BY Dan Paulo Errazo
ONE: DREAMS OF GOLD will bear witness to the highly-anticipated rematch between Smokin’ Jo Nattawut and Giorgio “The Doctor” Petrosyan on August 16 at the Impact Arena in Thailand.
The Bangkok Boxing representative kept a close eye on his bracket’s matchups after winning his quarterfinal bout with Sasha Moisa, particularly the Petrosyan-Petchmorakot showdown that had the entire industry abuzz.
“That was really a good match between Petchmorakot and Petrosyan,” Nattawut said.
“In my opinion, Petchmorakot and Petrosyan did win their respective meetings. It was a really tough match to judge and I have really high respect for both of them.”
The 29-year-old first met Petrosyan during the launch of ONE Super Series at ONE: HEROES OF HONOR. Although he put forth a game effort, Nattawut’s powerful strikes were simply not enough to overcome the precision of “The Doctor”. This time, Nattawut is hoping for a more favorable result.
“Petrosyan is truly a precision kickboxer,” Nattawut said.
“He is patient in waiting for an opening before he releases those heavy punches, I know because I have fought him before. I also noticed that he recently gets easily tired when he competes and that along with my kicks and knees will work to my advantage. I just simply need to do well in all aspects of the game to proceed to the finals.”
There’s a lot at stake in the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix — bragging rights for one, not to mention a hefty US $1 million cash prize. However, none of that is on Nattawut’s mind at the moment. The Thai fighter maintains he is laser-focused on the moment and is taking things one step at a time, starting with beating Petrosyan.
“I’m not thinking about the prize money or who I will be facing in the finals just yet,” Nattawut concluded.
“I just want to make sure that my focus and attention is on my preparations for Petrosyan. I’m taking it one step at a time. This match first then I can think about the rest when I’m there.”
