Superlek Kiatmoo9 knows he has all the bases covered when he takes on Tagir Khalilov in his next match in ONE Championship.
The ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion, however, is still cautious of the Russian knockout machine.
Ahead of ONE Fight Night 12, Superlek had a brief conversation with South China Morning Post. It was in that interview where Superlek pointed out how Khalilov can turn the tides of their fight this Friday at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.
Superlek said:
“I think he has very strong punches, and I think he's dangerous.”
Superlek does have a couple of reasons why he needs to be wary of Khalilov once they’re in between the ropes.
Khalilov is one of the hardest hitters in the current Muay Thai landscape, and he’s used those explosive striking in his past two fights.
‘Samingpri’ is coming off two straight first-round knockouts against Chorfah Tor Sangtiennoi and Black Panther. Those deadly finishes ultimately earned Khalilov the unofficial nickname “Thai Killer” within the sport.
Superlek may be vigilant in his assessment of Khalilov, but the flyweight kickboxing king is considered one of the best fighters of the modern era.
‘The Kicking Machine’ was a two-division Lumpinee Stadium world champion before he wreaked havoc in ONE Championship’s flyweight Muay Thai and kickboxing divisions.
The Thai superstar holds an overall professional record of 134-29-4 and is a stellar 10-1 in ONE Championship. Superlek is also on a six-fight winning streak across Muay Thai and kickboxing.
Superlek captured the vacant ONE flyweight kickboxing world title against Daniel Puertas this past January. He then retained the gold with a third-round KO of Danial Williams ONE Fight Night 8 this past March.
After two straight kickboxing matches, Superlek returned to Muay Thai and body-shot KO’d 6-foot-2 phenom Nabil Anane at ONE Friday Fights 22 last month.
Superlek’s bout against Khalilov, as well as the rest of the ONE Fight Night 12 card, is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America.
Watch Superlek's entire interview below:
