Thai superstar Petchtanong Petchfergus has been dreaming of returning to the ring for well over a year, and at ONE Friday Fights 68: Prajanchai vs. Di Bella this Friday, his moment will arrive.
The former ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion is back in action on June 28 when he faces another former divisional king, Alaverdi Ramazanov, in a high stakes battle at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Speaking at the pre-fight press conference, Petchtanong promised an entertaining contest.
“It’s hard to predict someone like Alaverdi because he’s a very unorthodox and fast fighter. I’m going to slow him down by being as fast as him or even faster than him. I’m going to adapt to Alaverdi’s style and focus on both my defense and offense round by round,” he said.
“This fight will be entertaining. It might not go three rounds.”
Ramazanov holds the number three spot in the divisional rankings, meaning that a victory could thrust Petchtanong right back into the World Title conversation.
Petchtanong Petchfergus is staying grounded on road to redemption
Petchtanong Petchfergus could land himself a shot at redemption, and the ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Tite, if he can defeat Russian contender Alaverdi Ramazanov at ONE Friday Fights 68.
The 38-year-old was sensationally stripped of his divisional crown after failing an out-of-competition drug test in the months following his stunning 2022 World Title win over Hiroki Akimoto.
Despite the circumstances of his fall from the top of the bantamweight kickboxing mountain, Petchtanong says that he has given little thought to the prospect of regaining the 26-pound gold belt.
“I haven’t put any thought on getting the belt back yet,” he said.
“Since I’ve been away, I’ve thought about my return every day and now that ONE and Chatri [Sityodtong] have given me the opportunity to return, I’m very excited. I’ve been training hard in the gym and focusing on my fight against Alaverdi. I’ll think about the belt afterward.”
Petchtanong joined ONE in 2020 after a storied career that spanned more than 400 fights, grabbing himself both the WBC and WMC Muay Thai World Titles along the way.
He defeated Akimoto by split decision in November 2022 to claim the ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title in one of the most memorable battles of that year before his unfortunate fall from grace.