Former ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion Petchtanong Petchfergus still has his eyes set on reclaiming the championship belt he used to hold. He, however, is not in a rush, choosing to get himself better prepared first before going for it.
The veteran fighter’s push for the summit was once again brought to the fore after his victory in his last fight at ONE Fight Night 43: Tang vs. Gasanov on May 15 at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. He defeated British opponent Ben Woolliss by unanimous decision.
It was the fourth win in his last five matches for the Superbon Training Camp affiliate and a bounce-back after losing in his previous fight. He remains in the mix for the bantamweight kickboxing gold in the possession of reigning divisional king Jonathan Haggerty of the United Kingdom.
Speaking to ONE Championship in an interview, Petchtanong shared where he is at in his thrust to reclaim the world title, highlighting that he still needs to shore up his game, particulalry his speed, if he has any chance of achieving his goal.
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The 40-year-old Thai star said:
“Right now, I have to be honest, I am not ready yet. So maybe, I need one or two more fights that are closer to each other so that I can warm up my body, and I can just work on my speed because right now I feel that I am very slow. So once I am ready, I should be able to be more confident. Because right now if you put me up to a title fight, I will not be confident, and yeah, I think I could have done better.”
Petchtanong shows elite timing and experience in win at ONE Fight Night 43
At ONE Fight Night 43, Petchtanong showcased elite timing and experience to get the better of Woolliss.
‘The Problem’ lived up to his moniker in the early goings of the fight with his punches and uppercuts but the hometown bet was able to adjust and settle down as the contest wore on.
Petchtanong was crisp with his striking, consistently landing solid punches and kicks, to gain headway, which in the end helped his cause to come out ahead in the judges’ score cards by unanimous decision. The win took his overall record in his illustrious career to 360-57.
The loss, meanwhile, dropped Woolliss’ ONE Championship win-loss card to 1-1.
Replay of ONE Fight Night 43 is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
Edited by Aziel Karthak
