“He obviously doesn’t want to lose that” - Freddie Haggerty says Jonathan Haggerty is hell-bent on keeping bantamweight Muay Thai crown
Freddie Haggerty, brother of ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Jonathan Haggerty, shared that his older sibling has no plans of giving up his world title and is highly determined to come up with a win in his scheduled title defense next month.
'The General' will defend his championship belt for the second time at ONE 168 in Denver, Colorado, U.S.A., on Sept. 6 against the promotion's flyweight kickboxing king, Superlek Kiatmoo9, in an all-champion clash.
It will be the headlining match of the event happening at the Ball Arena in Denver and airing live and for free in U.S. primetime to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Speaking to ONE Championship in an interview, Freddie Haggerty, who is undefeated in two fights so far in the promotion, shared that his brother is preparing with dogged determination to keep the status quo in the bantamweight Muay Thai division with him on top.
He said:
"When I got over here for my fight in July, he had already been grafting for weeks. It's so important, and it's even bigger with his belt on the line. He obviously doesn't want to lose that. He's doing everything possible to keep hold of it."
Haggerty retained his world title for the first time in his last fight back in February, defeating Brazilian challenger Felipe Lobo by TKO in the third round.
Tickets for ONE 168: Denver are now available on Ticketmaster.
Jonathan Haggerty fully supports brother Freddie Haggerty in ONE Championship
While Freddie Haggerty is among those behind his brother Jonathan Haggerty's reign, the same applies to the champ's younger sibling as his career in the promotion takes flight.
The younger Haggerty is following the footsteps of 'The General' in the 'Home of Martial Arts', and the reigning bantamweight Muay Thai and kickboxing world champion is rallying behind him
Jonathan Hagggerty shared this in an interview with the South China Morning Post, saying:
"I'm so happy he's got what he's wanted, you know, for his whole life. He's grown up watching me get to the top and now is his time, you know? I'm very grateful I've been able to do what I've had to do to motivate him and push him."
Freddie Haggerty, 19, has won his first two fights, both by knockout, since making his ONE debut back in January.