Liam Harrison has told British rival Jonathan Haggerty to "show some respect" and warned he could still defeat the two-sport world champion; Harrison makes his ONE Championship return against Katsuki Kitano on June 8, while Haggerty takes on pound-for-pound star Superlek on September 8
Wednesday 10 April 2024 10:58, UK
Liam Harrison has hit back at British rival Jonathan Haggerty.
Harrison is a legendary figure in combat sports who at 38 years of age will be returning to top level competition on June 8 in a ONE Championship Muay Thai bout against Katsuki Kitano.
Haggerty is a star himself. He holds the kickboxing and Muay Thai bantamweight championships simultaneously and will be defending the latter belt against pound-for-pound great Superlek Kiatmoo9 on September 6, live on Sky Sports.
But when he appeared on Sky's MMA Club podcast, Haggerty also called out Harrison to fight.
That elicited a furious response from Harrison.
"The guy is going to come across as the Jake Paul of Muay Thai if he keeps trying to call out old geezers like me," Harrison told Sky Sports.
"Show some respect for a start. I've knocked out more elite level fighters than he's even had fights.
"It's like I live in his head rent free because he won't shut up about fighting me."
But Harrison does think he can win a fight with Haggerty.
"Do I still think I could beat him now, even at my age? Yes definitely. But it's a 50-50 fight now," he said.
"Harrison in his prime," he continued. "That Harrison destroys Haggerty, pretty easily as well. But I'm not that guy. I'm older.
"Do I think I could still beat him? Yes, I still I have the gameplan and the tools to beat him, 100 percent. But it's a very dangerous fight now to fight a young hungry kid in their prime like that, when there are other fights out there for me, that people are calling for.
"Other legends and stuff like that, who are older like me. They'll be exciting fights."
Haggerty's last contest was a thrilling battle with Felipe Lobo, in which the champion had to rise from a knockdown to win.
But Harrison saw flaws in him during that title defence.
"If I'd have hurt him in the first round like Lobo did, I punch two or three times as hard as Lobo, that's fact, I'm faster, I'm stronger, I'm more aggressive and more ferocious. If I'd have got Haggerty hurt in the first round like Lobo did, I'd have [done] him, he'd have been gone," Harrison said.
"He needs to be careful what he's saying here and just think about it.
"He was very close to getting stopped there. I think in that fight he showed a lot of defensive flaws. He did show how good his heart is, he came back, he did what champions have to do. He's a very, very talented young man."
But Harrison added: "Haggerty needs to beat someone in their prime now, like Nico [Carrillo], like a Superlek, like a Rodtang, for him to go to that next level.
"He is a very, very dangerous young man. He's an exciting fighter to watch. [Against Superlek] we're going to see what he's really made of.
"Haggerty's been on great form, Superlek's been on great form, you're going to get an explosion."
Harrison is promising excitement in his own June 8 fight.
"It's going to be my job to keep [Kitano] under manners and show that I've still got what it takes to hang with the guys in ONE Championship," he said.
"I want people to remember me for the blood, the guts, the sweat, the action, the drama, which is what I usually always bring to the table when I fight and that's what I'm looking forward to for these next few fights that I've got coming up.
"I just want to get in there, have some highlight reel knockouts, some crazy wars as I have done throughout my whole career and enjoy myself."
