ONE: Fire And Fury – Joshua Pacio Wants To Inspire The Next Generation
ONE strawweight world champion Joshua Pacio will be defending his title this coming Friday in the main event of ONE: Fire and Fury, against Brazil’s Alex Silva. And the Team Lakay youngster is more motivated than ever to keep the golden strap around his waist.
“I’ve defended my belt, I’m really a champion now, but, you know, the work doesn’t end there. There are still a lot of top-caliber challengers and every athlete levels up, so I think I need to level up, and I think I still need to raise my game to stay a champion,” Pacio told ONE Championship.
“This is definitely not the end. I want to continue defending [the belt] as long as I can, and of course, in every fight, there will be a different Joshua Pacio.”
Having been able to earn the championship at such a young age, Pacio believes that this comes with a great responsibility. And Joshua also understands the gigantic task of staying in tip top shape to assure that he will always have the title on his side.
“To become a champion is like to inspire the next generation because a lot of people look up to you. A lot of people are watching you, so, I think I need to set an example, right? And, to work hard because you don’t just stumble upon this. At the age of 23, yes, I am a champion, but it’s 10 to 12 years in the making.
“They keep saying, ‘You are so young, and yet you’re already a champion,’ but they don’t see the years of hard work. You need to invest years to train and become a champion. When you become a champion, it definitely does not end there. The hard work that you put in, you now need to double it to remain a champion.”
‘The Passion’ also gave credit to his Team Lakay teammates, who he said if it wasn’t for them, he wouldn’t have achieved his current status.
“For me personally, we are all champions, this belt belongs to us. If they weren’t there with me, I wouldn’t have been a champion. You see, they are the ones helping me in training. In sparring, they all beat me up so that I can stay a champion. Yeah, this is our belt,” Pacio pronounced.
Days out from his return to the ONE Circle, Pacio remains unfazed by the challenge in hand.
“As far as I’m concerned, as far as my team is concerned, as long as I see that I am leveling up in every fight, I think, it will all fall into place. If I level up in training, and in every fight, I think I can defend my belt and stay as a champion.”
Joshua Pacio defends his ONE strawweight title against Alex Silva in the ONE: Fire And Fury main event, which goes down this Friday evening at the Mall Of Asia Arena, in Manila, Philippines.
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