Johan Ghazali aims to tire out Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat before pouncing for the finish: "I'm going to be in for a tough start"
Malaysian-American teen phenom Johan Ghazali refuses to bite more than he can chew as he gears himself up for Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat at ONE 167 on June 7.
The Rentap Muaythai Gym athlete heads into this war on a stellar run of victories through his campaign on the global stage but he expects the Vietnamese veteran to give him a proper test when they go toe-to-toe inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
However, despite expecting a tough storyline to unfold, the 17-year-old athlete remains confident his knockout tools will come to good use as the match unfolds in the deeper rounds, given his youthful energy and Nguyen's age.
Johan Ghazali told ONE Championship:
"Because he could be tough, I think I'm going to be in for a tough start. But I do know he will get tired in the later rounds, which then makes it easier for me to knock him out."
While knockouts have been a pretty common thing whenever the young star takes his skills to the Circle, Nguyen himself is no stranger to producing highlight-reel moments.
Across three fights under the ONE banner, the Hochiminh City Muay Team affiliate has registered two knockout victories against Yuta Watanabe and Azwan Che Wil.
Unfortunately for Nguyen, he was handed a taste of his own medicine when he took a KO loss to Bosnian-Canadian slugger Denis Puric at ONE Fight Night 17 in December last year.
Johan Ghazali hopes his KO power will come to good use against Nguyen
While Nguyen will aim to use his loss to fix the flaws within his system, Johan Ghazali views that defeat as a blueprint to find gaps within Nguyen's defense.
As such, he vows to make the most of his chances when they square off at ONE 167 on June 7.
In the same interview, 'Jojo' added:
"I think he doesn't even have a solid chin. Hopefully, he's out when I hit him just once."
ONE 167 emanates live from the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, in U.S. primetime on Friday, June 7. Active Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America can tune in for free.