Jonathan Haggerty, now 29, has revealed how his father's commitment to keeping him off the streets helped him become a world champion in Muay Thai and kickboxing. In an exclusive interview with Standard Sport, 'The General' reflected on his journey from the Aylesbury Estate to the upper echelons of the sport.
From school gates to the ring
Every afternoon, a young Haggerty would stand outside the school gates, hoping his dad's van wouldn't come careering round the corner to pick him up. As his mates raced off with a football, Haggerty would sit and cry, pleading with his dad not to make him get in the ring to fight.
Despite the swelling and scars that would characterise a career in the hurt locker, his dad's commitment to keeping him off the streets ultimately saved Haggerty from a path of self-destruction. "I'm grateful the gym came along. Otherwise, I'm not sure where I would be," Haggerty reflects.
Building a purpose in the gym
Haggerty Sr. was an MMA and Thai boxing fighter but retired from his own professional career to help his son forge a life. The first step was to open the Team-Underground MMA gym to give Haggerty a place to go after school, away from the temptations of life on the Aylesbury Estate.
"It was just a rough estate, if I'm honest. It was fun. It was scary. Everything all in one," Haggerty candidly admits. "We brought a lot of them off the estate to here (the gym), gave them somewhere to be. Some of them have grown up to be champions. World champions, European champions, and it's given them that sort of purpose. But at the same time, we've lost a few of them. We've lost the most talented ones to prison, to the street."
Fighting the best and finding a home
Money was never the motivation for Haggerty. As a novice with only a handful of fights, he was unafraid to face fighters from Thailand with as many as 300 bouts under their belt. "All I wanted to do was fight the best," he says.
Disqualified from his first kickboxing fight in Crystal Palace for hitting too hard, he took up Muay Thai. That fearlessness extended to lying about his age to get a professional fight as a 17-year-old, beating Anthony Edwards by a fourth-round technical knockout on his professional Muay Thai debut.
It was not until Haggerty was signed to a professional contract by ONE Championship that he was able to throw off the financial shackles. "Once I got signed by them, it took the weight off my shoulders. I was able to commit myself to what I love," he explains.
Looking ahead
Currently the reigning ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion, Haggerty is comfortable and confident ahead of his upcoming title defence against Hiroki Akimoto. Undefeated since September 2024, he remains focused on domination across the divisions in Muay Thai and leaving a legacy in a sport where he has gone from outsider to undisputed in a little over a decade.
