‘I’ve Been Waiting For This’ – Chingiz Allazov Eager For Redemption Against Marat Grigorian At ONE Fight Night 13
Chingiz “Chinga” Allazov cemented his status as the best pound-for-pound kickboxer on the planet in his last outing, but he is far from satisfied.
The newly crowned ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion knows he can’t rest on his laurels or let the success go to his head when he faces tough challengers like #2-ranked Marat Grigorian in the main event of ONE Fight Night 13 on Prime Video.
The superstar strikers will go to war on August 4 in North American primetime, giving Allazov another high-profile matchup after knocking out Thai icon Superbon Singha Mawynn to claim the gold earlier this year.
And while his stock has certainly skyrocketed since that World Title victory, his quest for improvement has never waned.
With that determined mindset, the 30-year-old says he’ll be ready for anything at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand:
“I’ve become one of the most popular fighters in the world. When I stay in Krabi, [Thailand], many Thai people came to pay respect to me. I have many followers. It’s good, but it hasn’t changed my mentality.
“I knew in my mind I was number one before Superbon. But I was like, ‘Okay, we will do this in the real world and let people see that I am number one.’
“The next morning [after the win], we had training with my coach. In the first round, I made one mistake. But we saw it and we went to train the next day. We train every day. I say, ‘Coach, please help me beat my next opponent.’”
At that point, Allazov didn’t know Grigorian would be next, but when it came to deciding on his first World Title defense, the choice was clear.
With a 2013 loss to the Armenian great still lingering in his mind, “Chinga” can’t wait to get his redemption in a trilogy bout – one that will take place atop the toughest division in all of kickboxing.
He said:
“I like this fight. I’ve been waiting for this day. ONE offered me three opponents for my first defense, and I picked Grigorian. We fought 10 years ago. The first time was a no contest. The second fight, I lost.
“After that, me and Marat moved up in the sport. We won tournaments. We won all the events. We won all the fights. I became number one in ONE Championship, the top fighter in my category, and my weight class is the best in the world.”
Chingiz Allazov Says Marat Grigorian Is ‘Not Technical’
Although Chingiz Allazov knows Marat Grigorian is as tough as they come, the reigning king thinks his own cerebral style will give him the edge.
Training out of the famed Gridin Gym in Belarus – where athletes are renowned for their brains as well as their brawn – Allazov believes he can match the aggressive challenger strike for strike. But above all, he expects to control the battle by fighting smartly.
The Azerbaijani-Belarusian star said:
“For me, Marat is not technical. He is the same as Superbon. He is a strong fighter. He likes to go forward. He’s an aggressive fighter. But he doesn’t have good technique. His real power is closing the distance.
“He likes to box, but I like to box more now. He likes kicks. I like kicking more now. He has speed and power. But I fight with my intelligence. I will get the victory.”
With that in mind, Allazov and his coach, Andrei Gridin, have worked on some tactics that they’re sure will keep the belt in Minsk.
Despite winning three of his last four matches inside the distance, “Chinga” won’t chase anything that isn’t there. Instead, he’ll put faith in his strategy and let the result take care of itself.
He added:
“I have many plans – to work my speed, move, and go forward and backward. We have a game plan for this fight, you will see in the fight.
“In my fights, I never plan for a knockout. I fight, and if I see a mistake, I punch. I score a knockout. Maybe Marat will make a mistake and I can knock him out. But my game plan is not the knockout. My game plan is to fight clever. My mind is ready, and my body is ready.”
