“Could be massive” - Liam Harrison revels in the idea of Superbon taking on Masaaki Noiri in Japan for undisputed gold

ONE Championship already tore the house down when it returned to Japan earlier this year, but Liam Harrison is confident the promotion can outdo ONE 172 with a proper sequel.

In an interview with Nick Atkin, Harrison said a card featuring the world title unification match between ONE featherweight kickboxing world champion Superbon and interim world champion Masaaki Noiri has the potential to reach classic territory.

Harrison said he was proud to see his old nemesis knock Tawanchai PK Saenchai out to claim the ONE interim featherweight kickboxing world at ONE 172 in March this year.

The British legend added that Noiri deserves that super fight against Superbon in front of his hometown fans.

Liam Harrison said:

"So he’s a good guy, I’m glad he won, and I hope he keeps his belt a little bit and have some good defenses like I say now, he fights Superbon for the undisputed title in Japan, that could be massive for a show later in the year."

Noiri was seen as a massive underdog heading into his ONE 172 matchup against Tawanchai.

The Thai megastar is the defending ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion and was coming off a successful world title defense against Superbon in January.

The odds were stacked against Noiri in their match at the historic Saitama Super Arena, but the two-division K-1 Kickboxing champion threw all those pre-match notions out the way.

Noiri steadily built his momentum in the first round, and he practically caught fire the moment the match reached the third frame.

The Japanese superstar knocked Tawanchai down with a nasty left hook before going on a mad onslaught, forcing the referee to stop the contest 1:55 into the third.

Watch Liam Harrison's entire interview below:

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Liam Harrison honored to face Soe Lin Oo in his return

While Liam Harrison reveled at the sight of Masaaki Noiri's win over Tawanchai, he has his match to take care of in the coming months.

'Hitman' cut his short-lived retirement and returned to ONE Championship to take on Burmese hard man Soe Lin Oo in a bantamweight Muay Thai match at ONE 173: Denver on Aug. 1 at Ball Arena.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Harrison said he's honored to face a difficult opponent such as Soe Lin Oo in his return to the promotion:

"I'm just looking forward to it. Real tough fight, tough challenge, real hard man, and I'm looking forward just getting back in Denver and getting back in the cage and putting the 4-oz gloves back on."

Tickets for ONE 173 are available at Ticketmaster.