ONE interim women's atomweight kickboxing world champion Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom is expecting a tough fight from American star Janet Todd this weekend.
"The Queen" will challenge Todd for the latter's undisputed women's atomweight kickboxing crown in the ONE Fight Night 20 headliner at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium on Saturday.
The Thai striker set up the blockbuster clash with a stunning unanimous decision win over French-Algerian kickboxing legend Anissa Meksen late last year, which followed a run of four crushing knockouts.
The 22-year-old Thai phenom thinks that a win over Todd is the last hurdle to becoming the best of the best.
"I knew that if I beat Anissa, my next fight had to be Janet. It's happened so quickly, but when the opportunity arose, I had to quickly seize it," she said.
"I will be able to call myself the best pound-for-pound women's striker in the world after winning this fight."
Todd, who announced that this will be her retirement fight, is hoping to cap off her storied career with the women's atomweight kickboxing belt that she has held since 2020 and still around her waist.
"JT" has a technical style that has proven to be a headache for numerous opponents over the years, but Phetjeeja feels that she has the antidote.
"I can see she has a good jab and low kick. She can knock down anyone with her low kicks. And I can't underestimate her high kick. She's tall. She has a good Muay Thai stance," she said.
"I still can't find her weakness yet. But I think her guard is too wide. I'm a former boxer so I know that narrow guards will throw weapons faster. I think I'm better than her at boxing. I am improving my punches to be more powerful and accurate."
The ONE Fight Night 20 main event could be a passing of the guard if Phetjeeja can overcome the outgoing 38-year-old women's atomweight kickboxing queen.
Despite her staggering career mark of 206-6, Phetjeeja is not expecting Todd to give up her mantle at the top of the sport so easily.
"Janet Todd must be really tough. I think this fight will go the distance. But it depends on what will happen in the ring. She is difficult to approach. She always throws her jab to prevent her opponent from getting too close," she said.
"I need to have enough stamina to fight with her for five rounds. But maybe I will see an opportunity for a good shot during the fight. It's hard to knock her out, but not impossible. And vice versa, she can knock me out too. It's 50-50."