Filipino siblings Drex “T-Rex” Zamboanga and Denice “The Menace” Zamboanga have been stranded in Thailand since the start of the year because of COVID-19 travel restrictions.
Now, the brother-sister duo plan to be home by Christmas.
“Right now, we’re working on our long-term visas so that in the future, we won’t have any issues going in and out of Thailand,” Drex said. “The plan is to go back to the Philippines before December to celebrate Christmas with our family and to continue training with our boxing coach there.
“We can’t wait to spend time with our family, maybe go on a little vacation.”
Sacrificing time away from their loved ones has paid off, though.
While in Thailand, Denice got two resounding wins. One came over Mei “V.V” Yamaguchi, which earned her the number one contender spot to ONE Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee. The other was a victory over Watsapinya “Dream Girl” Kaewkhong to solidify her hold as the divisional queen’s next challenger.
Drex was also rewarded for his sacrifices. The 31-year-old made his much-awaited debut in The Home Of Martial Arts in August, earning a second-round submission win over Detchadin “Detchpool” Sornsirisuphathin.
Though their victories mitigated their homesickness, the siblings still miss being in familiar surroundings.
“It has been hard being away from home. But I used that sadness to motivate me to continue training here in Thailand. Me and my sister dream of becoming World Champions. This has fueled our drive to continue working hard,” Drex continued.
“I miss my mom’s cooking, especially paksiw na bangus and nilagang baka. I miss riding my motorcycle.”
Times may be challenging, but “T-Rex” is optimistic that everything will soon revert to normal.
“Don’t lose hope. I know that one day we will overcome this. God is in control and I hope our prayers will be answered — and this will all end soon.”
In the meantime, catch ONE: REIGN OF DYNASTIES on October 9 for free by downloading the ONE Super App.
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