Enriko Kehl went to war with Davit Kiria in the quarter final of the ONE Championship featherweight kickboxing Grand Prix. The result didn’t go his way but the German certainly didn’t let the disappointment linger,
“When I came out of the cage and went back to the hotel room, I went under the shower, washed myself off, and I was focused on the next one. I know I made a mistake, and it was clear for me, but it’s not in my head anymore. I will just focus on the next one. I think this is the mindset of a champion, and we are looking forward, we don’t look back.”
Too much pressure
At ONE: ‘Full Circle’ this Friday he faces Tayfun Ozcan. Both men like to fight on the front foot but Kehl thinks his pressure will simply be too much for his opponent,
“We are both good, technical fighters who can also go for high volume of technique and speed in the fight, but I don’t think he can take my pressure over three rounds. He’s also a good pressure fighter – he can make pressure, but we will see if he can handle it, or how long he can handle it.”
Both are veterans of the kickboxing scene in Europe and both were eliminated from the tournament at the quarter final stage. It sounds like Kehl believes he knows exactly how to beat the Turkish fighter,
“I’ve known Tayfun already for a couple of years. I know his weaknesses and we are working on them. You also saw them in the fight against Sittichai. What we trained and how we trained you will see in the fight.”
No shame
ONE Championship has signed up the best 154lbs kickboxers in the world. This is the second tournament to take place in the division and Kehl says there is no shame in losing when the standard is so high,
“We both lost the first fight in the tournament, but in this division there are no bad fighters. We were the eight best kickboxers in the world, so I don’t care if you win or you lose – you’re still at the top. We both made mistakes in our fights, but we worked hard on them and for sure we will be better for the next fight, especially me. I’m really looking forward to this fight.”
