Jonathan “The General” Haggerty did not just keep his crown in Tokyo. He gave kickboxing fans a performance to remember, and ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan Di Bella was among those impressed.
The ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion smashed his way to a third-round finish against former titleholder Hiroki Akimoto in their ONE SAMURAI 4 main event showdown inside Ariake Arena on Saturday, October 17.
With the triumph, the 29-year-old Londoner improved to 25-5 overall, stayed perfect at 4-0 in kickboxing, and earned a US$100,000 performance bonus from ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
A finish like that gets a World Champion’s attention. The Italian-Canadian expected Haggerty to come through in “The Land of the Rising Sun,” but he least expected it to end in that fashion.
Di Bella told onefc.com:
“I knew Haggerty would win the fight, but I didn’t think like that. That was a nice knockout.”
Getting there took work, though. Akimoto, powered by his hometown crowd, tested Haggerty with hooks in round one. A flying knee from the Brit drove him into the Circle Wall in round two, but the Japanese veteran answered with a superman punch that caught the defending champ off guard.
But the momentum did not last. Akimoto charged out for round three, but “The General” met him with a right hand and then a knee that put him on the canvas. A closing burst brought the stoppage at the 42-second mark of the frame, in what may well have been Haggerty’s best night in kickboxing.
Di Bella took in the whole night, and he had a clear read on what it meant.
He said:
“He made it look easy in Tokyo. I feel like Akimoto was at his best when he was a champ. But right now, Haggerty’s got the momentum, and as you can see, he made it look easy.”
Di Bella Has A Message For Haggerty
Easy is a bold word for a main event that had its scares, but Jonathan Di Bella used it twice and stood by it. The praise was only getting started.
The Akimoto stoppage left the Team Di Bella Kickboxing star convinced that Haggerty – a former two-division ONE Muay Thai World Champion as well – is a more complete and more dangerous fighter in kickboxing than in the discipline that built his name.
Di Bella said:
“I know he likes Muay Thai, and I know Muay Thai is his first love, but I think I’ve seen him better as a kickboxer. He’s good as a kickboxer and should stay in the division. He’s very good.”
Watching the Englishman’s emphatic victory has only made the ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Champion fired up for a return to the global stage.
The 30-year-old swapped the interim strap for undisputed gold last year, then defended his coveted belt against “The Fighting Rooster” Zhang Peimian at The Inner Circle 22 this past July. That win stretched his streak to four in succession, and he has looked better with each outing.
With that momentum behind him, the question of who comes next may already have an answer. “The Warrior” Wang Junguang followed his split-decision upset of Prajanchai Pongsuphan PK at The Inner Circle 35 by setting his sights on the strawweight kickboxing king.
Di Bella has already said he is ready for the challenge, and all eyes now turn to ONE to see whether the matchup comes together.
