ONE Championship boss Chatri says judges wrong and Hiroki Akimoto ‘clearly won’ Wei fight
- Chinese fighter Wei Rui was awarded unanimous decision win on his ONE debut in bantamweight kickboxing clash
- But promotion’s CEO Chatri Sityodtong says ‘cloud of controversy’ hangs over outcome
Wei Rui would not be celebrating a debut win if ONE Championship boss Chatri Sityodtong had been judging his fight against Hiroki Akimoto this weekend.
While the Chinese fighter was awarded victory by unanimous decision in the bantamweight bout at ONE Fight Night 22, Chatri said a “cloud of controversy” hung over the outcome.
And although Wei felt his next fight should be challenging bantamweight kickboxing champion Jonathan Haggerty for his title, CEO Chatri has other ideas.
There is also the fact Haggerty is expected to defend is bantamweight Muay Thai title against Superlek Kiatmoo9 at ONE 168 in September, meaning he is unlikely to be putting his kickboxing belt on the line again until the end of the year.
“It was a super close fight, but I thought Akimoto won,” Chati said. “I would love to do a rematch, fans all over the world are debating the outcome, even in China.”
The Chinese fighter found a home for his left kick in the first round and won it on all three judge’s scorecards. Akimoto responded in the second and came on strong, attacking relentlessly.
And despite Akimoto’s aggression, one of the judges awarded the second round to Wei. All three scored the first and third in favour of the former K-1 champion.
Afterwards, Wei said his opponent had done some “crazy things” in the ring, but had not dominated the encounter.
“You could see him struggling, he can’t fight at my pace and I’m always unpredictable,” Wei said.
Unsurprisingly, Akimoto did not see things that way, and has demanded an immediate shot to prove the judges wrong.
“I cannot accept the judges’ decision in this match,” he said. “I believe I won. Although the result cannot be overturned, I want them to review it. I hope for an immediate rematch.”
Chatri said he believed the Japanese fighter was the “clear winner” and the result was a perfect example of “why fighters should never leave it in the hands of the judges”.
Akimoto was ranked No 1 in the division heading into Saturday’s fight, and while Wei could take his spot, it does not sound as though he will be awarded a shot at the champion any time soon.
“For the sake of both fighters and our fans, I think there should be an automatic rematch,” Chatri said.
