As former ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion Ilias Ennahachi prepares for a pivotal kickboxing bout at ONE 171: Qatar presented by Visit Qatar, the Moroccan hopes his experience of overcoming adversity in life will catapult him to victory.Ennahachi is scheduled to face former bantamweight kickboxing kingpin Petchtanong Petchfergus on February 20 in a highly anticipated bantamweight clash. If the Moroccan leaves Lusail Sports Arena the winner, he could be the next contender for the ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Championship.While his No. 3-ranked opponent poses real danger to his World Title ambitions, Ennahachi – currently sitting in the No. 2 spot – has proven his ability to defeat the best inside the ring and conquer difficulties throughout his life.Ennahachi’s road to the top of the kickboxing world was far from easy. Born into a family from the city of Taza in northern Morocco, he is one of three children of Moroccan parents who struggled with prejudice and poverty when they moved to the Netherlands.His father and uncle – both professional karate athletes – led his training early on before he found his calling in kickboxing at 11 years old.His father, who also practices kickboxing, proved to be a key figure in his son’s future ascent in the world of martial arts. With Ennahachi neglecting his training and indulging in vices, his father stepped in and warned his then-17-year-old son not to waste years of hard work."It was a hard decision to choose between my friends and martial arts. I wanted to keep doing both things,” Ennahachi recalls."Martial arts gave me more stability. That, together with the things my father told me, opened my eyes. I chose to focus on martial arts 100 percent. Then everything started to go well, and I couldn’t stop,” he added.With his focus back on training, a mature Ennahachi soon found his road to success. When he joined ONE Championship in 2019, he had already captured the Enfusion Title, the Blade Championship, and the WFL Title by the time he was 23 years old.In his ONE debut, Ennahachi pulled off an upset, beating Petchdam Petchyindee via third-round knockout and capturing the ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Championship. The win marked the start of a special journey for Ennahachi in the world’s largest martial arts organisation.The Moroccan star went on to defend his flyweight belt twice against Wang Wenfeng and Superlek Kiatmoo9, becoming the only man in ONE to defeat the current two-sport titleholder.However, Ennahachi vacated the ONE flyweight kickboxing world title in January 2023 due to his inability to make the division’s limit of 61.23-kilogrammes while hydrated. Despite the setback, Ennahachi soon returned to the ring, moving from flyweight to bantamweight where he made an instant mark, scoring a debut victory via knockout against Iran’s Aliasghar Ghodratisaraskan.Most recently, Ennahachi further cemented his place as a serious contender for the ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title with a massive unanimous decision win against former divisional ruler Hiroki Akimoto to snatchthe latter’s second place in the rankings. With a 40-3 overall professional record and a 5-0 slate in ONE, the talented Moroccan native will count on his experience against top fighters as he takes on one of the most dangerous kickboxing veterans in the world.Petchtanong, who is known for his powerful left kicks and punches, most recently picked up an impressive knockout win against former divisional World Champion Alaverdi Ramazanov.With an impressive 359 wins across a glittering career, the Thai knows that beating Ennahachi could open doors for him to face the winner of ONE 171: Qatar’s main event between ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan Haggerty and #1-ranked contender Wei Rui.ONE 171: Qatar kicks off at 5:00pm on February 20.To secure your tickets today, click here
January 24, 2025 | 12:05 AM