Team Lakay’s Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly wants to make a statement in his final appearance in the Circle this year.
Kelly battles hometown boy Tang Kai on the undercard of ONE: AGE OF DRAGONS at the Cadillac Arena in Beijing, China on 16 November.
This will be the Baguio City native’s fourth match this year after going 1-2 in his last three bouts. With less than three weeks until their clash, Kelly is moving mountains in preparation for his Chinese foe.
“I’m really excited and thankful for this match, especially since I am coming off a loss. This is a good opportunity for me to bounce back and finish my year with a win,” Kelly said.
“It’s my fourth match this year and I’ve certainly picked up a lot in those matches. I hope I get to show those improvements.”
Looking back at his losses this year, Kelly sees two major things he needs to work on if he wants to end the year right.
First, “The Ferocious" needs to address his conditioning after seemingly fading in his previous losses. Second, he needs to keep calm in the ring, especially when the match hits the ground.
“I am really focused on my training. There are some new things that I am adding to my routine, and it was based on where I struggled this year,” Kelly said.
“I have to learn how to remain calm in certain situations and at the same time, I need to improve my cardio. Without the necessary cardio, I don’t think I’ll be able to execute the things I want to do.”
Of all the opponents Kelly faced this year, Tang might be the toughest.
Tang is a WBK Tournament Champion who put together eight-straight knockout wins before joining The Home of Martial Arts. He proved he is as dangerous as his record suggests when he scored a first-round stoppage over Sung Jong Lee at ONE: HEROES ASCENT in Manila last January.
“He’s a really good athlete. I noticed that we have the same style, which favors striking – that’s why I believe this will be a good match.”
A tough test awaits him next month, and Kelly believes anything could happen.
“I don’t think this match is going to the final bell. We both have power so whoever connects clean first will likely get that KO win,” Kelly said.
“I’ll give everything in this match. I’ve been inconsistent this year so that’s why I want to end the year right.”
“I have a lot of plans next year. I want to enter title contention, so that’s why I’ll do everything to win in China.”
ONE Championship returns to Manila for one last time this year with ONE: MASTERS OF FATE on 8 November at the Mall Of Asia Arena.
Get your tickets at smtickets.com and use the code “onewarrior” for a 20% discount.