“If we can target those properly” - Hiroki Akimoto plans to expose Ilias Ennahachi’s ‘few weaknesses’ at ONE Friday Fights 81
Hiroki Akimoto believes Ilias Ennahachi has "quite a few weaknesses."
At 32 years old, Akimoto needs a win now more than ever to reinject himself into the title shot picture. The former bantamweight kickboxing world champion is coming off back-to-back losses (Petchtanong and Wei Rui) for the first time since his ONE Championship debut in January 2019.
On September 27, Akimoto looks to get back on track during the promotion's highly-anticipated pay-per-view event, ONE Friday Fights 81. The Japanese kickboxer's upcoming opponent is Ennahachi, who holds an undefeated promotional record of 4-0, including two wins by knockout.
During an interview with ONE, Akimoto discussed his upcoming matchup and had this to say about Ennahachi's weaknesses:
"I can't go into details, but I think he has quite a few weaknesses. If we can target those properly, I believe we can win."
ONE Friday Fights 81 will take place inside the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Next Friday's event features Hiroki Akimoto vs. Ilia Ennahachi (bantamweight kickboxing), Takeru Segawa vs. Thant Zin (flyweight kickboxing), Superbon vs. Jo Nattawut (featherweight Muay Thai), and more.
The highly-anticipated event can be seen on September 27 via pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.
Hiroki Akimoto begins journey back to ONE gold
Hiroki Akimoto had plans to defeat Wei Rui at ONE Fight Night 22 and secure a title shot against bantamweight kickboxing king Jonathan Haggerty.
Unfortunately for the Japanese-born fighter, the judges awarded the unanimous decision win to Rui, pushing back his goals of regaining ONE gold.
At ONE Friday Fights 81, Akimoto has an opportunity to prove he belongs in the bantamweight kickboxing title picture. With a win at ONE Friday Fights 81, the 32-year-old could secure a rematch against Rui or find himself matched up against the division's king, Jonathan Haggerty, depending on how things play out.
Meanwhile, Ennahachi has looked impressive since signing with ONE, but he hasn't faced a bantamweight opponent of Akimoto's caliber. It'll be intriguing to see if the former three-time ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion can make a massive statement and put the entire division on notice.