MANILA, Philippines — After a year filled with challenges, both personal and professional, Team Lakay's Lito Adiwang is hoping to put it all behind with a convincing win to open 2021.
Having recovered from a split decision loss to Japan's Hiroba Minowa, Adiwang seeks to turn it all around once he faces China's Hexigetu in ONE: Unbreakable on January 22 in Singapore.
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Speaking to Philstar.com on Wednesday, Adiwang revealed he had struggled to get back to his feet but is now eager to return to action.
"After ng fight ko kay Minowa, I needed to get back and check kung ano yung mga mistakes na ginawa ko nun," said Adiwang.
"One thing na mahirap dun sa nangyari na yun is to accept yung pagkatalo ko, I needed to deal with that... Naging maayos naman, and ngayon ay I accepted the mistakes and now looking forward to the next fight," he added.
Adiwang was riding a two-bout win streak when he faced Minowa late 2020, the result came out in controversial fashion after replays saw his opponent tap out in the match before being declared winner via the judges score cards.
The way that the victory slipped from his fingers, Adiwang said, was difficult for him to deal with. But has since learned to accept the events, and is patiently waiting for another chance against the Japanese fighter.
"I'll just wait for my chance," said Adiwang.
But the difficulties of 2020 didn't end there for the up and coming flyweight contender.
Adiwang underwent a personal loss after his mother passed, just after Christmas last year. Known to be close with his mom, the loss added to the fighter's woes.
"It's hard for me yung nangyari, dere-derecho na challenge sa akin. We're dealing with this pandemic, then suddenly a loss, then here comes the loss of my mom," said Adiwang.
"But I'm trying to deal with it in a positive way nalang," he added.
Rather than dwell on the negative, Adiwang is choosing to use his upcoming fight in Singapore as a positive distraction from all the challenges he has faced.
"It's painful to lose a mom so one way that I deal with it is not dwelling on it, not to think of it na manghahatak sa akin pababa," he said.
"I need to keep my mind busy," he continued, pointing to training and preparation for his upcoming fight as a helpful tool to keep his mind away from the problems.
The fighter, however, acknowledged that he cannot keep himself distracted and hopes to process his feelings and emotions directly after his pcoming fight.
"There will come a time for me na pinagiisipan ko na I need to face that, I need to accept it na I've lost my mom but sa ngayon lalo na kasi may laban ako, I need to keep my mind busy para hindi muna makaapekto sakin yan," he said.
ONE: Unbreakable is headlined by the ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Championship between defending champion Alaverdi Ramazanov and challenger Capitan Petchyindee Academy.