“It’s going to be difficult for him” - Jonathan Haggerty says Superlek will be in deep trouble with his boxing in Denver
Jonathan Haggerty is arguably one of the best boxers in the current generation of Muay Thai artists, and he plans to utilize his expertise in the 'Sweet Science' when he faces Superlek Kiatmoo9.
The two-sport king will defend his ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title against Superlek, the ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion, in the main event of ONE 168: Denver on September 6.
Ahead of the all-champion clash at the Ball Arena, Haggerty shared what transpired in his training camp in Koh Samui, Thailand, and revealed on his YouTube docuseries that his boxing will be utilized heavily against the Thai megastar.
Haggerty has always been a great boxer, and he believes wearing ONE Championship's four-ounce gloves will give him added power when he faces Superlek in Denver.
"Now we're both in our prime. And the key factor for this fight is the four-ounce gloves, you know. My main strikes are from punching, I think it's going to be difficult for him," said Jonathan Haggerty.
'The General', who also holds the ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title, has always relied heavily on his boxing and it became more evident when he moved from flyweight to bantamweight.
The former ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion is on a streak of three straight knockout wins, and all of those finishes were courtesy of his devastating boxing.
Haggerty knocked out the legendary Nong-O Hama to capture the bantamweight Muay Thai throne. He then repeated that feat when he stopped bantamweight MMA king Fabricio Andrade for the division's vacant kickboxing strap.
His previous fight saw the British superstar pulverize Felipe Lobo to retain his bantamweight Muay Thai throne at ONE Fight Night 17.
Watch the second episode of Haggerty's docuseries below:
Jonathan Haggerty honored to headline ONE Championship's first U.S. card of 2024
Jonathan Haggerty is no stranger to headlining cards for ONE Championship, but his next one holds a bit more significance.
The two-sport king will make his United States debut at ONE 168, and he admitted in an interview with The Sporting News that he's honored to close the show in Denver against Superlek:
"It's my first time [competing in the US]. I'm very excited. I'm thankful that ONE Championship has given me this opportunity to fight in the main event and defend my title against such a great opponent in Superlek."
ONE Championship will have its second U.S. card this year with ONE 169: Atlanta on November 8 at State Farm Arena.
Tickets for ONE 168 and ONE 169 are available at Ticketmaster.