By Jun Ray Navarres
ONE World Title contender Rene “The Challenger” Catalan will return to the Circle after locking horns with undefeated South African stinger Bokang “Little Giant” Masunyane at ONE: BIG BANG on Friday night.
No. 3 ranked strawweight fighter will make a resurgence alongside stablemate Jomary Torres after Danny Kingad drops out of the fight card because of a cornerman testing positive for COVID-19.
“The Challenger” is hungry for the gold and is eyeing a rematch with Filipino compatriot Joshua “The Passion” Pacio, who sits atop the division, by taking down rising star Masunyane.
“I feel excited to be back in competition. This is what I love to do. It’s where I belong,” expressed Catalan.
“My goal is to come up and take the top ranking in the division, so expect me to fight strong. I am hungry and I will fight like it so I can reach my goal of being number one again and challenging the champion once more.”
Catalan focuses his path on title contention but a huge wall stands in front of him.
Masunyane is a wrestling genius who started to wrestle when he was just seven. The “Little Giant” is a Commonwealth Games bronze medalist and known for his explosiveness inside the Circle.
However, Catalan knows exactly what he will be facing and prepares accordingly.
“Bokang Masunyane is a hungry young lion. As soon as we scouted him, we started working on how to defend his wrestling… I know Bokang is really hungry to win this fight, but I am hungry to bounce back as well so I can get another World Title shot,” said Catalan.
“I’ve worked a lot on my wrestling over the past few years, and I’m at a point now where I am comfortable. But my strength will always be in my striking. I am a wushu sanda striker, and I will strike with him.”
The 41-year old Catalan recognizes Masunyane’s skill but is positive that his experience will bring him the victory.
“This is not going to be an easy fight. But I think I have the edge in experience,” Catalan concluded.
“I have seen some things in the Circle that he hasn’t experienced before. I’m going to use that to my advantage.”
Follow the writer on Twitter: @burnsports
