Russian fighter Anatoly Malykhin told how he was preparing for a rematch with Ridder’s Rainier From the Netherlands.
On Friday in Lusail (Qatar), Malykhin will fight with de Ridder for the ONE middleweight belt, which belongs to the Dutchman. These fighters met in December 2022, when Malykhin won by first-round knockout and captured the league’s light heavyweight belt. The Russian also currently holds the heavyweight title.
— Do you agree that your first meeting should not be taken into account?
— I agree 100%. This is what sets me apart from many fighters. For me, a new fight is a new game. For me, it’s not the same as Ridder who I easily defeated back then. For me, he’s a fighter that I worked with for a long time for a fight, jumping rope for two and a half hours, spinning a plate for 30 minutes, fighting for 30 minutes non-stop with three different sparring partners.
For me, de Ridder is the man with the belt. I’m fighting the champion as a challenger. I trained like a contender, not a double champion. No matter how the fight ends, and I’m sure it will end with me winning, my team and I know that I gave 100% and never let myself get caught up in a freebie or miss a workout.
I have loved sports since my childhood and I am grateful to God for playing sports. I used to tell my teachers that I would be world champion and they were all crazy about me. I was chubby, and they: “What are you saying, you live in Kemerovo. And I bang my fist on the table: “I’m going to prove it to you. » My chemistry teacher also told me: “You’re going to teach me chemistry, what kind of sport” (laughs). And my dream came true.
And de Ridder will struggle on Friday. I know this for sure. I see the attitude of Mr. Chatri (Sityodtong, director of ONE – editor’s note), I see the attitude of the league… I was put in the main fight, and it is a big responsibility. I want it to be colorful. And I don’t think about my victory or my defeat, I just want people to love this fight, to turn on the TV and feel emotions, to turn it off and say: “Wow, damn, that is normal. fight.” This is what I want. So on Friday I will accelerate, “Malykhin said in an interview with .
During his career, the Russian won 13 early victories and suffered no defeats. De Ridder has 16 victories and the only defeat against Malykhin.
Watch the live broadcast of the ONE 166 tournament on Friday, March 1 from 3:30 p.m. (Moscow time) on the channel, matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru sites.
Source : MatchTV
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
