“Legends and future legend” - Young phenom Johan Ghazali links up with Superlek, Seksan in Denver for ONE 168 fight week
Johan Ghazali made sure he was getting some valuable wisdom ahead of his United States debut at ONE 168: Denver.
The Malaysian-American phenom is starting to put the final touches to his game plan and decided to learn under the guidance of Thai superstars Seksan and Superlek Kiatmoo9, the ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion, during the card's fight week.
In an Instagram post, Ghazali showed how he spent some time with the pair ahead of his flyweight Muay Thai match against Josue Cruz on September 6 at Ball Arena.
Johan Ghazali posted:
"Morning training with these legends and future legend 😉😂. Five days out, physically and mentally 100% LET'S DO THIS. 👊🔥🇲🇾"
Ghazali, 17, is one of the fastest-rising stars in ONE Championship. His blend of athleticism, power, and overall personality has made him one of the promotion's best young talents.
'Jojo', who took his nickname from his favorite anime JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, ran through the competition and went 5-0 and secured four knockouts in his first five fights for the promotion.
Although he dropped his last match against five-time Muay Thai world champion Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat, Ghazali has remained steadfast in his quest to capture ONE Championship gold.
A win over Mexico's Cruz will put him back on track, and Ghazali couldn't have asked for a better avenue than ONE 168.
Superlek and Seksan, meanwhile, are also set for high-profile matches on the card. The latter will face Liam Harrison in an all-legends Muay Thai clash, while the former will challenge Jonathan Haggerty for the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title in the card's main event.
Johan Ghazali laser-focused on his match against Josue Cruz
Johan Ghazali always pictured himself as a future world champion, but the young superstar isn't that brash to look beyond his opponents.
In an interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Ghazali said he's not thinking about potential fights after ONE 168 and is instead solely focused on his match against Josue Cruz in Denver.
He said:
"I’m not really thinking of anyone at the moment, you know. It’s just Cruz in my mind, and what I need to do to beat him. Yeah, maybe I’ll have an idea after this fight.”