“That was such a great feeling” - Petchtanong Petchfergus admits being emotional in long-awaited return to action
Former ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion Petchtanong Petchfergus of Thailand returned from a lengthy absence to a rousing performance in front of his countrymen last weekend at ONE Friday Fights 68.
The 38-year-old Thai star put together a masterful showcase of skills, taking out fellow former ONE world champion 'The Baby Face Killer' Alaverdi Ramazanov via second-round technical knockout to a chorus of cheers at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.
After the contest, Petchtanong admitted feeling very emotional in his first fight since November 2022.
Speaking to the media at the official ONE Friday Fights 68 post-fight interviews, Petchtanong described his emotions heading out to the ONE Championship ring after over a year on the sidelines.
He said:
"I'm so happy, I tear up, even when I started to walk out, and also when I started to hear the crowd cheering my name and cheering for me, screaming my name. That was such a great feeling. And when I finished the fight already, of course, I was happy because I won, but also I'm happier because I made a comeback."
Needless to say, Petchtanong appeared not to have missed a step, as he returned with as much explosive power as ever in his two-round destruction of Ramazanov.
Petchtanong believes in his heart that he's still the champ: "I just feel like that belt is mine"
Petchtanong Petchfergus was stripped of the bantamweight kickboxing belt after banned substances were detected in his system following his November 2022 split decision victory over Hiroki Akimoto.
Today, the belt belongs to none other than 'The General' Jonathan Haggerty. But Petchtanong feels he is still the rightful ruler of the division.
He told ONE:
"I am also not fixated on Haggerty. I understand that he's the current champion, but he's also very busy. He has competed in Muay Thai, he has competed in kickboxing, and he has also mentioned that he's going to MMA as well.
"So I feel like the queue is very long, and maybe when I get a title shot, maybe he's not the world champ anymore, who knows? I'm more focused on maybe if I would get a title shot, it doesn't have to be Haggerty. And I just feel like that belt is mine, because I did not lose it to anyone."