Last Sunday, March 23, young phenom turned in a truly sensational performance to even the score with former foe in their bantamweight Muay Thai contest at .
The 20-year-old phenom turned in a dazzling performance in Japan.
Last Sunday, March 23, young phenom turned in a truly sensational performance to even the score with former foe in their bantamweight Muay Thai contest at .
Over the course of three action-packed rounds at Saitama Super Arena in Japan, the 20-year-old picked apart the Thai megastar with beautiful combinations, terrifying head kicks, and punches that carried big power.
The clear-cut decision victory marked an incredible redemption moment for Anane, who currently holds the ONE Interim Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title.
In his ONE debut less than two years ago, the Thai-Algerian suffered a crushing first-round knockout loss to Superlek. Anane has gone unbeaten since then, and his lopsided victory at ONE 172 served as a testament to his rapid evolution as a competitor.
After the fight, Anane spoke to the media. The towering striker was quick to thank his team and head coach, former ONE star , while brushing aside talks of moving up to featherweight:
바카라Everything went according to plan, thanks to Mehdi Zatout and his team, who have come up with a plan with him and trained me very hard for this fight. I want to let everyone know that when I바카라m in camp, my usual weight is around 70 to 71 kilograms (154-156 pounds), and I feel like I don바카라t want to move up anytime soon.바카라
For Anane, beating a pound-for-pound great like Superlek was a momentous occasion.
However, the victory was bittersweet. The bout was originally slated to be a ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title unification fight, but when 바카라The Kicking Machine바카라 failed to make weight, he was stripped of the division바카라s belt.
Whether the undisputed World Title was on the line or not, Anane has plenty to be proud of, having thoroughly outclassed a man who is widely considered the planet바카라s most talented overall striker:
바카라Yes, winning [against] Superlek means a lot to me. It means very, very much to me because this was my dream and my first goal, and I have achieved it.
바카라And the title, I feel bad that it wasn바카라t a match with a title. But what can I do? I made a lot of sacrifices for this fight because Superlek 바카라 to fight him and win was one of my goals. But I thought that I would have the title also. I would have the belt here, but it바카라s okay. Next time.바카라
Anane knows that his victory over Superlek was a career-defining moment and one that didn바카라t come easily. Incredibly, he did what global superstars like , , and haven바카라t done 바카라 emerge victorious against 바카라The Kicking Machine.바카라
He said that years of hard work, impeccable discipline, and determination brought him to this point:
바카라I feel so happy. And tonight, I did great work, and I바카라m proud of myself. I바카라m proud of my team. I바카라m proud of everyone. Thank you so much, to everyone who has always been behind me.
바카라I had so much sacrifice for this fight for years, and before this fight 바카라 [it was a] very, very, very tough preparation and a lot of sacrifices, and tonight, I made it. I바카라m proud of myself. Thank you to my team, and thank you, everyone.바카라
While any fight camp at the highest level is a difficult and demanding undertaking, Nabil Anane바카라s preparation for his rematch with Superlek Kiatmoo9 was particularly arduous.
That바카라s because, as a Muslim, he spent the final few weeks of his camp fasting during Ramadan, abstaining from food and water from sunrise to sunset.
He explained:
바카라I trained during Ramadan. It바카라s very difficult for me to adapt my schedule. It was very hard for me, and there were a lot of things that I needed to sacrifice to win. And I feel like I could have done better too, but I sacrificed a lot for this victory over Superlek.바카라
Pushing his body to its limit during Ramadan is just one of many ways in which Anane displays his super-human work ethic.
Perhaps that unique work ethic is why he takes issue with fans who discredit his accomplishments due to his height.
Standing at 6-foot-4 tall, the youngster held a massive height and reach advantage over Superlek 바카라 but there was much more to his victory over a man who hadn바카라t tasted defeat in over four years:
바카라Superlek actually weighed a little bit more than I do, and I want to let everyone know because a lot of people think that if you바카라re tall, you have the advantage.
바카라It바카라s not. I got a lot of hard training. I trained very hard for this. If being tall is the sole reason that you can win, I want to invite everyone who is tall to come and fight and become a champion.바카라