On the evening of February 25, in the "ONE: Life goes On" match, Romain Keklia from Krasnograd, Ukraine, completed the defense of the gold belt of the light heavyweight kickboxing world champion in just 2 minutes and 32 seconds. He knocked out ISKA Super Heavyweight World Champion Murat Aigon twice, winning KO cleanly and receiving a $50,000 bonus. Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, a great war between Ukraine and Russia has begun. The war shrouded the sky, and also cast a haze on Kekeria's mood after defending her title.
Despite having a height advantage of 2 meters, Keklia is not the kind of boxer who blindly pursues KO. "My coach told me I had to use my wit to fight." On this night, Keklia showed a different side of himself, he easily knocked down Aigon, who had a super ability to resist the fight, and let people see the strength of the Ukrainian Warriors. Behind the seemingly effortless victory is Keklia's ability to accurately grasp the timing, explosive strike ability and unparalleled intelligence in the ring.
"I can attack aggressively or I can wait in silence for an opportunity, depending on the circumstances at the time. I want to show all kickboxing enthusiasts how to rely on wisdom to fight, not only to slam, but also to move more skillfully and tactically. When I see the timing of the offense, I get very aggressive. I have enough patience when I need to wait for an opportunity. ”
It was Kekeria's second defending title since KO Morocco "Tank" Tarik Babez won the gold belt of the light heavyweight kickboxing world championship. In his first defending battle, he defeated Andre Stoka of "Mr. KO" in five rounds. Although the match did not KO opponents, Keklia controlled the rhythm from the beginning of the game and successfully defended the title without suspense. After the two defending titles, Keklia's eyes are no longer limited to light and heavyweights. He wants to dominate the heavyweights and let the world see the strength of the Ukrainian warriors.
Referring to the ideal opponent of the heavyweight, Keklia said the name of Reed Opasik. The Serbian Muay Thai champion is also 2 meters tall, and his fists and legs contain terrifying explosive power, scoring consecutive KO victories on the ONE Championship and is considered one of the candidates for the heavyweight kickboxing world championship. More importantly, he had a confrontation with Keklia once. After losing to Kekeria, Opacik is ready for revenge. For Opacik, if the desire for revenge can be combined with the desire to win the championship, it is naturally the best.
Keklia: "A lot of people are asking me about Opasik. Of course, it would be fun to play against him and a lot of people wanted to see the two of us playing one. We played once three years ago and that win wasn't difficult for me. But I find that he's getting a lot stronger now, I like his style, he can bring wonderful KO, but I have 100% confidence to win again. The competition depends on the official arrangement. ”
The fighting in Ukraine has led many people to pray for world peace. As a boxer, kekeria may be able to win in the boxing world and show the world the strength and courage of Ukrainians.
Do you think Keklia can become a double-class world champion, and what do you have to say about the Ukrainian boxer?