Johan Ghazali on securing bounce-back win over Josue Cruz at ONE 168: “I’ll come back from it, no problem”
Despite coming up short in his last outing, Johan Ghazali is more than confident in his ability to bounce back.
'Jojo' will have that opportunity on Friday, September 6 when ONE Championship heads to the Ball Arena in 'The Mile High City' for ONE 168: Denver.
There, the Sarawak-based warrior will look to land his sixth career win inside the circle when he squares off with Mexican slugger Josue Cruz in one of many can't-miss matchups at one of the biggest combat sports events of 2024.
It will be Johan Ghazali's first time competing since his five-fight win streak was snapped against Vietnamese standout Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat in June.
Speaking with the South China Morning Post, 'Jojo' opened up about the defeat and how he has used the experience to grow and improve as a professional fighter:
"Anything that’s worthwhile will be hard," Ghazali said. "You know? If it was easy, everyone would do it. I’ve lost before. I’m no stranger to losing. I learned more in that [loss] than the past five wins. I’m really grateful for it. I learned from it. I’ll come back from it, no problem."
See the full interview below:
Josue Cruz wary of Johan Ghazali's incredible knockout power
Standing in Ghazali's way of a win at ONE 168: Denver will be Josue Cruz, an exciting striker bound and determined to see his hand raised after falling in his first two appearances with the promotion.
Leaving no stone unturned in his latest training camp, Cruz knows that he'll need to be on his A-game and very wary of Ghazali's impressive knockout power if he hopes to finally break through and bag a win on martial arts' biggest global stage:
"My training has been more demanding. I’ve been focused on what his strengths are so that I can adequately prepare for them. Johan is always going forward and never retreats. He’s always looking for the knockout. Due to his style, I know it’s going to be an intense fight."
Who finds their way back into the win column in 'The Centennial State'?
Follow this link for tickets for ONE 168: Denver on September 6 at Ball Arena.