"It's me quitting" - Liam Harrison on why he simply refused to call it a day after lengthy spell on the sidelines
Current fifth-ranked ONE bantamweight Muay Thai contender Liam Harrison is not someone who will just walk away from the sport that made him a household name in the combat sports community.
In his most recent appearance on Fight Energy Films' YouTube channel, Harrison spoke about his achievements as a professional fighter.
The 38-year-old veteran said:
"I mean at my age, I don't think anyone could have blamed me. [I've had] 118 professional fights, 91 wins, 51 by knockout, eight world titles. So if I'd have just said, you know what, I've had a good run and we're just going to sail off into the sunset or coach full-time."
Liam Harrison went on to add that competing right now is not about monetary compensation anymore; instead, he desires to not give up and quit:
"I can make a lot of money by coaching. I've got my website. I don't need to fight again even with all the bonus money and at that ONE Championship are flying around. I don't need to fight again. But that said, if I had retired, it's me giving up. It's me quitting."
The Bad Company representative last fought in August 2022 at ONE on Prime Video 1, where he suffered a first-round TKO loss and an injury against then-ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nong-O Hama.
Liam Harrison set for comeback fight on June 7 at ONE 167 against Katsuki Kitano
After almost two years of grueling recovery from the aforementioned injury, Liam Harrison is set to return to action on June 7, where he will take on Japanese contender Katsuki Kitano as part of the ONE 167 card.
The two Muay Thai stars will be fighting inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, to determine their fates in the stacked bantamweight Muay Thai division moving forward.
ONE 167 is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America on June 7.