Ilias Ennahachi says attention will turn to Jonathan Haggerty after Hiroki Akimoto: “I want a fight with him in December”
Ilias Ennahachi will turn his attention toward Jonathan Haggerty — once he handles some business with former ONE world champion Hiroki Akimoto.
After establishing himself as one of the best flyweight kickboxers in the world, Ennahachi will make his bantamweight debut this Friday at ONE Friday Fights 81 inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
There, the former ONE flyweight kickboxing king will face Akimoto — a former ONE bantamweight kickboxing titleholder — in a battle that could produce the next challenger for Jonathan Haggerty who currently holds the 26 pounds of bantamweight gold.
Speaking with the South China Morning Post ahead of his return to the ring, Ilias Ennahachi made it clear that while he's by no means looking past Hiroki Akimoto, he's already planning to call out 'The General' once he gets the job done inside the 'Mecca of Muay Thai'.
"Wait for me. I hope I win this fight, then I want a fight with him in December, maybe or 2025," Ennahachi said of a potential clash with Haggerty.
See the full interview below:
Hiroki Akimoto has something to prove against Ilias Ennahachi at ONE Friday Fights 81
Clearly, Ilias Ennahachi is feeling pretty confident about himself going into ONE Friday Fights 81 — as so he should.
Thus far, the Moroccan sensation is a perfect 4-0 under the ONE banner with his most impressive victory coming against current two-sport king Superlek Kiatmoo9.
Meanwhile, Akimoto will step back onto martial arts' biggest global stage with a chip on his shoulder after suffering back-to-back losses for the first time since signing with the promotion more than five years ago.
Following an 18-month-long layoff, Akimoto returned for a clash with 'Demon Blade' Wei Rui at ONE Fight Night 22 in May. Wei largely dominated the action early, but Akimoto really turned it on in the latter half of the fight and, in the eyes of many, should have seen his hand raised. Instead, Wei was crowned the victor via unanimous decision.
Now, Akimoto is desperate to show the world that he is still one of the most feared fighters in kickboxing and it all starts with Ilias Ennahachi.
ONE Friday Fights 81 will air live and exclusively on pay-per-view on Friday, Sept. 27 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. You can purchase the event exclusively on the official ONE Championship website.