With the addition of a colossal heavyweight contest lurking over the horizon, ONE Fight Night 12 just got a whole lot bigger.
The event, on Saturday, July 15, will see Iranian giant Amir Aliakbari return to action against Canadian standout Dustin Joynson on the evening’s main card at Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, with the bout offering both men a surefire opportunity to propel themselves into the heavyweight title conversation..
Aliakbari has long been acknowledged as one of the hardest hitters in ONE’s heavyweight division, and that power was on show in his latest outing against Brandon Vera in December.
The 35-year-old tore through the former longtime ONE heavyweight champion in a career-best showing and scored a knockout over Vera inside the first round.
Aliakbari had vowed to defeat “The Truth” if given the opportunity upon signing with ONE, and having kept true to his word while scoring a third finish in the Singapore-based promotion, the Iranian has established himself as a viable threat.
Standing opposite him, though, is a man very much his equal. Joynson comes in at a staggering six-foot-six, and he’ll be looking to maintain his winning form when he returns to the global stage next month.
The Canadian star slipped to a decision loss against Kirill Grishenko on his debut in October 2021, but scored a split-decision win over Hugo Cunha in his second outing last February.
He’ll be hoping to kick off a run against Aliakbari when they meet, with the winner set to position themselves right in the thick of the heavyweight championship picture.
The heavyweight class is hotter than ever at the moment, with Anatoly Malykhin unifying the world title against Arjan Bhullar last week at ONE Friday Fights 22.
And with Malykhin declaring himself the top dog in ONE’s heavyweight division, the promotion will be looking for its next contender to break from the pack and position themselves for a title challenge. Victory for either man at ONE Fight Night 12 could see Aliakbari or Joynson do just that.