Petchtanong Petchfergus eyes clash with Wei Rui in ONE Championship

Following his triumphant return to action, Petchtanong Petchfergus knows who he wants to face next.

The former ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion came back from a nearly two-year hiatus in scintillating fashion.

He stopped fellow ex-divisional kingpin Alaverdi Ramazanov by TKO in the second round of their bout this past June at ONE Friday Fights 68.

Eager to make up for lost time, Petchtanong is ready to step back into the ring sooner rather than later. He has his sights set on sharing the stage with Chinese superstar Wei Rui.

“Wei Rui is the No. 1 [fighter] in China, and he seems to be a really good fighter,” the Thai stalwart said.

Wei made his promotional debut last May. There, he went through the wringer with former titleholder Hiroki Akimoto to emerge victorious by a close unanimous decision.

This hard-fought win catapulted Wei to the top spot in the division’s rankings.

Throughout his illustrious career, Petchtanong has faced some of the best in the sport. Now, he wants to establish his staying power as an elite striker by taking on the next available contender in his weight class. 

“I am very interested in fighting the best of the best fighters. I just want to let other people know that I’m also a bit older than other people in my career. I’m doing my best. I still can perform,” he said.

Petchtanong Petchfergus feels relieved to be back in the mix

Petchtanong Petchfergus expressed a sense of relief after finally being able to lace up a pair of gloves and compete again.

The 38-year-old had a lengthy stay on the sidelines due to a failed out-of-competition drug test in June 2023. As a consequence, the promotion stripped him of the ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title he won against Hiroki Akimoto in November 2022.

“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. That was such a great feeling,” he said.

“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.”