ONE Championship atomweight queens Stamp Fairtex and Denice Zamboanga. –HANDOUT PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—There’s no disputing it now — Denice Zamboanga is the undisputed ONE atomweight champion.
ONE Championship on Friday announced that Stamp Fairtex, the reigning atomweight queen, has withdrawn from her planned unification bout with Zamboanga, the interim champion.
READ: ONE: It’s Denice Zamboanga’s time, says Joshua Pacio
This paves the way for Zamboanga to be elevated to undisputed champion status.
Their clash was originally scheduled for August 1 in Denver as the headliner for ONE 173.
“We are saddened to hear of the injury setback to Stamp and wish her nothing but the best in her road to recovery,” said ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
Fairtex decided to relinquish her title after nearly two years of inactivity, suffering an injury setback during her rehabilitation for her surgically repaired knee.
WATCH: Denice Zamboanga unfazed despite tough road to ONE title shot
The Filipino fight, meanwhile, made history four months ago when she defeated Alyona Rassohyna via TKO in ONE Fight Night 27 in Bangkok, Thailand, for the interim atomweight strap.
Although there was an asterisk with Zamboanga’s historic win a few months back, there’s none of that now.
In an Instagram Story, Zamboang wished Fairtex well on her recovery: “Prayers for [Stamp]! Recover well champ.”
As a result of Stamp’s withdrawal from ONE 173, ONE also said it is moving the event in Denver to an earlier date on June 26.
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“The US. remains a high-priority market for ONE and our global business, and we remain committed to maintaining a strong presence in the region with monthly ONE Fight Night events in US primetime and future on-ground events,” Sityodtong also said.
