Petchtanong Petchfergus returned with a huge statement this past weekend and he will use this momentum to try and reclaim his lost gold. At ONE Friday Fights 68 this past weekend, the former ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion stopped a fellow former world titleholder in Alaverdi ‘Babyface Killer’ Ramazanov in the second round of their match inside the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

It was sweet redemption for the Thai star, as he was stripped of his belt and suspended for failing an off-competition drug test last year. And the former champion was moved to tears after the victory, as he told the press after his victory.

Petchtanong held back tears walking into Ramazanov fight

In the post-fight press conference, he was ecstatic while sharing his experience in his first fight back in over a year. “I’m so happy, I tear up, even when I started to walk out, and also when I started to hear the crowd cheering my name and cheering for me, screaming my name,” he said.

“That was such a great feeling. And when I finished the fight already, of course, I was happy because I won, but also I’m happier because I made a comeback. I’’m happy with my performance, but moreover, I just really want to stress to everyone the fact that I’m back in the ring today. I’m just really happy,” he added.

What made his return even sweeter is that he knocked out a formidable opponent in Ramazanov. The Russian striker was the inaugural ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion, claiming the belt at ONE: MARK OF GREATNESS back in December 2019 at the expense of China’s Zhang Chenglong.

A veteran of ONE’s striking divisions, ‘Babyface Killer’ has seven wins in the promotion with four knockouts to his name, including a first-round stoppage against Italy’s Alessandro Sara at ONE Friday Fights 31 last September – his last fight before facing the Superbon Training Camp athlete last weekend. And while the bout ultimately went his way, Petchtanong shed light on the challenge Ramazanov turned out to be.

Petchtanong commends ‘Babyface Killer’s performance despite stoppage

While it may have looked fairly easy for him, Petchtanong revealed that Ramazanov was truly a challenge for him before he caught him with his fight-ending combination. However, he also said his confidence in his skill never wavered, and he had no doubt that he will pick up the win on that night.

“It was very difficult. It was a bit tricky to predict his timing. And he’s very fast, and I know that I was able to control the game when I felt that he was a bit tired, he was starting to feel exhausted, and he started getting slower in order to run away and to dodge the weapons,” he said.

The Bantamweight revealed that while he initially started off slow because he wanted to get a better read on his opponent, he was confident enough by the second round to walk Ramazanov down, ultimately stopping him.

“I am more experienced, and my defensive game is better, and in the ring, in the first round, it was a little bit slow because I just wanted to see how things would go. And in the second round, I just started to walk forward, putting pressure on and then it worked,” he added.