Fairtex injury crowns Zamboanga ‘atom’ champion

Denice Zamboanga.–ONE CHAMPIONSHIP PHOTO

Denice Zamboanga was named as ONE Championship’s undisputed atomweight champion on Friday.

The development came on the heels of Stamp Fairtex relinquishing the title after suffering an injury ahead of their unification bout scheduled at Ball Arena in Denver on Aug. 1.

“We are saddened to hear of the injury setback to Stamp and wish her nothing but the best in her road to recovery,” head honcho Chatri Sityodtong said in a statement released by the promotion the same day.

ONE said that it has tried looking for alternate headliners, but couldn’t find any suitable replacements, thus the card collapsed.

As a result, the card that Zamboanga and Faritex were set to headline has been rescheduled to June 26.

Zamboanga, a perennial contender in the weight class, won the interim crown at the expense of Ukrainian Alyona Rassohyna via a second-round knockout back in January.

This is the second time that the Filipino bet was denied a chance to prove her worth against her Thai pal and the division’s finest fighter.

Fairtex withdrew from a title showdown after hurting her knee back in May last year, sending Zamboanga into a nontitle bout against Noelle Grandjean.

ONE said that fans who purchased tickets to the Denver showpiece will be contacted for refunds or tickets to the June event.