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Thai veteran striker ‘Smokin’ Jo Nattawut briefly contemplated retirement prior to his most recent outing last weekend at ONE Fight Night 17. But after the performance of a lifetime in a late ‘Fight of the Year’ contender, it’s clear Nattawut has at least a few more years to offer fans in terms of action and excitement.
Nattawut went the distance with ONE Championship newcomer ‘The Chef’ Luke Lessei, on a card that featured seven out of eight bouts with finishes. The two went to war in the co-main event at ONE Fight Night 17: Kryklia vs. Roberts on Prime Video, which took place at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand last Saturday, December 9th.
‘Smokin Jo’ and ‘The Chef’ went toe-to-toe for three full rounds, unloading their best shots on each other with neither willing to back down. What resulted was a unanimous decision for Nattawut, and one of the most exciting fights in ONE Championship history.
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Speaking to Mitch Chilson in his post-fight interview, Nattawut revealed that he actually hurt his hand early in the fight, which came as a surprise given his performance in the later rounds.
‘Smokin’ Jo said:
“I know I’m stronger, but first round, my right hand started to bother me. That’s why it was a little bit harder. Look at my right hand, all the blood. Wow, crazy.”
What’s next for ‘Smokin’ Jo Nattawut?
A perennial contender, ‘Smokin’ Jo Nattawut is a tough out for any man he is in the ring with, and he’s been in there with the best of them, including guys like Giorgio Petrosyan, Chingiz Allazov, Jamal Yusupov, and Tawanchai.
That’s a long list of elite names. The 34-year-old wants to make another run at the world title while he’s still in his physical prime, so look for Nattawut to face another top contender soon to make his case.
Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action of ONE Fight Night 17: Kryklia vs. Roberts via replay on-demand with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
