ONE Championship: Rodtang would get ‘schooled’ by Superlek and lose to Takeru, Liam Harrison says

‘This a sport and you should want to see who is the best in the division, the best on the planet,’ bantamweight Muay Thai contender says

Harrison backs ‘dangerous’ Japanese star Takeru Segawa to beat ONE flyweight Muay Thai king Rodtang in kickboxing

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Rodtang (left) and Superlek hold the flyweight Muay Thai and kickboxing titles respectively in ONE. Photo: ONE Championship

Published: 1:00pm, 1 Jul 2023Updated: 8:39am, 3 Jul 2023

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Liam Harrison believes Rodtang Jitmuangnon would lose to both Superlek Kiatmoo9 and Takeru Segawa in kickboxing – but is not convinced he would even take the fights in ONE Championship.

Rodtang was set to challenge Superlek for the ONE flyweight kickboxing title in March but withdrew injured just days before the fight in Singapore. A month later he told the Post that he no longer wanted to fight his compatriot, because he wanted more Thai champions in ONE – a stance Superlek has begun echoing.

Both men have now called out the UK’s Jonathan Haggerty, who holds the Muay Thai title up a weight division. But bantamweight contender Harrison feels they should settle matters in their own division first.

“I spoke to Superlek not long back, because I did a training camp with him, and he kept saying to me he wanted to fight Rodtang. So I’m not sure if someone whispered in his ear and said, ‘Please don’t fight Rodtang’,” the 37-year-old Briton told the Post.

“God knows what’s going on there. I know they both keep saying we want to keep the belts in Thailand, we don’t want to fight each other. Surely the only way to keep the belts in Thailand is if the Thais fight the Thais? That’s logic, isn’t it? I don’t get it.