Jonathan Haggerty Reveals Dream Biopic With Daniel Craig in Lead Role

Jonathan Haggerty’s dream biopic could tell the story of a fighter who transformed humble beginnings in London into championship success on the international stage. The ONE Championship bantamweight kickboxing world champion has now revealed that he would be more than happy to see his career turned into a movie once his fighting days are over.

Haggerty’s interest in a potential film comes after spending time around major movie premieres in the United Kingdom. He attended the London opening of Ballerina and later went to the premiere of Giant, the biopic centered on boxing legend Prince Naseem Hamed.

Watching another combat sports icon’s journey recreated for the big screen appears to have encouraged Haggerty to consider what his own story could look like.

The British fighter already has several ingredients that could make for a compelling sports film: an early passion for combat sports, championship ambitions, success across disciplines and the pressure that comes with remaining at the top.

Haggerty is also not finished writing that story. His next major challenge will come at ONE SAMURAI 4, where he is scheduled to defend his ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title against former divisional champion Hiroki Akimoto at Ariake Arena in Tokyo on October 17.

Jonathan Haggerty Wants a Movie About His Rise

Haggerty has made it clear that he would like a potential film to focus particularly on his journey toward becoming a world champion.

Rather than simply documenting every fight of his career, the concept he described has a natural narrative structure: start with the early stages of his journey, follow the obstacles that shaped him and eventually reach the moment when he achieved world championship glory.

That approach could make the story more accessible to audiences who may know little about kickboxing or Muay Thai.

For Haggerty, the appeal is also personal. Seeing the story of Prince Naseem Hamed presented as a feature film offered a reminder that combat sports careers can contain enough drama and emotion to work beyond the ring.

Haggerty told ONE that he would be extremely interested in having a movie made about his career after he retires.

“One million percent – I’d be happy to have one about my career when I call it a day.”

He specifically suggested that the film could center on his rise to world championship status.

Why Haggerty’s Career Has Movie Potential

A successful sports biopic generally needs more than victories. The strongest stories usually contain setbacks, transformation, important relationships and moments when the central character has something meaningful to prove.

Haggerty’s career provides several of those ingredients.

He has competed at the highest level in multiple combat sports and has collected world championship success during his time with ONE Championship. His progression from a fighter from London to an internationally recognized champion provides a straightforward central storyline.

There is also the challenge of staying successful after reaching the top.

Winning a world title can be the conclusion of one story, but for an active champion it often becomes the beginning of another. Defending a championship creates different pressure because every opponent enters the contest with the goal of taking away what the champion has already earned.

That continuing pressure could provide the second half of a potential Haggerty film.

Daniel Craig Is Haggerty’s Choice to Play Him

Haggerty has already gone a step further than simply saying he wants a movie.

He has a particular actor in mind.

The champion believes Daniel Craig would be the perfect person to portray him on screen.

Craig is best known internationally for playing James Bond and has built a reputation for portraying physically demanding and intense characters. That makes his inclusion in Haggerty’s fantasy casting understandable.

A combat sports biopic would require an actor capable of communicating both the physical intensity of fighting and the quieter moments surrounding a fighter’s life.

Haggerty believes Craig could fit that role.

“Daniel Craig will be the perfect guy who can play my role.”

The choice also gives an indication of how Haggerty imagines the tone of the movie. His idea does not appear to be a lighthearted sports comedy. Instead, he seems to envision a serious, dramatic story centered around ambition and championship achievement.

Freddie Haggerty Could Play a Younger Jonathan

Haggerty also has an interesting idea for the younger version of himself.

He suggested that Freddie Haggerty could appear in the film as the younger version of Jonathan.

That would create a particularly personal element for the project because the story would involve members of the Haggerty family both inside and outside the fictional recreation of the fighter’s career.

Having a family member portray an earlier stage of the central character could also give the film a stronger connection to Haggerty’s real-life journey.

More importantly, it reflects the idea that a champion’s career is not created overnight. The world champion seen by modern audiences is the result of years of development.

Haggerty Wants the Movie to End With a Knockout

If Haggerty has control over the final scene, he already knows how he wants the movie to finish.

He would like the story to end with a knockout.

That choice fits the personality of a fighter whose career has been built around spectacular combat sports performances. A knockout ending would provide the kind of dramatic final image that sports movies often seek.

However, there is an interesting contradiction in that idea.

If the film is about Haggerty’s rise to world championship glory, the most logical ending might be the moment he wins his first major title. But Haggerty’s desire for a knockout ending suggests that he would rather close the story with the excitement of a definitive victory.

It also leaves room for interpretation about which fight would ultimately provide the final scene.

The Prince Naseem Connection

Haggerty’s interest in a biopic appears particularly understandable after attending the premiere of Giant, the film about Prince Naseem Hamed.

Hamed was one of British boxing’s most recognizable personalities, combining elite ability with a distinctive public image.

For another British combat sports champion, seeing such a career represented through cinema can naturally inspire thoughts about how his own journey might translate to the screen.

The connection also highlights an important point about combat sports storytelling.

Fans do not only remember championship records. They remember personalities, rivalries, turning points and the atmosphere surrounding major fights.

Those elements can make a combat sports career dramatically compelling even for people who do not regularly watch the sport.

Haggerty’s Story Is Still Being Written

The biggest obstacle to making a definitive Haggerty biopic right now is simple: his career is not finished.

The fighter remains an active world champion and continues to face elite opposition.

That means any film produced today would be incomplete by definition.

Haggerty himself appears to understand that. His comments suggest that he would prefer the project to happen after he calls time on his career.

That could ultimately benefit the story.

A filmmaker would have the advantage of knowing the complete arc, including the final championship run, setbacks and eventual retirement. Instead of guessing how the story ends, the film could present the entire journey with hindsight.

His Next Chapter Is Hiroki Akimoto

Before Haggerty can think seriously about a cinematic ending, he has another major championship assignment.

He is scheduled to defend his ONE bantamweight kickboxing world championship against Hiroki Akimoto at ONE SAMURAI 4 on October 17.

Akimoto is a former divisional champion, making the matchup significant from a competitive perspective.

For Haggerty, this is another opportunity to strengthen the very legacy that could eventually become the subject of a movie.

A championship defense may not have the glamour of a film premiere, but it is precisely these fights that determine how a champion’s career is ultimately remembered.

Why the Akimoto Fight Matters to the Bigger Story

There is a useful distinction between a fighter’s highlight reel and a fighter’s legacy.

A highlight reel contains spectacular moments. A legacy is built through consistency, difficult opponents, championship defenses and the ability to respond when circumstances become challenging.

Haggerty’s potential biopic would need both.

His biggest victories could provide the spectacular sequences, while the difficult periods would supply the emotional substance.

The Akimoto fight is therefore another piece of that larger career story.

A Possible Haggerty Biopic Could Follow a Three-Act Structure

If Haggerty’s idea were eventually developed into a traditional sports movie, his career could naturally fit a three-stage structure.

This structure would allow the movie to appeal to both dedicated combat sports fans and general audiences.

The Family Element Could Add Another Layer

Freddie Haggerty’s potential involvement could give the project a family dimension that many sports biopics do not have.

Family relationships can play an important role in an athlete’s development, particularly during the years when a competitor is still trying to establish a professional career.

If Freddie were to portray a younger Jonathan, the film could use that casting choice to emphasize the connection between different stages of the champion’s life.

It could also provide a visual reminder that the world champion was once simply a young fighter with ambitions that had not yet been fulfilled.

What Would Make the Film Different From a Typical Sports Biopic?

The biggest opportunity would be to avoid making the movie solely about winning.

Championship belts are visually important, but audiences need to understand why winning them mattered to the person chasing them.

A strong Haggerty film would need to explore the sacrifices behind the public success, the pressure of elite competition and the changing expectations that come with becoming a champion.

The movie could also introduce viewers unfamiliar with kickboxing to the technical and strategic side of the sport.

That would make the fighting scenes more meaningful because audiences would understand what Haggerty is trying to accomplish rather than simply watching punches and kicks.

The Knockout Ending Could Become the Defining Image

Haggerty’s preference for a knockout ending says something about how he wants his career to be remembered.

He does not appear interested in a quiet conclusion.

He wants the final image to capture the competitive identity that made him a champion in the first place.

From a filmmaking perspective, a knockout can also provide a natural visual climax. The buildup, tension and release can be compressed into a single decisive moment.

Of course, Haggerty cannot know today what his eventual final fight will look like. That is one reason the ending of any future biopic would remain impossible to predict.

Could Daniel Craig Really Play Jonathan Haggerty?

For now, Craig remains Haggerty’s dream casting rather than a confirmed participant in any project.

The choice is nevertheless revealing because Haggerty is imagining an actor with a strong screen presence and experience with physically demanding roles.

A serious combat sports movie would also require extensive preparation for fight choreography, movement and the visual language of professional fighting.

If the project were ever made, authenticity would be essential. Audiences familiar with Haggerty’s career would quickly notice if the fighting sequences looked artificial.

That means the involvement of experienced fight choreographers and combat sports professionals would likely be just as important as the actor chosen for the lead role.

The Bigger Legacy Question

There is a deeper reason Haggerty’s comments are interesting.

A fighter thinking about a future biopic is effectively thinking about how he wants history to remember him.

For active champions, legacy is often discussed in terms of titles and records. But a film would require something more personal: a beginning, a struggle, a transformation and a conclusion.

Haggerty’s focus on his rise to world championship glory suggests that the journey itself matters to him as much as the destination.

That is ultimately what makes sports stories work.

Conclusion

Jonathan Haggerty’s dream biopic may still be years away, but the champion already has a surprisingly detailed vision for how it could look.

He wants the story to focus on his rise toward world championship glory, believes Daniel Craig would be the ideal actor to portray him and has suggested that Freddie Haggerty could play a younger version of himself. Most importantly, Haggerty would like the film to end with a knockout.

For now, however, the story remains firmly inside the ring. Haggerty is still competing and is scheduled to defend his ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title against former champion Hiroki Akimoto at ONE SAMURAI 4 in Tokyo.

That fight is another chapter in a career that has not yet reached its final page. If Haggerty eventually gets the movie he imagines, the most interesting part may be that the ending he wants today is still waiting to be written.