"I know he'll be eager to fight" - Johan Ghazali expects Josue Cruz to come at him guns blazing at ONE 168

17-year-old Muay Thai phenom Johan Ghazali has learned his lesson not to underestimate his opponents as he prepares for his upcoming match against Josue Cruz at ONE 168: Denver on Sept. 6.

In a recent interview with ONE Championship ahead of their flyweight Muay Thai contest at the Ball Arena in Colorado, Ghazali shared his plans for the fight but, at the same time, was cautious of not looking past his opponent.

Ghazali stated:

"Ideally, I'd like a quick finish, but I'm not underestimating Cruz. I know he'll be eager to fight."

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'Jojo' is coming off his first defeat in ONE Championship on June 7 at ONE 167 when veteran contender Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat dealt him a unanimous decision loss.

Before this setback, the Malaysian-American star won his first five bouts under the world's largest martial arts organization by beating Padestuk Fairtex in February 2023 at ONE Friday Fights 6, Tai Sor Jor Piek Uthai in May 2023 at ONE Friday Fights 18, Samurai Seeopal in July 2023 at ONE Friday Fights 25, Temirlan Bekmurzaev in October 2023 at ONE Friday Fights 36, and Edgar Tabares in December 2023 at ONE Fight Night 17.

Johan Ghazali wants to put on a show in front of his family who will watch him live in Denver

Despite dropping his most recent bout, Ghazali wasn't expecting a call from the promotion for him to be part of the U.S. card, but then he was selected, which left him speechless.

Due to this, the Rentap Muaythai Gym representative vowed to give his best on fight night, especially since his family and relatives, who happen to reside in New Mexico, will watch him live in action. He revealed this during one of his recent interviews with ONE Championship.

Tickets for ONE 168: Denver are available via Ticketmaster.