"There's more weight on every fight" - Johan Ghazali's mother says son's career is getting more "serious"
There will only be tougher assignments down the road for ONE Championship's Johan Ghazali. His mother, Jenna Johnson, certainly believes so.
A former Muay Thai athlete herself, the Sarawak-based American has played an essential role in 'Jojo's' young but impressive career thus far.
While letting his head coach, Kru Addy Singpayak, focus on training and planning, the mother of four has kept his diet and media duties in check as her star son continues to embark on greatness on the global stage of the promotion.
When asked whether she still feels any butterflies in her stomach watching him compete, Johnson had this to say to Alex Wendling while looking at his successful tenure in ONE and what the future holds for Johan. She shared:
"Actually, it was easier [to see him fight in Thailand at the start of his career]. Because their experience level is so high, it doesn't matter if you win or lose - it's fine."
Johnson continued:
"But now, it's getting serious, and every fight is, yeah, there's more weight on every fight. But when he was fighting people that had 100 fights and he was like 10-20 fights in, it wasn't a big deal."
This comes just moments after Johan Ghazali racked up his fifth knockout win in the promotion at ONE 168: Denver inside Ball Arena on Sept. 6.
The Rentap Muay Thai Gym star's trademark knockout power shut down Mexican slugger Josue Cruz at the buzzer in one round.
With the win, the 17-year-old improved to 25-7 in his career and 6-1 in the promotion.
Watch the full interview here:
Johan Ghazali eyes Denis Puric, Freddie Haggerty next
Johan Ghazali is ready to continue his rise against two names. First atop his list is No. 2-ranked flyweight Muay Thai contender Denis Puric. 'The Bosnian Menace' was last in action in a kickboxing scrap against Rodtang Jitmuangnon at ONE 167.
Meanwhile, a slugfest alongside young gun Freddie Haggerty has also caught his interest. The Londoner, younger brother to ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion Jonathan Haggerty, has gone 2-0 across both his appearances on ONE Friday Fights.
Both fighters have responded to 'Jojo's' callout in light of his recent bonus-winning display in Denver.
The ONE 168: Denver replay, featuring Johan's impressive knockout win over Cruz, can be seen via replay on Amazon Prime Video for active subscribers in the United States and Canada.