Former ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Jonathan Haggerty may be new to the bantamweight division, but he has his eyes firmly set on Nong-O Hama’s divisional crown and will get a chance to take it.
The elite strikers will collide for the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world championship at ONE Fight Night 9, which goes down at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium on Friday, April 21.
Despite his successful run at flyweight, Haggerty’s move to bantamweight comes following multiple health issues after struggling to make the weight limit on several occasions.
The 25-year-old Brit was last seen at ONE Fight Night 4: Abbasov vs. Lee in November 2022. It marked his first promotional bout outside of flyweight, as he went toe-to-toe with the durable Vladimir Kuzmin in a 148-pound catchweight tilt and left the cage with a majority decision win.
Now, in his first outing of 2023, Haggerty will officially enter the bantamweight fray a bigger, stronger athlete with accolades at the forefront of his mind as he attempts to swoop in and take his second World Title from Nong-O.
While the Englishman is spoken of as an exciting addition to an already thriving bantamweight Muay Thai division, it will take a tremendous effort to end the reign of Nong-O.
The battle will prove to be a showcase of two generations of Muay Thai, with the Sakon Nakhon native being 11 years older than Haggerty, as well as boasting over 300 professional fights more than the Londoner.
But as the sayings go, age is just a number, records are for DJs, and Nong-O’s terrifying artillery provides worth to those statements.
The 36-year-old opened his 2023 account at the inaugural ONE Friday Fights event last month, headlining the card at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium against former ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion and #3-ranked Muay Thai contender Alaverdi Ramazanov.
While the Russian provided plenty of intense output against Nong-O, the unstoppable titleholder rallied back in ferocious fashion to ignite the Bangkok crowd and terminate the challenge of Ramazanov inside the third frame.
In April, the Thai living legend looks to build on his 10-fight winning streak, get his eighth straight World Title defense, and score his sixth consecutive knockout.