"I'm different" - Alexis Nicolas says hard work and talent allowed him to dethrone the mighty Regian Eersel
Newly crowned ONE lightweight kickboxing world champion 'Barboza' Alexis Nicolas of France is fresh off arguably the biggest win in his career.
The undefeated 25-year-old unseated former two-sport world champion 'The Immortal' Regian Eersel at ONE Fight Night 21: Eersel vs. Nicolas on Prime Video last weekend to capture the ONE lightweight kickboxing world title.
The event took place live at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Saturday, April 6.
Nicolas turned in a dominant performance, knocking down Eersel in round two to power himself to a unanimous decision victory on the judges' scorecards.
Speaking to veteran ONE Championship broadcast analyst and former athlete Mitch 'The Dragon' Chilson in the ring after his fight, Nicolas said it wasn't raw talent that carried him to the upper echelon of the sport, but good old fashioned hard work.
'Barboza' said:
"I told you. I'm different. I'm not like the other fighters. I'm different. I work hard on my stuff -- not talent. I work hard with my team. Eersel is very strong. I don't fight him like [everybody else]. Had a big strategy with my team. Yes. There is a new champ. That's me."
Nicolas put together a sound game plan with his team that basically nullified Eersel's strengths. 'Barboza' had an answer for everything 'The Immortal' threw at him, and the result was complete and utter dominance.
Fans in the United States and Canada can catch a replay of ONE Fight Night 21: Eersel vs. Nicolas on-demand via Amazon Prime Video.
What does the future hold for 'Barboza'?
The sky's the limit for the surging 25-year-old Frenchman. After winning the ONE lightweight kickboxing world title, 'Barboza' Alexis Nicolas admits he's long overdue for a personal break, and wants to spend time enjoying the fruits of his labor with family.
But as the new ruler of the lightweight kickboxing division in ONE Championship, Nicolas now has a slew of hungry challengers just chomping at the bits for a crack at his gold. Fighters like Sinsamut Klinmee and Dmitry Menshikov, who are set to battle each other soon, and standouts like Arian Sadikovic and the Dutch icon Nieky Holzken could be potential opponents for 'Barboza.'.