ONE CHAMPIONSHIP: BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMP JONATHAN HAGGERTY SCARED TO FACE ME, SAYS NICO CARRILLO
- Scottish fighter Carillo is ranked at No 1 in the division and said that Englishman Haggerty 'doesn't want to build a fight with me'
Nico Carrillo has accused bantamweight Muay Thai champion Jonathan Haggerty of running scared as the Scottish fighter prepares to face Saepametch Fairtex at ONE Fight Night 23 on Saturday.
Nicknamed the "King of the North", Carillo is ranked No 1 in the division and said that Haggerty is avoiding him.
Asked to name the top contenders in the bantamweight division, Englishman Haggerty had omitted Carrillo and the 25-year-old said that was because he was afraid to face him.
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"He's not underestimating me at all," Carrillo said. "Haggerty knows I'm the hardest fight in this division.
"The reason he's not saying my name is because he doesn't want to build a fight with me. He knows it will be the end of him."
However, before thinking about a title fight, Carrillo must first overcome Saemapetch and he said that was an opportunity to show the promotion he belonged among its top fighters.
"At this point, I feel like I'm the best fighter in the world," he said. "I'm the most hard-working.
"All I need is for ONE to make the right matchups, put me on the platform and let me prove it because I have done that so far every single time."
Carrillo is coming off the back of impressive victories over Muangthai PKSaenchaigym and Nong-O Gaiyanghadao at Lumpinee Stadium that he thinks have won him the respect of the fans in Thailand.
And, despite facing one of their heroes on Saturday, the Scotsman said he believed some of the locals would be behind him.
"When I walk out, I think a lot of the Thai fans will be cheering for me, not just their homeboy Saemapetch," he added. "If they keep giving me Thais to fight, I'll keep putting them down. There's nobody getting in my way."
Haggerty will next defend his title against Superlek Kiatmoo9, who beat the champion six years ago, at ONE 168 in September.
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This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.
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2024-07-03T07:10:55Z dg43tfdfdgfd
