Johan Ghazali down to link up with ‘legends’ Liam Harrison and Superlek for ONE 168: Denver
17-year-old phenom Johan Ghazali would love to spend some time training alongside Muay Thai legends Superlek and Liam Harrison when the trio heads to the United States in September.
On Friday, September 6, ONE Championship will return to The Mile High City—Denver, Colorado—for a history-making night of fights at ONE 168. In one of the most anticipated bouts of the year, two-sport titleholder Jonathan Haggerty will defend his ONE bantamweight Muay Thai title against Superlek while British fan favorite Liam Harrison returns for the first time in more than two years to take on Thai icon Seksan Or Kwanmuang.
Joining Superlek and Liam Harrison at Ball Arena will be Johan Ghazali, one of ONE Championship's most exciting prospects. 'Jojo' will look to climb back into the win column when he meets Mexican slugger Josue Cruz.
Speaking with Sportskeeda MMA in an exclusive interview, Ghazali spoke about his upcoming trip to the U.S. and his hope to squeeze in some training with 'Hitman' and 'The Kicking Machine' while all three of them are in town.
"Absolutely, I’d love to spend some time training with Superlek and Liam Harrison," Ghazali said. "It would be sweet to learn a thing or two from them, two legends."
Johan Ghazali determined to stay focused following his first loss in ONE Championship
Through his first five appearances inside the Circle, Johan Ghazali looked nothing short of spectacular, earning highlight-reel knockouts against the likes of Tai Sor Jor Piek Uthai, Temirlan Bekmurzaev, and Edgar Tabares.
Unfortunately, Ghazali's unbeaten streak came to a crashing halt at ONE 167 in Bangkok where he suffered a unanimous decision loss at the hands—and feet—of Vietnamese standout Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat.
Taking the defeat in stride, 'Jojo' is choosing to learn from his mistakes and remains laser-focused on his next task at ONE 168: Denver.
"I'm slowing it down right now. My focus is 100 percent on training to make sure I bring my best into Denver. The fight is the focus, everything else is just an extra."
Follow this link for tickets for ONE 168: Denver on September 6 at Ball Arena.