"I know he won't run" - Johan Ghazali reveals why he wants a fight with "old man" Denis Puric

ONE flyweight Muay Thai rising star Johan Ghazali wants a top-five contender next and has already set his sights on a heavy-handed veteran.

Shortly after 'Jojo' dismantled Josue Cruz at ONE 168: Denver at Ball Arena on Sept. 6, he took the opportunity to call out the No. 2 ranked Denis Puric.

The Malaysian-American told Nick Atkin during his ONE 168 post-fight media scrum:

"Nobody wants to see someone tip-tap toe to a decision win. This is just not entertaining. That's exactly why I want to call out Denis Puric. I want to fight Denis Puric."

Moreover, Johan Ghazali insisted that he admires the 39-year-old's no-nonsense style, which should give the fans an absolute treat since it's quite similar to his.

Then again, the cheeky 17-year-old star couldn't help but take a jab at 'The Bosnian Menace's' age. Ghazali added:

"I know he's a good fighter. I know he won't run. He's strong. He's been in the game for quite some time. And, yeah, I'm sure it'll be a good fight. You know, future versus past-past. Old man, Denis Puric, you know, I'm coming for him, and I get it."

Watch Johan Ghazali's full interview:

The full replay of ONE 168: Denver is available on demand for those with a Prime Video subscription in North America.

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Denis Puric responds to Johan Ghazali's challenge

It didn't take long for word to reach Puric about Johan Ghazali's desire to trade fists with him.

'The Bosnian Menace' wrote on ONE's Instagram post:

"If the fans want it and ONE Championship wants it, we can make it happen. But I'm here to fight the top guys in the league. Plus, he lost against Nguyen every round and we've all seen what I did to him. This is easy money for me. So do you guys really want to see me beat up a kid fight a superstar like Takeru or rematch with Rodtang in Muay Thai? Your guys call it. I want to know what the fans want."