got back in the last round,” The 29-year-old Iniong said.
“Radzuan is a tremendous warrior, and I wasn’t expecting this to be an easy fight at all. Thankfully, our game plan worked.”
The victory did not only boosted Iniong’s bid for a world title shot, it also served as a shot in the arm for her ailing mother, who is suffering from chronic kidney disease.
“This win is for my family, especially to my mom, who’s still ill.”