Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez wants to add a ONE Championship World Title to his already-loaded trophy case.
In order to do that, he has to survive a young and hungry Iuri Lapicus at ONE on TNT I an event that airs live on U.S. prime-time television, and simultaneously airs on One Sports in the Philippines this Thursday morning, April 8.
Having seen what Lapicus brings to the table, Alvarez knows that it’s going to take a lot to overcome the fiery Moldovan, regardless of the experience the former brings to the table.
“Sometimes being inexperienced is a power in itself because you’re not riddled with thought and experiences of the past, so you can compete at a high level without thinking too much. But there’s also a downfall to it,” Alvarez said.
“I’m looking forward to testing that — exploiting his weaknesses. And, at the end of the day, executing at a high level and showing why I’m the best lightweight in this division and why I deserve the World Title. That’s what I do. I eliminate my opponent.”
And though he doesn’t want to overlook Lapicus, Alvarez is making his intentions known when it comes to his World Title aspirations.
With that said, expect him to keep a close eye on the match between reigning ONE Lightweight World Champion Christian “The Warrior” Lee and top-ranked contender Timofey Nastyukhin next week at “ONE on TNT II”.
If Alvarez topples Lapicus, he’s promising to win his third World Title in another major organization after winning straps in two of America’s top promotions.
“When I get shots at World Titles, I win them. That’s what I’ve done my whole career. That’s what I get up for. That excites me. It gets me up early and makes me go to bed late. I’ve done it for the past two decades, all over the world,” the four-time World Champion said.
“I think that everyone involved knows that if I fight Christian, I’m going to beat him. Maybe it’s better he keeps the belt and fights other opponents other than myself because if I get a shot at the World Title, I’m going to win.”
But there’s also another reason for Alvarez’ excitement.
With ONE holding four straight weekly events on U.S. prime-time on TNT, Alvarez knows that he’s part of something historic. And he vows to represent as best as he can.
“More than anything, I want to show the American audience how strong and powerful ONE Championship can be,” Alvarez said. “After seeing their shows in Asia and being a part of their shows in Asia, I knew it was just a matter of time before they came here where they explode, and they catch on pretty quickly. I’m glad to be a part of what I think is just the beginning of ONE Championship here in America.
“To me, right now, this fight means everything. You know, it is everything I envisioned.”
Catch “ONE on TNT I” on ONE Sports or ONE Sports+ live at 8:30 a.m. Philippine Standard Time (PHT) on Thursday, April 8.
Both ONE Sports and ONE Sports+ will have an encore showing at 8:30 p.m. PHT on Friday, April 9. Also, there will be an encore showing on TV5 at 11 p.m. PHT on Saturday, April 10.
It will also simultaneously air live on the ONE Super App.
Read More From ONE Championship:
Alvarez, Lapicus Sound Off Before ‘ONE On TNT I’ Matchup
Lead Cards Announced For All ‘ONE On TNT’ Events In April
All Main Card Fights For ‘ONE On TNT’ Event Series Confirmed
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