KUALA LUMPUR – Sixteen-year-old Muay Thai phenom Johan Ghazali recorded his fourth straight victory in One Friday Night Fights 36 last night.
He took on Russian Temirlan Bekmurzaev in a three-round bout in Bangkok, Thailand.
After a tight first round, Johan found his groove in the second round, and with 30 seconds left, he floored the 25-year-old with a nasty left hook to the body.
Bekmurzaev was not able to beat the count, and Johan was declared the winner by way of knockout.
“I felt great even before the fight. I knew it was gonna be a crazy fight. I felt fast, I felt strong, I looked good, and I felt good.
“I was hearing something wrong in the corner. One corner man told me to kick left, and the other told me to kick right, but then (my head coach) told me not to listen to anyone else, and I kicked right, and that is when I got him with a left hook to the body.
The performance earned Johan a 350,000 bhat (RM44,792) bonus and a US$100,000 (RM471,000) contract with One Championship.
He is also the youngest fighter to win a contract with the Singapore-based fighting promotion.
“This is crazy, I turn 17 next month… I guess I have a One Championship contract before I even get my driver’s licence.
“To be honest, it’s about time. I’ve been ready for this baby, ever since I started, this has been the dream, but this is just the beginning.
“I have proven today that ‘Malaysia boleh’, thank you Malaysia!” – October 7, 2023