"That version never left" - Johan Ghazali promises to be the same fearless warrior after absorbing first loss in ONE
No one would fault Johan Ghazali if he ever decides to take on a more methodical and reserved approach in his upcoming tiff with Josue Cruz at ONE 168: Denver.
After all, 'Jojo' saw his five-fight winning streak snapped in his last appearance against Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat at ONE 167 last June.
While he treats it as a massive learning experience, Ghazali says he'll never abandon his crowd-pleasing and gun-slinging ways.
The Malaysian-American prodigy made this promise in an exclusive interview with ONE Championship:
"Fans can expect the very same version of Johan Ghazali, the one before my loss. That version had never left. I only hunt for one thing - a knockout."
After cashing in a massive $50,000 bonus for starching Edgar Tabares with a 36-second knockout last year, Ghazali was eager to do the same to Nguyen in his last outing.
The 17-year-old wildly went after that killing blow and headhunted every chance he could. This backfired on him big time, as his veteran Vietnamese foe nullified his aggression with brilliant mid-range attacks to secure a dominant decision victory.
Not to be deterred by the setback, Ghazali vows to bounce back the only way he knows how.
The Rentap Muay Thai Gym standout will once again live and die by the sword and give the lively American crowd a performance to remember.
Tickets for ONE 168: Denver on Sept. 6 at the Ball Arena are available via Ticketmaster.
Johan Ghazali wants to score another swift and violent finish
By the looks of it, Johan Ghazali's confidence never dwindled one bit. As far as 'Jojo' is concerned, there's no better way to redeem himself than by adding another empathic knockout to his growing highlight reel.
In the same interview with ONE, the 17-year-old heavy-hitter said he'll once again go for the early win if the opportunity presents itself:
"Of course, if I wasn't confident in beating [Josue Cruz], I wouldn't be fighting. Hopefully, I’ll be done in one round."