“I’m prepared to put on a show” - Johan Ghazali vows to impress in front of his loved ones at ONE 168: Denver
Johan Ghazali is ready to "put on a show" at ONE 168: Denver.
Earlier this year, Ghazali had an opportunity to extend his promotional record to 6-0 when he fought Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat at ONE 167. Unfortunately for 'Jojo,' the battle-tested Nguyen capitalized on the opportunity and won by unanimous decision, handing the 17-year-old his first loss under the ONE banner.
On September 6, Johan Ghazali will return at ONE 168: Denver and face Josue Cruz, who holds a 0-2 promotional record. During an interview with Sportskeeda, the Malaysian-American prospect discussed his upcoming matchup against Cruz and had this to say about wanting to put on a show for his family:
"I’m excited. I’m pumped. I’m looking forward to my family from New Mexico to come down and watch me fight. I’d do my absolute best, they’ve never seen me fight live, so I’m prepared to put on a show."
ONE 168 will take place inside the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. The highly-anticipated event features two world title fights - Jonathan Haggerty vs Superlek (bantamweight Muay Thai) and Kade Ruotolo vs Mikey Musumeci (lightweight submission grappling). Tickets for the upcoming spectacle can be found here.
Johan Ghazali has opportunity to remind flyweight Muay Thai division of his potential
In December 2023, Johan Ghazali made his ONE Championship debut, defeating Edgar Tabares by knockout in 36 seconds. Ghazali's picture-perfect performance against the former world title challenger quickly put the ONE flyweight Muay Thai division on notice.
Ghazali may have suffered a loss at ONE 167, but he has plenty of time to evolve into a world champion under the ONE banner. On September 6, 'Jojo' could make plenty of people forget about his first promotional defeat by securing a highlight-reel knockout win against Josue Cruz.
Ghazali can't overlook Cruz, as 'Tuzo' plans to end his avoid a first-round knockout and potentially pull off a massive upset at ONE 168. It'll be intriguing to see how the 17-year-old reacts to his first loss, while Cruz attempts to turn his promotional tenure around after an 0-2 start.