Johan Ghazali almost pulled out of ONE 168: Denver due to a hand injury.
On Sept. 6, Ghazali made his seventh walk under the ONE Championship banner. There was added pressure for the 17-year-old's latest fight against Josue Cruz, as he was coming off his first promotional loss earlier this year.
Ghazali wasn't phased by the bounce-back opportunity, securing a first-round knockout against Cruz. The Malaysian-American's performance became more impressive when he revealed he almost pulled out of the fight due to an injury.
Ghazali answered questions backstage in a media scrum that followed his knockout win. 'Jojo' had this to say about a hand injury he suffered in training:
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"This whole fight camp, I couldn't spar because I broke my hand about four weeks ago. I was very close to calling off the fight, but I just watched one of Josue's fights, and then I thought I didn't need my hands, but it was all good. I was very close to canceling the fight, and I couldn't spar during the whole fight camp, so yeah, that might be a factor of why I got hit so much."
Johan Ghazali's knockout win at ONE 168: Denver lead to a $50,000 performance bonus from ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong. Ghazali's latest fight and more can be rewatched for free by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Watch Ghazali's entire post-fight media scrum at ONE 168 below:
Johan Ghazali calls out two fighters following his win at ONE 168: Denver
Johan Ghazali's win against Josue Cruz silenced the doubters questioning his potential. 'Jojo' also rejuvenated his presence in the ONE flyweight Muay Thai division, setting up a potential big-time matchup for his next fight.
While speaking to the media, Ghazali called out two fighters - the battle-tested Denis Puric and the rising prospect Freddie Haggerty. Puric didn't seem overly interested in fighting an up-and-comer, while Haggerty embraced the challenge.
Haggerty and Ghazali have showcased their potential in the division, making the matchup even more intriguing. Only time will tell if Chatri Sityodtong and the matchmakers decide to book the fight for late 2024 or early 2025.