Petchmorakot ‘100 Percent Confident’ He Beat Vienot, Wants Superbon Next
Petchmorakot Petchyindee earned a hard-fought victory in his return to the Circle on Friday, 20 May, but his challenger pushed him every step of the way.
Jimmy Vienot threw everything he had at the reigning ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion in their ONE 157 main event clash at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, and in the end, Petchmorakot retained his gold with a razor-thin split decision.
Reflecting on the contest, the Petchyindee man admitted that “JV01” was his biggest challenge inside the Circle to date, but that he also learned some important lessons that will make him better in the future.
Petchmorakot said:
“Vienot was a very tough opponent. The size advantage was a really a big factor. It’s really hard to fight someone that big. And also, he had strong strikes behind his big frame.
“What I can improve is to counter when [a fighter] tries to grab my leg to sweep me every time. This is the main point that I will have to focus on.”
“JV01” started strong, controlling the first two stanzas until the Thai star found his rhythm and began to pressure him with punch combinations.
The new tactics paid dividends in round four as Petchmorakot sent his challenger to the canvas with a sharp lead hook to secure a 10-8 round.
When the match came to a close, the knockdown was the only thing that separated the pair, but it gave Petchmorakot the confidence that he did enough to sway the judges.
He said:
“I was 100 percent confident [about the decision] because I got the knockdown. That’s why I stopped pursuing him [in round five].”
Petchmorakot Open To Vienot Rematch, Wants Superbon And Tawanchai
Despite winning their five-round tussle, Petchmorakot Petchyindee recognizes that it was a close match with Jimmy Vienot.
However, he doesn’t want to get involved in any post-fight banter. Instead, he thinks the easiest option would be to run it back – if that’s what ONE brass and the promotion’s global fan base want.
Petchmorakot said:
“Instead of saying anything else, I want to say thank you [to Jimmy Vienot] for the fight. If people say that [they think he won], I’m ready and I’m open for a rematch.”
However, there are some other strong contenders that the Bangkok resident would love to defend his ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Title against next.
In particular, two of his countrymen have caught his eye, and Petchmorakot wants to take them on and prove that he is the top featherweight striker in ONE Super Series.
He said:
“I want to fight Tawanchai [PK.Saenchai], but it’s up to ONE Championship whether it’s Superbon [Singha Mawynn] or Tawanchai or anybody else in the division. I think a more entertaining fight for me would be with Superbon.
“I want to be the best, meaning there are no other contenders. I will beat everybody in the division.”
