By Jun Ray Navarres
Former ONE Bantamweight champion Kevin Belingon wants to take only the learnings 2020 provided him rather than sulking in the scars the year has given him and Team Lakay.
“The Silencer” dropped to Brazilian star John “Hands of Stone” Lineker last November in a second round TKO. It was his third straight loss which also dropped him to the third seat in ONE’s Bantamweight Rankings.
But Team Lakay’s mantra of “we win or we learn” is engraved in Belingon as he started to look back and absorb all the teachings that his past fights taught him.
“We’ll take the time we need to review our past fights and our past performances, so we can learn the lessons we need to learn to move forward. There are still a lot of holes in my game, and I want to fix them all. I can’t wait to go back to the gym and train hard. I want to be ready for whatever challenge I will potentially face next year,” said Belingon.
Belingon hopes to reinstate his name as the undisputed ONE Bantamweight World Champion.
“My goal in 2021 is to erase the memory of 2020. My eyes are still on the bantamweight belt. That’s what I want, and that’s what I’m after. 2021 will be the year of The Silencer,” said Belingon.
Despite the hardships, Belingon believes that the year has been fruitful for him especially with the addition of a new family member. Belingon and wife Lee welcomed Kelsey Tuesday last August and both have been preoccupied ever since.
“2020 for me was still a good year, despite everything that happened. I still have a good career. Most importantly, my family welcomed our beautiful baby daughter to the world. She’s the best thing that happened to me,” said Belingon.
For the meantime, the 33-year old fighter plans to spend the holidays with his family before returning into the gym.
“I am very fortunate that my family and I have been safe from COVID-19. It’s been a blessing to stay in Baguio City where we can enjoy and experience nature. It’s one of the best places in the world to start a family. I want to spend good, quality time with them in the next few weeks,” said Belingon.
Follow the writer on Twitter: @burnsports
