One of the best friends in my life

September 09, 2024

Superbon Singha Mawynn shared his reaction to the tragic passing of ONE Championship referee Watcharin Ratchaniphon.

Earlier this month, the news broke about Ratchaniphon passing away at 34 years of age. According to ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong, the beloved referee battled depression despite being consistently happy and energetic around his coworkers.

ONE Championship has continued to honor Ratchaniphon with tribute videos, social media posts, and an in-ring moment of silence at ONE Friday Fights 22. Superbon recently re-posted one of the tribute videos on Instagram, where the Thai referee said this in his native language:

“Hello, I’m Police Sergeant Watcharin ‘Pom’ Ratchanipon. I am a referee at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium. I also have the opportunity to referee with ONE Lumpinee. To be a referee, you have to be fair and impartial. The referee is the king of the ring. It’s a career with honor and dignity. That’s why I love this job.”

He continued by saying:

“As a referee in ONE Lumpinee, I will do my best with integrity and fairness to show that Thai referees have the potential and skills to work in world-class events like ONE Championship. I am delighted and honored to be the first Thai referee in ONE, really happy. I hope we will have more Thai fighters, Muay Thai staff, and referees joining ONE."

The last fight overseen by Ratchaniphon was Superbon’s knockout win against Tayfun Ozcan on June 9. Superbon honored the late referee by captioning his Instagram post with the following message:

“One of the best friends in my life 🖤”

During a recent interview with SCMP MMA, Chatri Sityodtong praised Watcharin Ratchaniphon for being kind-hearted and extremely talented at his job. According to the ONE Championship Chairman and CEO, Ratchaniphon struggled with depression after his son passed away a year ago after only being alive for several months.

May Watcharin rest in peace.

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