November 20, 2022 – Singapore: ONE Championship™ (ONE) electrified the Singapore Indoor Stadium with ONE 163: Akimoto vs. Petchtanong. The event featured an exciting six-bout main card, headlined by a thrilling ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title fight and the ONE Heavyweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix Championship Final.
ONE Championship, in partnership with leading premium lifestyle and luxury performance brand TUMI, presented the prestigious ONE World Title and Grand Prix belts to the World Champions.
In the main event, Thai veteran Petchtanong Petchfergus put together one of the best performances of his career, upsetting divisional king Hiroki Akimoto via split decision to capture the ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title.
Akimoto put on the pressure in the first stanza, pushing forward behind aggressive combinations while Petchtanong patiently waited for an opportunity to counter. The Thai warrior unleashed his left knee more frequently in the second round, tagging the right side of Akimoto’s body, which turned black and blue from the punishment.
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The Japanese stalwart tried to battle back in the third frame, but he failed to make key adjustments, as he had difficulty dealing with the challenger’s expert timing. Petchtanong grew more confident as the bout went on, and he eventually cruised to a split-decision victory after 15 minutes of battle.
Source: The Nation