Petchtanong Petchfergus insists his three decades of experience will prove the difference against Nabil Anane at ONE Fight Night 25 next week.
The former ONE Championship bantamweight kickboxing champion will look to wrap up a title shot at Lumpinee Stadium on December 7, but he faces a tall task in the towering Muay Thai upstart from Venum Training Camp.
Thai-Algerian 20-year-old Anane has made a successful move up from flyweight and has five consecutive wins since a debut loss to Superlek Kiatmookao in July 2023.
The 39-year-old Petchtanong, however, believes he can shut down the young upstart’s hype train at Lumpinee Stadium.
"Actually, my only disadvantage would be my age and height, but believe me, my experience is not to be underestimated,” Petchtanong said at an open workout this week at Superbon Training Camp.
“I've already had around 100 fights under kickboxing rules, and if I fight in these rules, I've got a pretty big advantage. I’ve collected 30 years of experience. I can handle anything.”
No 5-ranked Anane is not far off a bantamweight Muay Thai title shot, but could put his name in the mix for another belt with a win in his first match under kickboxing rules.
"I think Nabil is a pretty good athlete, he's strong and aggressive. He can both put the pressure on, and can be on his back foot,” Petchtanong added.
“He's got a pretty good right-handed punch, he's got good knees. He'll run out of opponents in a couple of years in ONE."
Petchtanong returned from a 19-month absence – which included a one-year suspension for a positive drugs test, that saw him stripped of his title – to defeat Alaverdi Ramazanov by second-round TKO in June.
Jonathan Haggerty has since claimed the belt, and it set to fight either No 1 contender Wei Rui or No 2 Ilias Ennahachi in early 2025, but the Thai legend wants to be next in line.
"There is no strict plan for this fight. No matter what he throws at me, I'm going to have to keep dealing with it,” Petchtanong added.
“I'm only hoping for a chance to get a title shot. I’m aiming to reign over this division again. I’m ready.
"I've been training since I won the last fight. I was also training in boxing in the US and Canada, and continued to train when I came back to Thailand. Once ONE offered me the fight, I knew I had always been ready.”
