Anatoly Malykhin expects Dmitry Menshikov to bounce back from KO loss: “He is a very smart fighter”

Reigning ONE light heavyweight king and current interim heavyweight world title-holder ‘Sladkiy’ Anatoly Malykhin was dismayed with what he witnessed ringside at ONE Fight Night 11 last week. His Russian countryman Dmitry Menshikov suffered a devastating 46-second knockout loss to Dutch-Surinamese superstar Regian Eersel.

Menshikov failed in his bid to capture the ONE lightweight Muay Thai world title from two-sport ONE world champion Eersel. The two met in the main event of ONE Fight Night 11: Eersel vs. Menshikov on Prime Video last Friday, June 9, at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Malykhin was ringside at the venue watching intently as Menshikov folded under pressure.

In a recent interview with ONE Championship, Malykhin detailed the action that he saw transpire.

‘Sladkiy’ said:

“He [Menshikov] was knocked down by his opponent at the beginning of the fight. It was a very dangerous moment, for sure.”

Despite Menshikov’s loss, Malykhin says he fully expects his countryman to be back better than ever after this experience. ‘Sladkiy’ further added that Menshikov is more than capable of competing among the best fighters in the world in ONE Championship.

“His strength is his fighting IQ. He is a very smart fighter," added Malykhin.

Fans in the United States and Canada can rewatch all the action of ONE Fight Night 11: Eersel vs. Menshikov with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

Meanwhile, Malykhin is almost ready to step back inside the ONE Championship ring himself.

Anatoly Malykhin is back in a highly anticipated world title unification showdown when he meets reigning ONE heavyweight world champion Arjan ‘Singh’ Bhullar at ONE Friday Fights 22. The event takes place Friday, June 23, live at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.