Freddie Haggerty says critics should give Rodtang the benefit of the doubt: “We don’t see what’s happened behind closed doors”

Rising strawweight Muay Thai star Freddie Haggerty believes critics should ease up on Rodtang Jitmuangnon after his latest weight miss.

'The Iron Man' was forced to surrender his flyweight Muay Thai crown before his scheduled showdown with Jacob Smith at ONE 169 last week, after failing to meet the agreed-upon weight and hydration protocols.

While Rodtang ended up dominating his British foe for five rounds, it's certainly a disappointing predicament nonetheless, considering he only missed weight by half a pound of the 135-pound limit.

Appearing alongside his brother and fellow ONE athlete Jonathan Haggerty in a Sky Sports interview, Freddie shared his two cents on the Thai megastar's woes:

"I don’t know, it hasn’t happened to me. I’m not sure, but if I had a pound or half a pound left, I’d just try my best to get it off, especially with my belt on the line. And he’s got a lot to prove, especially after missing weight last time."

Moreover, the insightful 20-year-old urged fans and pundits alike to not be quick on judgment, since there are a lot of variables in play with each fight. Haggerty added:

"But you know, we don’t see what’s happened behind closed doors. We don’t know what’s going on. It might have affected him badly. I hope he’s well."

Watch the full interview:

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Jonathan Haggerty says Rodtang may no longer be as motivated as before

In the same Sky Sports interview, Jonathan Haggerty also had something to say about his old rival's difficulties in making weight as of late.

'The General', after all, also started out in the flyweight Muay Thai ranks before finding success at the 145-pound division. According to Haggerty, it could simply be a case of Rodtang's body getting bigger as he ages.

The bantamweight kickboxing kingpin, though, isn't ruling out the possibility of 'The Iron Man' no longer having the same inner fire.:

"Well, he took everybody out, he’s beaten everybody, he’s at the top now. Maybe the motivation is gone, we’ll never know. Maybe he got a little more bigger," he said.

The full replay of Rodtang's latest win at ONE 169 is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.