“This is what I love” - Johan Ghazali says skipping normal teenage activities was a necessary sacrifice in his climb to the top
Johan Ghazali could've lived the normal life of a teenage student but he chose a path that his peers barely knew the surface of. The young phenom decided to take up Muay Thai as his life's passion, and he quickly became one of the sport's fastest-rising stars with a perfect 5-0 record in ONE Championship.
Ghazali said in an interview with Sportskeeda MMA that he could've lived as a typical student, but Muay Thai had a tremendous pull on him that he'd never trade it for anything else in the world.
The 17-year-old admitted there were some regrets, especially with how he had to skip hanging out with his friends, but those were necessary sacrifices he had to make.
Johan Ghazali said:
"There are pros and cons to not living a normal teenage life. I do regret not being able to spend time hanging out with my friends, but this is what I love doing the most. Who wants to have other fun when you're doing what I'm doing?"
While his friends hit the mall or the beach, Ghazali was at the gym working on his craft to become the best possible fighter he could be. That dedication ultimately paid dividends and he now holds a perfect 5-0 record in ONE Championship.
Ghazali is also lined up for a career-defining match at ONE 167 when he takes on multi-time Muay Thai world champion Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat on June 7 at Impact Arena in Bangkok.
ONE 167 could become Ghazali's ultimate coming-out party, and a win over Nguyen might give him the necessary argument to join the top five rankings of the flyweight Muay Thai division.
Ghazali's match against Nguyen, and the entire ONE 167 card, is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
Johan Ghazali isn't taking things lightly ahead of his fight against Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat
He may be young, but Johan Ghazali already carries a wisdom that belies his age.
The ferocious youngster is riding a tremendous wave of momentum heading into ONE 167, yet he knows his five-fight winning streak could come crumbling down if he underestimates Nguyen.
Ghazali told Sportskeeda MMA:
"I cannot underestimate Nguyen [Tran Duy Nhat] for what he's done. I mean, he's a veteran and I'm just a youngster. I may be coming in with a lot of knockouts, wins, and all that, but I'm not taking this fight lightly, especially against Nguyen."