WATCH: Teenage phenom Johan Ghazali’s calculated 36-second obliteration of world title challenger Edgar Tabares
Johan Ghazali doesn't take much to go from zero to absolute turbo.
The teenage phenom is one of the best Muay Thai prospects of the current generation, and his sub-minute obliteration of former world title contender Edgar Tabares was a testament to his untapped potential.
Ghazali needed just 36 seconds to calculate and annihilate Tabares in their ONE Fight Night 17 matchup, and ONE Championship shared the entire sequence on Instagram.
"36 seconds of THRILL 😱🔥 Can the rising Malaysian-American star Johan Ghazali deliver another knockout against Vietnamese slugger Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat at ONE 167 on @primevideo? @johanghazali_"
Johan Ghazali was at his methodical best when he took on Tabares in their December 2023 matchup at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok.
The pair exchanged several leg kicks early on, but it was evident that neither looked for the knockout blow in the first minute.
Until Ghazali decided that he had enough.
Ghazali launched a quick 1-2 to force Tabares to put his guard up before unloading a vicious uppercut to the liver that immediately folded the Mexican star.
'Jojo' now has a chance to improve on his 5-0 promotional record when he faces multi-time Muay Thai world champion Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat at ONE 167 on June 7 at Impact Arena in Bangkok.
ONE 167 is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
Johan Ghazali knows Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat will be his toughest matchup yet
Johan Ghazali has looked nearly unstoppable during his five-fight run in ONE Championship, but he knows his match against Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat could be the one that serves as the critical juncture of his career.
Nguyen is one of the best Muay Thai fighters out of Vietnam and he held five WMC world titles before he signed with ONE Championship.
The 35-year-old also holds two knockout wins in the promotion against Azwan Che Wil and Yuta Watanabe:
"This will be my biggest fight to date. [It's my] first time fighting in a Circle. He's [also] beaten quite a few Malaysians," said Ghazali in an interview with the South China Morning Post.