Christian Lee returns to the cage on Friday to face Wan Jian Ping. It’s not the opponent he had prepared for, but the teenager is confident and focused as he prepares to compete at ONE: Kings of Destiny in the MOA Arena in Manila.
“Unfortunately, Keanu Subba is out of the fight. I know that Subba is a game (not scared) opponent, so for him to pull out of the fight so close to the event, he must have a good reason. I wish him all the best, but I’ve got a new opponent set and that’s all I will be focused on from here on out.”
Wan Jian Ping is a name fight fans might not be familiar with and Lee admits that his opponent is something of an unknown quantity.
“I don’t know anything about my opponent. But that doesn’t matter to me. I train to beat the best fighters in the world, so at the end of the day if one guy steps out and another one steps in, it doesn’t make a difference. You can put whoever you want in there with me and I plan on taking him out.”
Lee’s older sister also has a big fight coming up. Angela Lee is scheduled to make the second defense of her atomweight title in Singapore next month. Christian said the two of them have been training together in Hawaii.
“I am very excited for Angela’s upcoming title defense. We have been training together, helping each other stay sharp and stay hungry. She will be in my corner for my Manila fight.”
They have fought on the same card as each other in the past and Lee says there are advantages and disadvantages to having the same schedule as his sister.
“The good thing about fighting on the same card as Angela is that we both get to experience the whole journey of the fight camp together, but the downside is that there is double the pressure.”
Angela’s next fight is against undefeated Brazilian Istela Nunes. Her younger brother only sees it going one way.
“I think Nunes is a better striker than Huang (her last opponent), but she is still nowhere close to Angela’s level.”
He also has plenty of confidence when it comes to his own career. Lee suffered defeat for the first time in his last bout and is determined to get back to winning ways in Manila on Friday.
“Losing is not an option. I will be victorious.”
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