39-year-old veteran fighter 'The Bosnian Menace' Denis Puric of Bosnia and Herzegovina / Canada doesn't think he should be paired up against Malaysian teenage phenom Johan Ghazali, a guy more than half his age.
Puric says it shouldn't even be considered, no matter how good Ghazali is.
Speaking to the South China Morning Post, Puric talked about Ghazali and shared his thoughts on the Malaysian sensation.
'The Bosnian Menace' said:
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
"He's a kid. This guy needs a lot of work to do to get up to where we are. We've been fighting legends for years. This guy just comes in and tries to get a spot."
In short, Puric feels the 17-year-old Ghazali needs to fight his way into the elite the good old-fashioned way.
Puric is set to return to action early next month when he takes on the toughest test of his career.
'The Bosnian Menace' will lock horns with ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion 'The Iron Man' Rodtang Jitmuangnon in a three-round flyweight kickboxing contest.
The two do battle at ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga on Prime Video.
The event broadcasts live from the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and absolutely free on Friday, June 7th, in U.S. primetime, with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Denis Puric says Johan Ghazali lacking resume to command big fights: "He hasn't done enough"
'The Bosnian Menace' Denis Puric continues on to say that 17-year-old 'Jojo' Johan Ghazali is too green behind the ears to warrant facing a top contender in ONE Championship at this stage in his career.
The 39-year-old veteran told South China Morning Post:
"Don't get me wrong, he has great potential to be a star. But he has a lot more work to do. Maybe later, down the road, if he keeps winning, I'd be more than glad to share the ring with him. But right now, I feel like he hasn't done enough to fight us ranked guys yet."