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At ONE 163 on November 19, the bantamweight kickboxing world championship is on the line, as Japan’s Hiroki Akimoto will look to defend his world title for the first time against Petchtanong Petchfergus.
Having gone 1-1 inside the circle, this will be a tough fight for the challenger Petchtanong. His opponent is on a five-fight win streak and is coming off of the best win of his career at ONE X.
In an interview with ONE Championship, the Thai fighter gave his analysis of Hiroki Akimoto as he prepares to challenge for his bantamweight title:
“Akimoto’s strength is his stamina. He’s a very strong athlete. His punches and kicks are heavy, and he has good cardio to fight throughout five rounds. He also understands the rules of kickboxing very well, but I am confident that his skills and techniques are not as good as mine.”
After a very rough start to life inside the circle, Petchtanong picked up his first win since signing with ONE Championship against Zhang Chenglong in his last fight. His next bout against Akimoto will serve as the main event for ONE 163, live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
After claiming world championships all around the world, the ONE bantamweight title is the next one on Petchtanong’s hit list.
Hiroki Akimoto well-prepared to face southpaw Petchtanong in first world title defense
In his first title defense after a great display at ONE X, Hiroki Akimoto will return to the circle at ONE 163. On November 19, he will face decorated Thai-born fighter Petchtanong Petchfergus.
Training out of Evolve MMA, Akimoto is on a hot streak right now and believes he is well prepared for anything that Petchtanong can throw at him. While speaking to Beyond Kick, he said:
"I don’t have any special strategies in mind. But as I’ve been practising for orthodox opponents for a long time, this time I’ve shifted my training to be ready to approach a southpaw. You’ll see what I have prepared for in the fight."
In a fight of the year contender, Hiroki Akimoto claimed the ONE bantamweight kickboxing world championship via decision against Capitan Petchyindee. Now riding a five-fight win streak, the karate-based fighter has all the momentum he needs to put together an impressive run.
Before he can let himself get carried away with questions of legacy, Akimoto must successfully defend his world championship at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Whilst his opponent may only be 1-1 inside the circle, Petchtanong has collected world titles throughout his career.
At ONE 163 on November 19, he will look to add another title win to his resume and cut the world championship reign of Akimoto short.
