Johan Ghazali reveals he broke his hand before fight camp for ONE 168: "I couldn't spar at all"

Johan Ghazali may have looked at his very best at ONE 168: Denver, but the Malaysian-American knockout specialist reveals that he was far from 100 percent in the lead-up to the September 6 bill.

In a backstage interview with ONE Championship just moments after his victory over Josue Cruz, the Rentap Muay Thai Gym athlete disclosed that he suffered a fracture in his right hand that almost forced him out of the contest.

The 17-year-old said:

"Honestly, I felt a bit off today because the whole fight camp, I couldn't spar at all because I broke my hand early on heading into the fight camp."

Despite the limitations to his trademark fist, which helped him score some insane knockouts under the promotional banner, the young Nak Muay soldiered on to ensure he came in guns blazing inside Ball Arena last Friday.

In return, Johan Ghazali's dedication paid off as he sent Cruz to sleep with a dizzying left hook at the buzzer in the opening stanza. His highlight-reel win earned him a US$50,000 performance bonus and pushed his overall resume to 25-7.

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Johan Ghazali's near-perfect run in ONE Championship

Following his first-round win at ONE 168: Denver, Johan Ghazali moved to an impressive 6-1 under the ONE Championship banner.

The Sarawak-based fighter debuted with a statement 16-second finish of Padetsuk Fairtex in February last year before scoring another knockout versus Tai Sor Jor Piek Uthai at ONE Friday Fights 18 in May 2023.

Though he only earned a unanimous decision over Samurai Seeopal in his third appearance, the teenage sensation returned with a pair of finishes over Temirlan Bekmurzaev and Edgar Tabares.

His perfect record came to a halt against Vietnamese slugger Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat at ONE 167 this past June. However, judging by the Malaysian-American athlete's triumph last week, it was simply a regular bump in his quest to become one of the best fighters on the promotion's stacked roster.