“He won’t run” - Young star Johan Ghazali calls out battle-hardened veteran Denis Puric for potential ONE clash

Johan Ghazali is no stranger to calling his shots, and his next one might just be the biggest he's ever launched.

The teenage phenom is fresh off a first-round knockout win over Mexico's Josue Cruz, and he's now calling for a huge matchup against battle-hardened veteran Denis Puric.

In his post-fight media scrum at ONE 168: Denver, Ghazali said he's confident he could take on Puric in a Muay Thai match and claim his seventh win under ONE Championship's banner.

Johan Ghazali said following his victory over Cruz:

"To be honest, nobody wants to see someone tip-tap-toe to a decision win. That's just not entertaining. That's exactly why I want to call out Denis Puric. I want to fight Denis Puric. He's a good fighter, he won't run, he's strong, he's been in the game for quite some time, and I'm sure it'll be a good fight."

He added:

"You know future versus past, past. Old man Denis Puric, you know I'm coming for him."

Ghazali secured his sixth win in seven fights in ONE Championship in one of his most impressive performances, yet.

Cruz was dealing a fair bit of damage in the opening moments of their fight at Ball Arena and successfully fended off Ghazali's attempt at closing the distance. The youngster, however, found his opening late in the first round and cracked Cruz with a flurry of punches. A swift hook effectively knocked the Mexican out with a second remaining in the period.

While his start in the promotion is worthy of note, Ghazali could be biting off more than he can chew against Puric. The 39-year-old is a 41-win veteran coming off a brutal three-round war against ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon at ONE 167.

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Johan Ghazali says he had to dig deep in Denver showdown against Josue Cruz

Johan Ghazali is used to dictating the pace in his fights, but things were quite different against Josue Cruz at ONE 168 this past weekend.

Cruz had Ghazali's number early in the fight and fought primarily from a distance. Ghazali, however, relentlessly tried to close the void and ultimately found success when he clocked Cruz with a flurry of punches for the first-round knockout win.

In his post-fight interview with ONE Championship commentator Mitch Chilson, Johan Ghazali said he had to buckle down amid Cruz's constant pressure.

"So he hit me with the good shots a couple of times. I got a bloody nose. But, you know, I keep coming. I keep coming. I don't give up. I don't give up easy. So, yeah."