Famed coach Christian Knowles admits he worried “a little bit” after Felipe Lobo knocked down his student Jonathan Haggerty

While things eventually went their way, famed coach Christian Knowles admitted he got worried for his student Jonathan Haggerty in his fight against Felipe Lobo.

Haggerty retained his ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title in an absolute barnburner against Lobo at ONE Fight Night 19 this past February.

The fight saw three knockdowns, the last of which ultimately became the match-winner for the British sensation.

Lobo, however, was the first to score a knockdown when he sat Haggerty on the ropes in the opening round of their matchup at the historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

Knowles, in an interview with Wesley Gunman Graham, revealed he felt a bit worried for Haggerty in the first round.

Nevertheless, the highly acclaimed trainer knew Jonathan Haggerty could easily rise from such adversity.

Knowles said:

“I knew if I could get through to him and get him relaxed and let him know he can still do it, I knew he could do it. [There probably was] a little flicker [of worry], a little bit to be honest, like, ‘Oh no no.’ But I still knew he could do it.”

Knowles knew what he had to say to Haggerty heading into round 2, and whatever he told his student proved vital.

Haggerty evened the count in the second when he planted Lobo with a short left hook to score his first knockdown of the fight. ‘The General’ then finished the madness in the third with an overhand right to retain the gold.

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Christian Knowles recalls his first training session with Jonathan Haggerty

Christian Knowles’ trust in Jonathan Haggerty goes beyond that of coaches with their fighters.

The British striking coach has been a guiding voice for Haggerty for more than a decade now, and it’s this longevity that gives their partnership such a strong bond.

In the same interview, Knowles recalled how Haggerty’s father, Jon, brought the future ONE bantamweight Muay Thai and kickboxing world champion to Knowlesy Academy.

Knowles needed just a few minutes of training to realize Haggerty was destined for something special. He said:

“So I think we worked it out the other day, we’ve been training for 10 years coming up to 11 years. It started through his dad, his dad…we were at a show one day and I got on really well with his dad and his dad said, ‘You know what, I want to bring John up to you. And I said ‘Yeah, bring John up to me.’ And the first session I was like, ‘Wow, this kid’s special.’”

Watch Knowles' entire interview below: