ONE Championship: Chatri says stripping pregnant Angela Lee of atomweight title would be ‘unfathomable’
- ONE chairman confirms Lee won’t be asked to vacate her atomweight belt, despite calls from No 1 contender Denice Zamboanga
- ‘It is not right to take away someone’s greatest achievement earned through a lifetime of sacrifice and hard work,’ says Chatri
ONE Championship chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong has confirmed Angela Lee will not be stripped of her atomweight title or asked to vacate.
But No 1-ranked atomweight contender Denice Zamboanga called on “Unstoppable” to “do the right thing” and vacate her belt so as not to hold up the division, sparking a war of words on social media between them this week.
“For me, there are only a few reasons that an athlete should be stripped and/or be asked to vacate his/her world title: cheating, unwillingness to defend, criminal activity, or retirement,” Chatri wrote in a Facebook post.
“Any other reason would be unfathomable. It is not right to take away someone’s greatest achievement earned through a lifetime of sacrifice and hard work.
“I have no doubt Denice Zamboanga will face Angela Lee in the future. I am a big Denice fan. She is a young rising star with so much potential. I love her aggressive style and her big heart.
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“In fact, she would be one of my favourites to win the ONE Atomweight World Grand Prix Championship. If she wins it, Denice will have the rare opportunity to become the first female in history to hold both titles (if she ends up beating Angela, too).”
Chatri said he would soon announce the eight fighters “invited from around the world” to compete in the tournament.
“If anything, winning the ultra prestigious grand prix championship would establish Denice as one of the best pound-for-pound female athletes in the world and erase her current status as a young rising star,” he added.
“That being said, I would not count out the other seven athletes invited to compete in the tournament … And yes, Angela has already made plans to defend her title against the winner next year.”
