“It was a little bit upsetting” - Jonathan Haggerty sad to see ‘legend’ Liam Harrison call time on his glorious career
Jonathan Haggerty reflected on the legendary Liam Harrison retiring at ONE 168: Denver.
ONE Championship's return to North America featured the two biggest UK superstars in Muay Thai - Harrison and Haggerty. Both entertaining warriors suffered knockout losses at the September 6 event but that didn't take away from the special moment when 'Hitman' announced his retirement.
Jonathan Haggerty had repeatedly called out Harrison for a fight over the last year, creating somewhat of a rivalry. With that said, 'The General' maintained respect for everything Harrison did to help grow Muay Thai in the UK, which he explained by saying this during an appearance on the Sky Sports MMA Club Podcast:
"I’ve seen him put his gloves down in the cage. It was a little bit upsetting, he’s a legend, he’s been our go-to Thai boxer for years, so to see him put his gloves down on the canvas was a little bit of shame. But hopefully, we see him fighting soon in the UK."
At 39 years old, Liam Harrison accepted that his best fighting days were behind him. Luckily, fans may have a final opportunity to see 'Hitman' in action, as he plans to make one final combat sports appearance in the United Kingdom.
Jonathan Haggerty looks to carry the torch for UK striking sports
Heading into ONE 168 inside the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, there weren't many fighters who had more momentum than Jonathan Haggerty. 'The General' held two world titles (ONE bantamweight kickboxing and Muay Thai) and established a world-class three-fight run against Nong-O, Fabricio Andrade (kickboxing), and Felipe Lobo.
Haggerty endured a setback due to a 49-second knockout loss against Superlek. The 27-year-old won't entertain an extended layoff, as some fans feared, after recently announced he wants to defend his ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title in the near future.
Although it's unconfirmed by ONE, Haggerty's next kickboxing opponent could be Wei Rui or Ilias Ennahachi. Both fighters are coming off unanimous decision wins against former world champion Hiroki Akimoto, with Ennahachi's performance more decisive to ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
Meanwhile, Superlek is expected to defend his ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title against Nico Carrillo in late 2024 or early 2025.
The replay of ONE 168: Denver can be seen by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.