Scotland’s Nico Carillo landed the biggest prize of his fighting career by winning the One Championship Interim Featherweight Muay Thai World Championship in Bangkok on Valentine’s Day.
[Image: Sky Sports]
While couples around the world were focused on romance, the 27-year-old Glaswegian was claiming his first One Championship belt, having lost out in his bid for the bantamweight title one year ago. Carillo spoke about how last year’s disappointment had made him more determined than ever in this exclusive interview. At the time he insisted:
“I have unfinished business in Muay Thai and I’m not even close to achieving my goals yet.”
On a steamy Saturday afternoon in Bangkok’s legendary Lumpini Stadium, the Scot achieved one of the goals that he was referring to.
After defeating Singha ‘Shadow’ Mawynn by a unanimous decision, Carillo said:
“Dreams come true. Like I said in an interview before the fight, it doesn’t matter if you fail, as long as you never quit. If you chase your dreams with a relentless effort and attitude, the world’s your oyster.
“This is years and years and years of relentless effort, hard work, dedication. This is more than just gold. This is more than a One Championship belt. This is all my efforts throughout my life - the hardship, the tears, the blood, the sweat. This is what this belt means to me today - hard work pays off.”
Following his gut wrenching defeat to Nabil Anane in the battle for the bantamweight belt in January 2025, Carillo made the decision to move up to the featherweight division. That decision had already been vindicated with knockout victories over Sittichai Sitsongpeenong and Luke Lessei in the last six months. The move really paid off in style as the Glasgow boxer overcame a difficult start against Shadow before knocking him down in the fourth round and dominating his opponent for the remainder of the five-round contest.
[Image - BJ Penn]
Carillo must have feared a little deja vu in the early stages of the bout with Shadow as the Bangkok man had the better of the first round. Last year, the Scot’s defeat to Anane was the result of a TKO in the opening round of the contest. Another uncertain start was not ideal, but this time Carillo survived the first-round onslaught before beginning to take control in round three.
It was round four that would provide the decisive moment as the ‘King of the North’ connected with a powerful right cross, and Shadow hit the canvas. The Thai managed to beat the eight-count, but he was dazed as Carillo went in for the kill and an early end to the contest. Shadow made it to the bell, but the fifth round was won with ease by Carillo as he ended the fight much the stronger of the two.
The Glasgow fighter was not given much time to bask in his moment of glory. The fact that his title is ‘interim’ means attention immediately turned to a unification bout with current Featherweight Champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai. The Thai had to put his belt up for grabs because a broken leg meant he could not defend his title on time, but he remains the reigning champion.
When asked about this, Carillo tried to stay focused on the present as he said,
“I just want to live in this moment right now. I don’t want to think about what’s next. Of course, that’s going to happen next. It’s inevitable. Right now, I just want to enjoy this. You have no idea how long this picture has been in my head for. Putting this belt over my coach who has been there since day one, putting it over my wife Amy’s shoulders - it has been in my dream for so long, and today it has finally come true. I cannot believe I am seeing this. What I can believe is that hard work always ******* pays.”
When pressed to send a message to Tawanchai, Carillo simply said:
"Hope your leg gets better. Rest up. Let’s go.”
Whatever the future holds, Carillo can claim not just to be the King of the North right now. In Muay Thai’s featherweight division, the boy from Glasgow is now the King of the World.
