“Fight someone else in his prime” – Liam Harrison explains what irks him the most in Brit-on-Brit rivalry with Jonathan Haggerty
British Muay Thai veteran Liam Harrison recently spoke again about his current beef with ONE bantamweight two-sport world champion Jonathan 'The General' Haggerty. The social media scuffle started when 'Hitman' posted a tweet that drew the ire of his fellow Brit:
In retaliation, Haggerty challenged Harrison to a Brit vs. Brit super fight, to settle their differences with fists, not words. Harrison emphatically turned down the bout, citing that his inactivity for 18 months and his age were the major factors.
S[eaking to talkSPORT MMA on YouTube, Harrison said:
“But the fact is I've been out for 18 months, I'm 38 years old, he's 26 or something, in his absolute prime, why don't he just fight someone else in his prime, you know what I mean? So why is it calling on me? If a couple of years ago, yeah, I'd have been fully down for that but at the minute there's a a queue to fight for that title that he's got so it doesn't make sense for me to start shouting at him when I know he's got two or three other fights or opponents who are in the queue who deserve to fight for the title before me.”
Watch the full interview here:
Liam Harrison to face Seksan Or Kwangmuang at ONE 168 in Denver, CO
While Liam Harrison turned down a bout with Haggerty, he took a fight with Japanese star Katsuki Kitano at ONE 167 on June 7 at Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
'Hitman' was also recently added to ONE's return to US soil at ONE 168: Denver where he'll face fellow legend Seksan or Kwanmuang in a three-round catchweight Muay Thai bout.
This will be the first time Harrison will lace up his gloves in over a year, going on hiatus to heal from a knee injury and subsequent surgery.
It's going to be a grand comeback for the Brit when he faces Kitano and just months later, Seksan, owner of 200 pro wins and one of the coolest nicknames in all of the combat sports: 'The Man Who Yields to No One'.
Incidentally, Haggerty will also fight on the same card, defending his ONE bantamweight Muay Thai belt against ONE flyweight kickboxing king Superlek Kiatmoo9.
ONE 167 will air live on US Primetime free for Prime Video subscribers in North America.
Fans can follow this link for the pre-sale of tickets for ONE 168: Denver on September 6 at the Ball Arena.