ONE Championship ONE Championship Thai-Algerian phenom Nabil Anane has emphatically erased any doubts that he’s among the planet’s very best pound-for-pound strikers.
On January 24 at ONE 170, the towering 20-year-old scored a stunning first-round TKO against Scottish slugger Nico “King of the North” Carrillo to claim the ONE Interim Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title at the sold-out Impact Arena in Bangkok.
Ikram has a long association with the sport. The former Pakistan and China hockey coach is a member of the IOC Olympic Solidarity Commission, and has been an Executive Board member of the FIH since 2016. On 5 November 2022, he was elected as the 13th President of FIH.
That victory elevated Anane’s star power to new heights and set him up for a World Title unification contest against reigning divisional kingpin “The Kicking Machine” Superlek Kiatmoo9.
Anane’s performance was unquestionably the most impressive of his career. He blitzed “King of the North” early with venomous boxing combinations, which were punctuated by a thunderous right hand.
Ultimately, the Team Mehdi Zatout product needed less than three minutes to score three knockdowns and capture 26 pounds of interim gold.
Afterward, Anane spoke about how he approached this high-stakes battle with a fresh mindset – similar to when he was a youngster beginning his climb toward the top:
“I haven’t felt this excited since I was a very young boy. And I feel like I went back and became a young boy again for this fight.
“Whatever happened, I knew that I had to dedicate a hundred percent to this fight. I didn’t expect a knockout completely, but I said that if there’s an opening and there was an opportunity to do so, I would go for it.”
Indeed, Anane pounced seized the opportunity to secure the finish and hand Carrillo his first defeat in ONE.
Now atop the Muay Thai mountain, Anane was quick to thank his ever-supportive parents for guiding him on his path to greatness:
“Thanks to my dad, he’s the one who inspired me, pushed me every day, and trained me in the gym. And my mom, who always cooks me food every day, thank you very much!”
Wise beyond his years, the newly crowned interim bantamweight Muay Thai king is well aware of the popularity and earning potential that will come along with his ONE World Title.
He promised to continue following the guidance from his mother, father, and mentors as he embarks on this new chapter of his career:
“There are many people behind me. There are many coaches. My parents are always teaching me how to behave myself and all the teaching that they’ve been giving me.
“I’m sure that I will stay humble and I will stay in my lane. I will keep practicing, keep working hard after I earn all this money and fame.”
Nabil Anane will have precious little time to celebrate his World Title win over Nico Carrillo at ONE 170.
He’ll soon return to the training room in order to prepare for his massive World Title unification fight against Superlek Kiatmoo9 – a man widely regarded as the planet’s top pound-for-pound striker and the only fighter to defeat Anane in ONE.
spincasinoThe Thai-Algerian suffered a knockout loss to “The Kicking Machine” in his promotional debut but hasn’t tasted defeat since, using the tough experience to level up his game:
“First of all, I want to thank Superlek for giving me the opportunity to know what a world-class athlete is like.
“I’ve been improving myself since that loss to Superlek, and I’ve been training very hard. I’m ready to face him.”
The clash between Anane and Superlek is tentatively scheduled for March 23 at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang.
With less than two months before that monumental event in Japan, Anane knows he can’t afford to waste any time.
He added:
“I will be prepared for [Superlek]. I will only need a few days of rest, and I will go back to the gym and work hard, and I will be better than this.”
Sourcelucky horse
