When Kang Ji Won steps into the ring at ONE Fight Night 34, he'll be carrying something most fighters would kill for – a perfect finishing rate that's become his calling card in ONE Championship.
The South Korean heavyweight has never needed the judges' scorecards in his four ONE victories, dispatching every opponent by knockout or TKO. Now he's eyeing victim number five when he faces Japan's Ryugo Takeuchi on August 1st at Bangkok's Lumpinee Stadium.
It's a classic heavyweight clash that promises fireworks. Both men pack serious power, but Kang believes he's cracked the code on his 22-year-old opponent after studying the tape from Takeuchi's ONE debut loss to Paul Elliott back in April.
"Based on the tapes that I've seen, Ryugo Takeuchi tends to come in strong at the beginning. As long as I am careful at the start, I don't see much difficulty moving forward," Kang said.
Takeuchi certainly looked the part when he was tearing through Japan's DEEP promotion earlier this year, racking up four straight TKO victories including a blink-and-you'll-miss-it five-second demolition of Black Tiger that tied the organization's record for fastest finish. But ONE Championship is a different beast entirely, as the young Japanese fighter discovered in his promotional debut.
That setback has given Kang a blueprint to work from, and the 29-year-old Korean seems convinced he's found the key to extending his perfect run.
What makes Kang dangerous isn't just his finishing ability – it's his patient, methodical approach to breaking down opponents. He's developed into a tactical counter-striker who uses movement and timing to set up his big shots.
"My style focuses on counters with lots of movement in between. I think as long as I do what I do best, the result should be good," he explained. "I'm good with my movement, capitalizing on my speed. I feel like I still have much to work on."
That last line tells you everything about Kang's mindset. Despite sitting on a perfect finishing record, he's still hungry to improve, still grinding in the gym like he's got something to prove. It's that attitude that separates the contenders from the pretenders in this game.
The heavyweight division is always just one punch away from chaos, and when two finishers like Kang and Takeuchi collide, you can bet someone's going to sleep. The only question is whether Kang's experience and tactical approach will overcome Takeuchi's youth and power.
