Teenage Muay Thai phenom Johan Ghazali has often been compared to ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon in his burgeoning career. But now he’ll look to step out of the Thai megastar’s shadow at ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga on Prime Video.
“Jojo” will face Vietnamese knockout artist Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 7 in a clash that is unlikely to last until the final bell.
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The 17-year-old has been on an absolute tear since making his ONE debut last year.
After reeling off his fifth win under the ONE banner – a 36-second demolition of former World Title challenger Edgar Tabares – Ghazali called for an opponent with a similarly fan-friendly style for his next fight.
“So yeah, anyone could be on my bucket list. Anyone who is entertaining,” he said.
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“I feel like I want to face someone that would make noise, you know? Someone that would really show people that I belong here.”
Duy Nhat fits the bill perfectly. “No.1” crushed his first two opponents on the global stage inside the distance, and his ultra-aggressive style was on show again before Denis Puric ended his winning streak this past December.
Johan Ghazali shrugs off Rodtang Jitmuangnon’s comparisons
Johan Ghazali recently shrugged off comparisons to flyweight Muay Thai king Rodtang Jitmuangnon.
In a recent interview ahead of his ONE Fight Night 17 win over Tabares, Ghazali insisted that he plans to carve out his own legacy at the highest levels of Muay Thai.
“I get this a lot. At first, it was cool, people calling me ‘Rodtang Malay.’ It’s cool to be mentioned on the same level as one of my idols,” he said.
“But I don’t want to be remembered as the next Rodtang, you know? I want to be remembered as the first ‘Jojo,’ the first Johan Ghazali. So, I’m grateful. I’m honored to be, not on the same level as him, but being mentioned with him. But yeah, I want to be my own person.”
While it is still relatively early days, all the signs point to Ghazali having a bright career ahead of him.Despite his tender age, the Malaysian-American young gun has won four of his five fights by knockout since landing on ONE’s Friday Fights platform. During that time, he was duly rewarded with a $100,000 contract with the promotion.