Interviews
Allazov Relishing ONE World Title Clash With Superbon After Eight-Month Wait
ONE Championship’s featherweight kickboxing division is the most stacked category in all of striking, and Chingiz Allazov is ready to solidify his position atop it.
The Belarusian banger will compete for the biggest prize of all this Friday, 13th January, at ONE Fight Night 6 on Prime Video when he challenges Superbon Singha Mawynn for his ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Championship in the evening’s main event.
High praise has been placed on Superbon throughout his promotional tenure, given the litany of world-class opposition he has dispatched, and many consider him the world’s best kickboxer, leaving Allazov with an intimidating mountain to climb.
Despite the pedestal the featherweight king has been placed on, “Chinga” fancies his chances against the Thai superstar.
And his confidence may be well-founded.
After all, he enters the bout with a string of high-calibre victories to his name, including his win over striking legend Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong at ONE X last March, that earned him the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix Championship.
“I’m one of the biggest problems for him [Superbon],” Allazov professed.
“He knows this. He has good timing. He has a good universal style. I have kicks and power over him. He’s a very good fighter, but maybe he makes a little mistake here, and it’s a big problem in his fight with me.”
While the two scrappers have very different approaches to fighting, their paths to this main event are laden with similar accolades.
Both men are riding three-fight winning streaks into the contest and have victories over Sitthichai within those runs.
Allazov has dispatched foes like Samy Sana in record time, while Superbon has notched up highlight-reel finishes of his own, including his ONE 2021 Super Series Knockout of the Year against Giorgio Petrosyan.
Despite the similarities in momentum, the #1-ranked contender is doubtful of Superbon’s willingness to stand and brawl inside the Circle.
“Before, Superbon said to Petrosyan that Petrosyan is not a fighter – that he was a player. I say the same now. For me, Superbon is not a fighter. He’s a player, you know?” Allazov said.
“He doesn’t like punching. He doesn’t like real fights, you know? He has this clever game plan. He has kicks, kicks, kicks, and after that, maybe he would like the fight.”
The collision will headline ONE’s first show of 2023, and it has been a long time coming.
Following two cancellations last year – at ONE on Prime Video 2 and ONE on Prime Video 5 – it finally goes down this Friday, and Allazov couldn’t be more ready to get his hands on the featherweight kickboxing king.
“After Sitthichai, we started preparing. We start training. Maybe like eight, maybe more than eight months, we waited for this day. Now I am more focused on this fight. This is one of the best fighters in the world,” Allazov said.
“People waited for this and I waited for this. My team waited for this. My coach waited for this. I like this day. Mentally, I’m ready for this fight.”
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Following a short-lived venture into mixed martial arts, #2-ranked flyweight Muay Thai contender Walter Goncalves is returning to his bread and butter with a declared mission statement.
“Iron Hands” is set to meet Jacob Smith on Saturday, 9th December, at ONE Fight Night 17: Kryklia vs. Roberts inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, and he’s planning to reassert himself in the stacked division.
Goncalves stepped into MMA for the first time against Banma Duoji this past June at ONE Fight Night 12. Though he was beaten by the Chinese prodigy that evening, he showcased his potential throughout the gritty affair.
With his debut in the all-encompassing sport out of the way, the Brazilian star is now focused on winning the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship. That said, he fully expects to return to MMA down the line.
“As it was my first MMA fight, it was an incredible feeling. There’s no way to describe it. I just know that I want to fight MMA more often, and I’m going to train a lot more for that. One day, I want to be an MMA World Champion,” Goncalves said.
“I want to achieve my goal of becoming a Muay Thai World Champion. I feel like it’s something that’s closest to me as it’s where I feel most confident and comfortable.”
Goncalves’ last Muay Thai victory came at ONE 157 in May 2022, coincidentally the last time fans saw his upcoming foe Smith in action.
The British star’s lone outing in ONE saw him take flyweight Muay Thai king Rodtang Jitmuangnon all three rounds.
He’s been sidelined with injuries since, but Goncalves isn’t taking the Birkenhead banger lightly. He’s a student of the game and has been paying close attention to Smith’s skills ahead of their meeting.
“I watched Jacob Smith’s fight against Rodtang, and I saw that he is a strong guy, that he moves forward all the time, that wherever he hits, he hurts his opponent, and that he also takes hits well,” he analyzed.
“I believe that the strength of my blows will make a difference in this fight in my favor. I’ll try to explore the gaps in his game. I don’t know how it will play out, but I really hope that I can get a knockout victory.”
Following an inactive 2023, former ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Hiroki Akimoto is hungry to start the upcoming year with a bid to reclaim the gold.
The Japanese jouster was last seen in action in November 2022 at ONE 163, where he lost the World Title to Petchtanong Petchfergus by a narrow split decision. The belt was later vacated by his Thai rival, however, and Akimoto watched closely when it was contested at ONE Fight Night 16 earlier this month.
On 4th November, reigning bantamweight Muay Thai king Jonathan Haggerty claimed the coveted strap with a second-round knockout of MMA titleholder Fabricio Andrade. Despite an enthralling battle, Akimoto was left unimpressed by both men’s output.
“I expected a fast fight because it was a bantamweight fight, but I didn’t see a lot of speed from both fighters,” he told South China Morning Post.
“I think I have more speed [than them].”
Highly regarded as one of the best kickboxers on the planet, Hiroki Akimoto amassed an impressive 7-1 record in ONE Championship, which included winning the World Title against Capitan Petchyindee in March 2022, before parting ways with the crown.
Now keen to get back to work, the 31-year-old believes his credentials warrant an immediate shot at Haggerty’s newly acquired gold.
He has been waiting for the perfect time to return, and with ONE Championship rumored to be visiting his homeland in early 2024, the Japanese star would love to challenge “The General” in front of his compatriots.
“My skills deserve a title shot. Haggerty versus Akimoto will be the most exciting fight for the fans. That’s why fans are talking about it. That’s the reason I should get the title shot,” Akimoto stated.
“If Haggerty goes to a different division, maybe it’s not me, but if Haggerty is fighting bantamweight kickboxing, the opponent has to be me. If there’s a Japan event, of course, I definitely want to fight there.”
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