By Jun Ray Navarres
Nothing beats ‘Paskong Pinoy’
Drex “T-Rex” Zamboanga, who pulled off a strong debut performance a couple of weeks ago in ONE: A NEW BREED against Thailand’s Detchadin Sornsirisuphathin, is looking forward to celebrating Christmas with his family in the Philippines.
The 31-year old Filipino veteran currently remains in Thailand together with his sister Denice “The Menace” Zamboanga who also fought in the same fight card and won via round one submission.
“We’re all doing great here. We’ve had one full week of rest now, and it’s almost time to get back to our daily training routine. Time to get back to work,” said Zamboanga, who was unable to return home after their match due to border restrictions brought about by the Coronavirus pandemic.
Being away from their loved ones bear a great toll on Drex since Filipinos are known for their strong family ties; nevertheless giving up their favorite food in order to pass the required weight and hydration system of ONE Championship.
“It has been hard being away from home… I miss my mom’s cooking, especially paksiw na bangus and nilagang baka. I miss riding my motorcycle,” said Zamboanga.
Knowing that the flyweight division is not a walk in the park, Drex made use of the extra time in Thailand to train in order to stay at the top of his game for his next ONE outing ─ even against a fellow Filipino.
“I don’t see any issues facing my countrymen, it’s natural in combat sports… It’s a sport, so we go into the Circle to showcase our martial arts skills, simple as that. We can still be friends after,” said Zamboanga.
“T-Rex” reveals they are currently working on their extended visitor permit in Thailand so they can continue training but promises on returning to the Philippines once border restriction begin to relax.
“Right now, we’re working on our long term visas so that in the future, we won’t have any issues going in and out of Thailand. The plan is to go back to the Philippines before December to celebrate Christmas with our family and to continue training with our boxing coach there. We can’t wait to spend time with our family, maybe go on a little vacation,” said Zamboanga.
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