It seemed inevitable that Tayfun “Turbine” Ozcan and Enriko “The Hurricane” Kehl‘s clash at ONE: FULL CIRCLE was going to be a banger, as both men were hungry to get back to winning ways after being knocked out of the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix.
So, it was only fitting that this one went the distance. And after three hard rounds, #5-ranked Ozcan earned a unanimous decision victory at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday, 25 February.
As expected, the first round of the featherweight kickboxing battle opened up at a ferocious pace. Ozcan let his hands fly with fast combinations, and the southpaw Kehl replied with flurries and low kicks of his own.
“Turbine’s” overhand right was his money shot, and he found his mark with it to wobble the German. Another hard uppercut snapped Kehl’s head back shortly after, but “The Hurricane” walked straight back into the fray, showing that he wouldn’t be deterred by his rival’s punches.
Kehl came out with the bit between his teeth in round two and launched his straight left at the Siam Gym representative, and then he followed it up with low kicks. Ozcan stood his ground, though, and dug in with a left hook to the liver.
“The Hurricane” continued to string punches and kicks together, but “Turbine’s” overhand rights were on point, and they shook the legs of the Trans4mer Mainz product as a counter to a spinning back kick. A jumping knee to the jaw dropped Kehl and caused the referee to initiate an eight-count right on the bell.
It was clear that the German star needed to put his foot on the gas in the final round, and he threw everything he could at his Dutch-Turkish opponent. But nothing landed cleanly enough to put Ozcan down.
Even after he peppered his rival with punches, kicks, and knees to the body, “Turbine” stood firm, occasionally scoring with his overhand right to cruise to the judges’ scorecards after three nonstop rounds of action.
Despite Kehl’s late resurgence, Ozcan got the result he wanted via unanimous decision, earning his first win on the global stage and pushing his record to an incredible 84-9-3. (One Championship)
(Photo credits to: One Championship)