Away from family, Zamboanga nears goal as fighter

Denice Zamboanga in action

Most days, mixed martial artist Denice Zamboanga is hol­ding up fine, wor­king on her craft amid the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.But this is not one of those days.

“Training away from my family while there’s a pande­mic is perhaps the biggest challenge of my life,” she told the Inquirer on Sunday. “I can’t help but think about the people I care for while [I’m out here] pursuing my dream.”

Zamboanga is currently based in Pattaya, Thailand, truly far from home, but now closer to her ultimate goal as an athlete.

The 23-year-old fighter out of Quezon City is now the No. 1 contender to atomweight queen Angela Lee after the release of ONE Championship’s first-ever athletes’ rankings last week.

“I was overwhelmed,” she said of the announcement. “I feel like all the hard work is beginning to pay off. I feel like I’m closer to my dream of becoming a world champion.”

Zamboanga had come unscathed from her last seven pro fights. The last two outings she finished in convincing fashion: A unanimous decision over then-unbeaten Jihin Radzuan, and an impressive romp of Mei Yamaguchi, a two-time challenger to the throne.

“I know COVID-19 has caused massive changes to peoples’ lives, especially to us [athletes] who need to be active,” she said. “[But] I still work out to stay on track.”

There’s actually plenty of inspiration to go around. A quick scan of the Fairtex Gym could easily provide her one.

“Being teammates with Stamp has been such a ble­ssing,” she said of muay thai and kickboxing specialist Natthawan Panthong.

“She’s a world champion. She has been the best training partner [aside from being] a best friend and sister [to me],” added Zamboanga, who moved to the Thai city in 2019.

Panthong, if anything, is also a rightful challenger to Lee, being a former two-sport champion in ONE. But Zamboanga said she has gained the former’s bles­sing—and a couple of tips for her own bid.

“She said she is proud of me and she’s rooting for me,” Zamboanga said.

In a story published in the promotion’s site, Panthong said she wouldn’t mind letting Zamboanga getting a crack at Lee first.

This is why backing out is no longer an option for Zamboanga, even if the trek seems to be steeper each day this global health crisis drags on.

“I need to train no matter what. This is only the start of my career,” she said.

If anything, she sounds up to the task. INQ