Zhang Chenglong Has Aggressive Plan To Win World Title
“Muay Thai Boy” Zhang Chenglong believes he can capture the gold at ONE: MARK OF GREATNESS, and he can do it by knocking out Alaverdi “Babyface Killer” Ramazanov.
The Chinese star has enjoyed a stellar first year in The Home Of Martial Arts, and has come to the cusp of glory with three exciting wins in his first three bouts.
Next Friday, 6 December, he will enter the Circle in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to battle for the inaugural ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title against another of the hottest young athletes on the global stage.
Ramazanov has also claimed a trio of wins since he entered the world’s largest martial arts organization, but despite his knockouts of Andrew Miller and Ognjen Topic, Zhang expects there will only be one winner if they trade leather at the Axiata Arena.
“I saw a few of my opponent’s fight videos. He is quite well-rounded and his movements were very agile, but I think he’s not so fierce,” the 21-year-old from Shenzen says.
“He is more of a technical type. His advantage is his height. He is tall, his reach and legs are long, and his movements are fast.
“If he can dominate me for five rounds then maybe he will win, but if he can’t, then he’d better be careful.”
It is no surprise “Muay Thai Boy” is so confident because he has looked better and better every time he has competed in ONE Super Series.
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At first, he seemed hesitant to let go of his punches, but he unleashed his power in the final round against Panicos Yusuf in May to score two knockdowns and capture a unanimous decision from an entertaining bout.
He followed that by getting fans out of their seats with his rocket of a right hand in Shanghai in June that dispatched Tyler Hardcastle after just 105 seconds.
He looks set to go back to his aggressive style against Ramazanov – move forward and let rip to stop the Russian from finding his rhythm, and try to put him down inside the distance.
“I have heavier punches and kicks,” Zhang says.
“In the entire fight, I will be controlling the pace. I will keep pressuring the opponent, then in round three or four, there’s a possibility of a knockout. I should get a win by points after five rounds [if it goes that far].”
The only thing that seems to have given the Shengli Fight Club representative any cause for concern is his time away from the action.
By the time he steps under the lights for the co-main event match-up in KL, it will have been almost six months since he competed, but he has looked at his absence in a positive light.
Despite his experience and accomplishments, the Top King Muay Thai World Champion is still young as a martial artist, and he has used the time to take his technique to the next level so he does not waste this golden chance at glory.
“Right from the start, I wanted this World Title so much,” he adds.
“Since I’ve signed with ONE last year, I’ve been wanting my own ONE belt and I’ve waited for a year. Now the opportunity finally comes, I have to take it.”
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