Rene “The Challenger” Catalan’s slow rise to the top of the ONE strawweight division has not only proved his doubters wrong, but it has also vindicated him.
Having competed for over a decade, Catalan encountered a lot of naysayers, and he believes they have played a major role with where he is right now.
“People always have things to say,” Catalan said. “Wherever you are, whatever your position may be, there will always be negative reactions.”
Catalan started his ONE campaign on a turbulent note, dropping losses to former World Champions Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke of Thailand and Alex Silva of Brazil.
There were not a lot of people who believed that he could still bounce back from it – but that’s exactly what Catalan did.
He only had to remember what he is battling for.
“Those negative remarks only made me stronger. I just had to remember the reason why I’m fighting in the first place, and that’s for my children,” Catalan said.
Knowing what exactly he was capable of, Catalan started to turn the tide with a win, which was then followed-up by another one, and another.
Next thing he knew, he was in the middle of a six-bout winning streak, and now he could be the next in line for the ONE Strawweight World Title currently held by his compatriot Joshua “The Passion” Pacio of Team Lakay.
What is funny for “The Challenger” is that he is still hearing the same things, despite racking up an impressive winning streak.
“Even now I still hear things like, ‘he’s just winning out of luck,’ or ‘he doesn’t have competition,’” Catalan said.
“But I don’t have anything to prove to them. They’re not the reason why I’m doing this. I’m doing this for my family and to glorify our great commander, our great God.”
Catalan understands that in order for him to reach his goal, he certainly has to continue experiencing naysayers, doubters, and even just plain haters. It is something that motivates him even more to become a World Champion.
“I understand that there are really tons of obstacles and haters along the way of being a World Champion and reaching my goal,” Catalan shared.
He has a fair warning to those people.
“I’d like to thank them for fueling me. But I think they have to reconsider what they’re saying now, while they have a chance.”
Looking for more ONE Championship action? Tune in to ONE: DAWN OF HEROES tonight, 2 August. The event will air on ABS-CBN S+A at 8:30pm Philippine Standard Time (PHT). For the prelims, watch on ONE’s Facebook and Twitter pages at 5:00pm PHT.
Also, you can get a ticket to see the show live in the Mall Of Asia Arena. Click here to get your ticket before they are all sold out.