Hiroki Akimoto expects to be Londoner Jonathan Haggerty's toughest test yet in Tokyo

The former champion challenges Haggerty for the ONE bantamweight kickboxing title at ONE SAMURAI 4 at Ariake Arena on Saturday, with the event starting at 07:30 UK time.

Hiroki Akimoto believes he will give Jonathan Haggerty a harder fight than anyone the Londoner has faced in ONE Championship, the Japanese challenger told ONE Championship before their bantamweight kickboxing world title fight in Tokyo this weekend.

Haggerty defends the belt against Akimoto in the main event of ONE SAMURAI 4 at Ariake Arena on Saturday 17 October. The event starts at 15:30 in Tokyo, which is 07:30 on Saturday morning in the UK and Ireland. The co-main event is Nadaka's atomweight Muay Thai world title defence against Malaysia's Rifdean Masdor.

Haggerty, 29, is from London and learned Muay Thai from his father. He became a two-sport ONE world champion in November 2023 when he knocked out Fabricio Andrade in the second round to win the vacant bantamweight kickboxing title, months after taking the bantamweight Muay Thai belt from Nong-O Gaiyanghadao. He lost the Muay Thai title to Superlek by first-round knockout in September 2024, but has kept the kickboxing belt with unanimous decision wins over Wei Rui in February 2025 and Yuki Yoza at ONE SAMURAI 1 in Tokyo in April.

Akimoto, 34, won the same title from Capitan Petchyindee in March 2022 and lost it to Petchtanong Petchfergus on a split decision that November. Defeats to Wei Rui and Ilias Ennahachi followed in 2024, before a three-fight winning run on points against former ONE bantamweight MMA world champion John Lineker, Wei Rui and Taimu Hisai.

He was ringside at ONE SAMURAI 1 when Haggerty beat Yoza over five rounds. "Coming to Japan and defending the title on enemy turf with such a dominant performance really is impressive. But I promise the fight with me won't go that way," he said.

Haggerty has rated Akimoto highly for years, and the challenger said that regard stood out because it held through his losing run. "Given that I went through three losses in a row, the fact that he still felt that way about me might mean he expected me to climb back up," Akimoto said. "I think I'll be a tougher opponent for him than anyone he's faced before. It's nice that he felt that way, but I want to prove it properly in the fight."

Akimoto, whose Kyokushin karate background underpins a varied kicking game, has studied how Haggerty switches stances to find attacking angles. "He's a switch-hitter, someone who switches stances a lot. I think a lot of the fighters he's faced before have been a bit sloppy in how they approached him," he said. "I want to handle that carefully. And on the flip side, I've also got plenty of surprises prepared, so I hope everyone looks forward to seeing them."

He does not believe Haggerty holds a decisive physical edge. "Haggerty does have power, but I don't think I'll lose out on power. I'm confident in my power, stamina, and speed," he said. "I think the thing I really need to watch out for with Haggerty is his range, distance management, and his movement to take angles. If I can shut those down well, I don't think I'll have any trouble winning."

Akimoto has also heard Haggerty's prediction of a second-round finish. "Of course, I've prepared for every scenario. But Haggerty said at the press conference earlier that he's going for a second-round finish, and if he comes at me looking for a finish, that actually makes it easier for me to finish him. It depends on how he comes at me, but if he comes to knock me out, there's a chance I end up knocking him out instead," he said.

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