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Johan Ghazali initially felt bad when he absorbed his first defeat in ONE Championship back in June. But instead of dwelling too much on it, he used it to propel him to an impressive bounce-back victory in his United States debut last week.
The 17-year-old Malaysian-American fighter was a big first-round knockout winner over Mexican Josue Cruz in their catchweight (142 pounds) Muay Thai clash at ONE 168 at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, on Sept. 6. It was a rebound win for 'Jojo' after he lost to veteran Vietnamese fighter Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat in his previous fiight.
Speaking to Alex Wendling following his victory at ONE 168, Johan Ghazali spoke about how his loss to Nguyen figured in his preparation and mindset for his fight against Cruz.
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He said:
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"I'm happy it went the way it did [referring to the Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat defeat]. It just gives me more chances to improve, and that's what I showed today. It helped me get extra determination to bounce back."
Watch the interview below:
At ONE 168, Johan Ghazali encountered early trouble against Cruz, even having his nose bloodied from hits from 'Tuzo'. However, he would go on to have a strong finish in the opening round, eventually landing a devastating left hook in the closing seconds that sent his opponent to the mat and to the KO defeat.
The full replay of ONE 168 is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
Johan Ghazali says work continues for him after win at ONE 168
While happy with the bounce-back win he got at ONE 168: Denver on Sept. 6, Johan Ghazali said work continues for him as he advances in his ONE Championship journey.
He shared this in a conversation with combat sports journalist Nic Atkin following his first-round KO win over Mexican Josue Cruz at ONE 168, underscoring that he intends to continue pushing himself to be the best fighter that he can be.
"I'm here to stay. I'm not going to lose one time and fall off. I still keep going. I'm still hungry. I'm still young. I'm still pushing my limits. So I did it for myself and my family."
Check out what he had to say below:
With the win at ONE 168, Johan Ghazali improved to 6-1 in ONE since making his promotional debut in February last year. It was also his fifth victory by KO.
