Last Friday at ONE 168: Denver, young Muay Thai sensation Johan “Jojo” Ghazali shined in front of a packed house at Ball Arena in Colorado, dismantling Mexico’s Josue “Tuzo” Cruz en route to a first-round KO win.
Johan Ghazali ‘Honored’ To Showcase Muay Thai In United States With Big Knockout At ONE 168: Denver
"Jojo" bounced back to the win column with a highlight-reel finish of Josue Cruz last Friday.
ONE Championship
ONE Championship
At just 17 years old and now with a 6-1 record in the world’s largest martial arts organization, the Malaysian-American striker has firmly established himself as an elite talent.
Ghazali’s dominant victory in the “Mile High City” marked his highly anticipated debut on U.S. soil, and it came on a card that was headlined by one of the biggest Muay Thai fights in recent memory between Superlek and Jonathan Haggerty.
“Jojo” told onefc.com that he was proud to be chosen to showcase “the art of eight limbs” to American fans, and he hopes the highlight-reel performance garnered him more supporters in the nation:
“It feels great to be one of the people who bring Muay Thai to the U.S.
“I feel great, and I hope that people here in the West, I hope that I gain more fans in the West. I hope that they see how entertaining Muay Thai really is, and yeah, I feel honored.”
Ghazali needed just three minutes to find the show-stopping left hook against Cruz and earn his fifth stoppage win in ONE.
Despite his dominance, the teenager says he wasn’t at his best. Still, he trusted in his steady, relentless pressure and crushing power –?and the result speaks for itself:
“Honestly, I felt a bit slow today. An off-day because the whole fight camp I couldn’t spar.
“I couldn’t spar at all because I broke my hand early on into the fight camp, but I knew that Josue Cruz had nothing for me, so I just stuck to the game plan that I had, which was pressure him until he breaks, and that’s what he did.”
For Ghazali, the victory at ONE 168 felt more important than ever. That’s because, after reeling off five straight wins to begin his ONE tenure, he suffered his first promotional defeat in June at ONE 167.
Ultimately, “Jojo” feels grateful for that setback and the lessons he gained:
“I learned more in that loss than I did in the past six fights before that. It was a great experience. I’m happy I went through it. I’m happy it went the way it did because it just gives more chances to improve, and I think that’s what I showed today.”
Johan Ghazali Wants To Fight Big Names Next
Much more than just a rising star with a bright future, Johan Ghazali is already a legitimate contender in the talent-laden flyweight Muay Thai division.
After his big win at ONE 168: Denver, he’s looking ahead to possible opponents who could move him one step closer to a crack at gold, and #2-ranked contender Denis “The Bosnian Menace” Puric is atop his hit list.
Ghazali explained why he’s hungry to face the hard-hitting veteran:
“I would like to fight Denis Puric because he’s a ranked fighter. He’s been around for a long time. He’s experienced. He’s strong. He’s a very entertaining fighter and I would love to fight him.
“I would love to put on a show anywhere, any time – U.S., Thailand, Malaysia. Maybe ONE Championship brings it back to Malaysia. I would love to fight Denis Puric.”
Beyond “The Bosnian Menace,” Ghazali has his sights set on any striker with an exciting style – namely, surging British phenom Freddie Haggerty or Japanese superstar Takeru Segawa.
He added:
“Freddie Haggerty has shown some interest, or Takeru. I would love to fight these people because they come to put on a show and they’re entertaining fighters.”
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