"I'm looking to fight the top guys" - Denis Puric explains why he's not keen on fighting 'easy money' Johan Ghazali
Denis Puric is not the kind of guy that backs down from a challenge but sometimes, he needs to put his own priorities first.
'The Bosnian Menace' has always been a 'any place, any time' type of guy but he did have to put his foot down after being called out.
At ONE 168 last Sept. 6, Johan Ghazali spectacularly returned to the win column by stopping Josue Cruz in the first round at Ball Arena.
The rising star was able to bounce back from his shock defeat at ONE 167 and in victory, he had a couple of names in mind for potential next opponents.
As well as calling out Freddie Haggerty, Ghazali called for a fight with Puric but this appears to be a one-way street.
Having just competed against Rodtang at ONE 167, Puric responded via Instagram, stating that Ghazali isn't at the right level yet for the kind of opponents that he is looking to face:
"But again, if you guys want it, let me know. I'd be happy to earn some easy money. But again, I'm not looking for those fights, man. I'm looking to fight the top guys in the league, the best of the best. And Jojo, you're just not there yet, buddy. Keep working hard."
Denis Puric is making his final years count
Considering that he and Rodtang Jitmuangnon just put on a fight of the year contender at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, it makes sense for Denis Puric to be targeting the very top fighters in his weight class.
Though he clearly stated in his response that they can make it happen if it's something that the fans really want to see, the veteran competitor doesn't have much to gain from taking this fight at this stage in his career.
There is, however, a lot of reward for Ghazali who would be facing a big-name opponent in a big to shoot himself up the rankings.
The full replay of ONE 168 is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.