"He's not in the same league" - Johan Ghazali believes Masaaki Noiri will have a rough time against Tawanchai at ONE 172

When it comes to a complete striker, very few can match what Tawanchai PK Saenchai brings to the table. At least, that is what young Malaysian-American talent Johan Ghazali thinks.

The Superbon Training Camp and Rentap Muay Thai Gym affiliate weighed in on the ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion's upcoming showdown against Masaaki Noiri, which takes place at ONE 172 inside the Saitama Super Arena on March 23.

That evening, the Muay Thai specialist attempts to complete his two-sport dream as the ONE interim featherweight kickboxing world title will be there for the taking.

Weighing in on how both men match up against one another, Johan told Sportskeeda MMA:

"I gotta admit, I don't know much about Noiri. But having watched some of his clips here and there, he's not in the same league as Tawanchai."

While he doesn't necessarily see things ending well for the Japanese striking specialist, 'Jojo' refuses to completely diminish his chances at putting on a show.

Noiri returned to winning ways in his last outing by demolishing Shakir Al-Tekreeti's legs on his way to a sensational knockout in 14 seconds of round two in their kickboxing joust at ONE 170 this past January.

If he can put together another similar act, the Sarawak-based fighter believes Noiri will, at the very least, make life difficult for the Thai wizard where he can.

In the same interview, he continued:

"But I'm sure he'd put up a fight there against Tawanchai in Japan."

Fight fans eager to catch ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang can purchase the PPV via watch.onefc.com. The card will broadcast live from the legendary Saitama Super Arena on Sunday, March 23.

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Denis Puric backs Tawanchai for world title glory in Japan

Like Johan Ghazali, Bosnian-Canadian knockout merchant Denis Puric sees this fight ending with the PK Saenchai Muaythaigym megastar getting his hand raised.

In a separate interview with Sportskeeda MMA, the 39-year-old offered:

"I think Tawanchai still wins the fight, man. He's been working on his boxing. He's been super sharp, man. He's been looking sharp. And again, he's got a lot of experience. This guy's got hundreds of fights, man."