“He will be the champion” - Superbon still sees great things for Johan Ghazali despite ONE Fight Night 32 loss to Diego Paez
Superbon isn't losing hope in his young prodigy Johan Ghazali.
The Malaysian-American phenom suffered a heartbreaking loss to Diego Paez in their flyweight Muay Thai matchup at ONE Fight Night 32 this past weekend at the historic Lumpinee Stadium.
Superbon served as Ghazali's head trainer for the fight, and the ONE featherweight kickboxing world champion never let Ghazali feel the burden of the defeat for too long.
In an interview with ONE Championship, Superbon said he has high hopes for Ghazali and that the defeat will serve as a learning curve for the 18-year-old. He said:
"'Jojo' is like 18. He still has a lot of time to be the best, to be the champion. I think he will be the champion for sure, because his mindset is really good."
Ghazali was always the one to take the fight to his opponents, but the 31-year-old Paez met him at every step and stopped his advances throughout the three-round fight.
Paez was calculated behind his counters in the first round and tagged Ghazali with slicing elbows whenever the young star tried to clinch.
The Colombian-American slugger picked things up in the second and dictated the pace behind his jabs and lead kicks.
Ghazali attempted to apply the pressure in the middle round, but Paez continually stopped him with well-timed jabs and counters that increasingly frustrated 'Jojo'.
Paez continued his calculated approach and landed crisp counter shots every time a desperate Ghazali pressed the issue in search of that knockout finish.
The methodical pace eventually earned Paez the split decision win in possibly one of his most important matches in ONE Championship.
Superbon wants unification match against Masaaki Noiri in Japan
Superbon may have been busy training Johan Ghazali, but he's also hitting the pads himself, getting ready for one of the biggest fights of his career.
The reigning ONE featherweight kickboxing world champion will square off against interim world champion Masaaki Noiri for the division's undisputed crown.
In a previous interview with Mitch Chilson at ONE Friday Fights 109, Superbon said he's ready to throw down with Noiri, and he'll even do it in his opponent's home nation of Japan. He said:
"So excited to face you. Let's go to Japan. I will fight you in your home country. See you there."