Jonathan Haggerty retained the ONE bantamweight kickboxing title with a third-round finish of Hiroki Akimoto at ONE SAMURAI 4, drawing praise from Jonathan Di Bella.
What we know
- Jonathan Haggerty stopped Hiroki Akimoto at 0:42 of round three in the ONE SAMURAI 4 main event in Tokyo on October 17
- Haggerty retained the ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Championship and is 25-5 overall, 4-0 in kickboxing
- Haggerty received a US$100,000 performance bonus from Chatri Sityodtong
- Jonathan Di Bella, the ONE strawweight kickboxing champion, praised the finish and says Haggerty is at his best in kickboxing
- Wang Junguang has called for a title shot against Di Bella, who says he is ready; no fight is booked
Jonathan Haggerty kept his ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Championship with a third-round finish of former titleholder Hiroki Akimoto in the ONE SAMURAI 4 main event at Ariake Arena in Tokyo on Saturday, October 17. Akimoto had moments, landing hooks in the first round and a superman punch in the second, but Haggerty floored him with a right hand and a knee in round three and finished the fight at the 42-second mark.
The win took the 29-year-old Londoner to 25-5 overall and 4-0 in kickboxing, and ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong gave him a US$100,000 performance bonus.
ONE strawweight kickboxing champion Jonathan Di Bella said he expected Haggerty to win but not in that fashion. "He made it look easy in Tokyo," Di Bella said, adding that he sees Haggerty as better in kickboxing than in Muay Thai.
Di Bella, 30, last defended his title against Zhang Peimian in July for a fourth straight win. Wang Junguang has called for a shot at him after upsetting Prajanchai Pongsuphan PK, and Di Bella says he is ready, but ONE has not booked the fight.
The win took the 29-year-old Londoner to 25-5 overall and 4-0 in kickboxing, and ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong gave him a US$100,000 performance bonus.
ONE strawweight kickboxing champion Jonathan Di Bella said he expected Haggerty to win but not in that fashion. "He made it look easy in Tokyo," Di Bella said, adding that he sees Haggerty as better in kickboxing than in Muay Thai.
Di Bella, 30, last defended his title against Zhang Peimian in July for a fourth straight win. Wang Junguang has called for a shot at him after upsetting Prajanchai Pongsuphan PK, and Di Bella says he is ready, but ONE has not booked the fight.
- Summary
- Jonathan Haggerty retained the ONE bantamweight kickboxing title with a third-round finish of Hiroki Akimoto at ONE SAMURAI 4, drawing praise from Jonathan Di Bella.
- Key points (one per line)
- Jonathan Haggerty stopped former champion Hiroki Akimoto 42 seconds into round three of the ONE SAMURAI 4 main event in Tokyo on October 17
Haggerty retained the ONE bantamweight kickboxing title, moved to 25-5 and earned a US$100,000 performance bonus
Strawweight kickboxing champion Jonathan Di Bella said Haggerty 'made it look easy' and is at his best in kickboxing
Di Bella has said he is ready for Wang Junguang, though no fight is booked
- Official source URL
- https://www.onefc.com/kickboxing/he-made-it-look-easy-jonathan-di-bella-salutes-jonathan-haggertys-fierce-finish-at-one-samurai-4/
- Official source name
- ONE Championship
Fighters in this story
Hiroki Akimoto
Jonathan Haggerty
Jonathan Di BellaSources
- ONE Championship Official
Summarized with AI from the sources above. Read the originals for the full story.
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