Teen sensation Johan Ghazali had the toughest test of his young career at ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut II against Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat.
After three hard rounds, Duy Nhat edged the Malaysian-American by unanimous decision. Although disappointed by the result, “Jojo” is taking it as a learning experience against one of the best athletes in the division.
“It was frustrating because Nguyen is a technical fighter. He has a lot of experience. He knew what was coming before it came,” Ghazali told ONE.
Ghazali still showed himself well throughout the match, constantly pushing the pace.
While apologetic to his most fervent supporters, Ghazali is already putting the loss behind him and looking toward the future.
“Sorry to all the Malaysian fans who came out from Malaysia all the way to Bangkok to support me. I 100 percent felt their support in there. Keep on supporting me. I do it for the fans. I’ll be back,” Ghazali professed.
“I’ve lost before. I’ve lost in life. Losing is a part of life. Don’t judge me on my wins. Judge me on how I come back from my losses.”
Duy Nhat may have gotten his hand raised after nine minutes of action, but he was impressed with his opponent.
“No. 1” had to constantly contend with Ghazali’s youthful exuberance inside the Circle and believes he has a very bright future ahead of him that could be filled with gold.
“Johan is young and strong. He has a strong mind as well, and he will certainly be a future World Champion of ONE Championship,” Duy Nhat said.
ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong also sees a bright future for the teen star. Sityodtong put the matchup into perspective, mentioning“Jojo” has plenty of time to develop into the elite striker of the future.
"'Jojo' is still young. He is still 17. He has less experience. His opponent is the number one fighter from Vietnam. He’s 35 and he has a lot more experience. I think that ‘Jojo’ needs to gain a lot more experience in the future,” Sityodtong said.