Honorio Banario unfazed with late minute replacement of opponent

A last minute replacement of opponent could leave some prizefighters rattled and unprepared.

But not Team Lakay's Honorio Banario. He's just relieved that someone is willing to fight him on a late notice.

Banario was originally scheduled to battle Dae Sung Park on the undercard of ONE: Conquest of Champions on November 23 at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.

Honorio Banario Photo courtesy of ONE

The South Korean, however, failed to secure a medical clearance days before the event which forced ONE Championship to withdraw the athlete's appearance from the undercard.

The recent development prompted the promotion to tap India's Rahul Raju as a late replacement for Park.

It was a welcome development for Banario as he is raring to get back inside the cage following a first round submission defeat at the hands of Amir Khan this past September.

The former ONE featherweight champion had a sigh or relief upon learning he has a new opponent for Friday, and promises not to waste his chance at redemption.

"All I want is to compete. What I want is to step inside the cage. I want to redeem myself as soon as possible because I didn't get a favorable outcome in my last outing," said Banario.

"I'm just happy that Rahul Raju stepped in to take this bout on short notice."

A change of opponent would also mean a change of game plan for the upcoming match.

Banario, however, says he was already able to spot weaknesses he can exploit inside the cage in a short span of time.

"Raju is a tough athlete, but I see flaws in his game. I do not want to underestimate him though because that was the mistake I made in my last bout," told Banario.

Banario suffered a five-bout losing skid at one point of his career. He proved his ability to bounce back after he won five straight bouts following the huge setback.

Ecstatic to once again showcase his ability to get back to his winning ways, Banario promises that another win will be added to his record in Manila.

"I won't predict how the contest will end, but I am confident of getting a victory on Friday." — LA, GMA News