One Championship atomweight champion Angela Lee has been pulled from Friday’s champion vs. champion fight against Xiong Jing Nan at One: Heart of the Lion in Singapore.
One chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong announced Sunday that Lee suffered a back injury last week in the final days of training camp.
The Mililani alumna arrived in Singapore and was planning to fight through the injury, but the One medical staff deemed her unfit to compete and Sityodtong made the decision to pull her from the fight.
“We all know that Angela is a warrior with an unbreakable spirit,” Sityodtong wrote in a Facebook post. “However, she suffered a serious back injury in training last week and badly herniated a spinal disc; she was unable to walk just a few days ago.”
Sityodtong went on to say doctors believe the injury stems from a car accident Lee was involved in late last year in Hawaii.
Lee (9-0) has successfully defended her 115-pound title three times and was moving up to 125 pounds in an attempt to become the first female to hold two world titles at the same time in a major organization.
Jing Nan (13-1), the 125-pound champion, is 4-0 in One with three knockout victories. She has been scrapped from the card entirely.
In a teleconference with reporters last month, Sityodtong questioned Lee’s decision to move up in weight to fight Jing Nan.
“(Lee) is not one to shy away from challenges, but let it be very clear. She is against a more experienced opponent, a heavier opponent, a stronger opponent. I think Angela is risking it all on this fight,” Sityodtong said. “I put Angela as a heavy underdog in this fight because she is moving up in weight against a very dangerous striker with KO power. I actually don’t know why Angela is doing this.”
Lee, who became Hawaii’s first female world champion in a major organization at 19 years old, said she was as healthy as she’s been for a fight two weeks out.
“Usually I have to start my diet and weight descent maybe 10 weeks outside the fight,” Lee said. “This fight is so different because I’m feeling so strong, so healthy. I’m literally just a couple of pounds away from my fight weight and instead of wasting hours and miles on the treadmill, I’m using that time to sharpen my technique, drill more and get more rounds in.”
Lee’s brother, Christian, has been inserted into a co-main-event spot on Friday’s card against Kazuki Tokudome in a catch-weight bout with both fighters taking it on short notice.
Christian Lee is 9-3 overall but has lost his past two fights, including a disqualification in September against Edward Kelly for an illegal suplex.
Friday’s card at the Singapore Indoor Stadium begins at midnight Hawaii time on Thursday night.
