Liam Harrison declares first KO loss ‘the best thing that ever happened’: “It made my mindset bulletproof”

There’s much to be said about fighters with unblemished records. It’s certainly impressive for anyone at the highest levels of any sport to go unbeaten, much more so in a high-intensity combat sport such as Muay Thai.

But former ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title challenger ‘Hitman’ Liam Harrison of the United Kingdom believes there’s inherent value in defeat, as well.

Speaking to LastBSTN in a recent interview, Harrison talked about the importance of defeat, citing his own experience, and how losing by knockout for the first time in his career ultimately helped him in the long run.

‘Hitman’ said:

“My first time I got stopped against Anuwat [Kaewsamrit] (his first TKO defeat, June 2009), I think that was the best thing that ever happened to me because it made me change my total, my mindset and everything. It made my mindset more bulletproof, and then I came back.”

That KO loss spurred Harrison to come back even stronger, and even better. ‘Hitman’ added:

“If I wouldn’t have lost that fight the way I did, I probably wouldn’t have got the rematch at the MEN Arena in front of all my friends and family and everyone in the UK. That was probably one of the biggest wins for a UK fighter in the history – for me to beat Anuwat.”

Harrison is currently on the comeback trail, following a defeat to legendary Thai fighter Nong-O Hama last year. The 37-year-old Brit suffered a knee injury in that fight, and only had surgery on it in February, which has kept him sidelined since.

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda for updates on Harrison’s recovery and eventual comeback fight.