Liam Harrison shares insane pro-boxing fight story from his time in Cambodia

Liam Harrison is just weeks away from the biggest fight of his combat sports career.

Following an incredible come-from-behind victory over Muangthai PK.Saenchai at ONE 156 in April, Harrison will meet the reigning bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nong-O Gaiyanghadao in the co-main event of ONE on Prime Video 1 on August 26.

Liam Harrison took some time out from training to appear on the popular podcast, the Joe Rogan Experience. He discussed a crazy story about a professional boxing match he participated in while in Cambodia.

Harrison shared a clip from the podcast on his Instagram account that features the story.

“Anyone who’s spent any long period of time fighting in thailand will have a few stories like these L, life experience like no other …. Can also get me on tik tok liambadco_”

“Some promoter walking around the gym and Jerry went, ‘Oh, I want you to go fight pro-boxing in Cambodia.’ I said, 'I’ve never fought pro-boxing.' He said, ‘it’s alright, just go do it’ and I jokingly said, ‘Yeah, alright.’ And then he came back in the next day and I thought I’m not going to hear anything about it again. He started taking photos of me and I’m like, ‘Gee, what’s this guy doing?’ He said, ‘You’re fighting pro-boxing,’ and I don’t want to fight. I’ve never fought pro-boxing. He said, ‘You punch hard, you’ll be okay.’”

Liam Harrison continued:

“I said, 'I’m not doing it and he said it’s double the money you get for Thai boxing.' I went, ‘Alright, we’ll do it.’ I said, 'Alright just this time. One time.' So I had to go to Cambodia and I said to my Thai coach, ‘What day are we going in?’ He went, ‘I can’t go.’ [I said] ‘What do you mean you can’t go?’ He said, ‘They want to make it look like they’ve flown you in from England, so you’ve got to go with another western person.’ So I had to go with one of the other fighters who was training there.”

---

Liam Harrison’s first foray into Cambodian combat sports would be his last

Liam Harrison went on to discuss arriving in Cambodia on a propeller plane and later learned in a newspaper that his opponent was advertized as Cambodia’s No. 1 professional boxer.

“I got absolutely punched around for the first round and a half. I broke my nose in the first round and I had no idea what we were going to do with a six round fight and in round two, I dropped him with a left hook and he was out starfished. I was running around the ring, jumping on the ropes, celebrating and stuff like that and it must have been about 20 seconds. I turned around and the ref is still counting like, ‘Five [long pause[, six.’ Like, that slow."

Harrison continued:

"Eventually on eight, he picked him up off the floor and stood him up and said fight. I ran back in and dropped him again. The ref picked him back up again, didn’t give him a count. Took him to his corner, sat him down, gave him a drink of water, wiped his nose, and sent him back out again. I dropped him again in round four and again in round six and the ref just picked him up off the floor every time.”

Harrison said that he eventually won the bout on points. After returning to Bangkok, he was told a week later that he had another offer to fight in Cambodia, this time for double pay from his previous appearance. Harrison emphatically turned down the offer.

An interview featuring Harrion’s complete story, which was used for the transcription, can be viewed by clicking here.