“He likes to have a fight, but I like to punch” – Freddie Haggerty open to Muay Thai war with fellow teenage slugger Johan Ghazali

Freddie Haggerty believes a clash against fellow young phenom Johan Ghazali would pique his interest down the line.

The 19-year-old British striker got things off and running on the global stage of martial arts at ONE Friday Fights 49 inside the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium on January 26.

He lived up to every bit of hype in Bangkok, Thailand, sticking to his promise by finishing Thai star Dangkalong Sor Dechapan in only 14 seconds of the second round.

After such an impressive debut, many feel that the new ONE acquisition could follow a similar path as the organization’s stand-out teenage talent from 2023, Malaysian-American athlete Johan Ghazali.

In a post-fight interview with the South China Morning Post, Freddie Haggerty had this to say about the polished knockout artist:

“Yeah, [I’d be open to it]. I think he's a little bit heavier than me, but that doesn't bother me as he's doing it well. He's smashing it. He likes to have a fight, but I like to punch. So yeah, well done to him.”

Watch the full interview here:

Like Haggerty, the Rentap Muay Thai affiliate instantly made a statement in his promotional bow at ONE Friday Fights 6, needing only 16 seconds to put Padetsuk Fairtex to sleep inside the Thai capital.

He has added three more knockouts and a decision win since, most recently taking out former ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title challenger Edgar Tabares at ONE Fight Night 17 in December last year.

To cap off his electrifying year, Ghazali was named the promotion's breakout star of 2023.

There has not been any news about either martial artist's next fight under the ONE banner, but as always, stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for more updates on everything ONE Championship.

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Jonathan Haggerty: Freddie Haggerty is "destined for this"

Though Freddie Haggerty had big shoes to fill after his elder brother’s two-sport dominance in ONE Championship last year, the 19-year-old showed no signs of any stage fright to perform under the brightest lights of martial arts.

With Jonathan Haggerty in his corner, the college student was calm and collected throughout his tie until the highlight-reel moment, proving that he’s cut from the same cloth as his elder brother.

As a result, Jonathan was impressed by what he saw from his sibling, claiming that Freddie Haggerty has it in him to make a name for himself in the promotion.

The ONE bantamweight Muay Thai and kickboxing king, who defends his gold against Felipe Lobo in the main event of ONE Fight Night 19, said:

“He’s destined for this, you know. He’s going to be great.”