After such a tremendous year on the world stage of ONE, Johan Ghazali entered ONE Fight Night 17 with a lot of burden on his shoulders to deliver on the hype that was put upon him. He was expected to deliver to the expectations that were placed upon him.
A contract on the main roster has been awarded to the phenom, who is only 17 years old, as a result of his outstanding performances on the ONE Friday Fights series, which brought him to the attention of the audience.
On fight night, the prospect shown that his confidence prior to the bout was not just empty talk. He took the situation in stride and put on a show for the spectators who were present at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium as well as those who were present all around the world.
He did not exhibit any signs of inexperience or anxiety, and it was immediately apparent that he was in command of the situation from the very beginning.
In the interview that took place after the fight, Johan Ghazali stated that he had known from the very first punch that he threw inside the famous arena in Bangkok, Thailand, that his opponent Edgar Tabares was not coming to fight him in the traditional sense.
After the initial blow, I had a feeling that he was going to dominate the rest of the fight. It is not a surprise. I applaud him for taking the initiative to fight.
Take a look at the complete post-fight interview down below:
Through the free event replay, viewers in North America who have an active subscription to Amazon Prime Video will be able to revisit all of the action that took place during ONE Fight Night 17.
Johan Ghazali succeeded in his first test with flying colors, despite the fact that he only had thirty-six seconds to make a statement in his debut with the main team.
When it came to attaining the appropriate weight for the battle, unfortunately, he encountered the most difficulty in the days leading up to the actual bout.
During the interview that took place after the bout, the seventeen-year-old fighter disclosed that the weight reduction was not necessarily the culprit in this particular instance:
Johan Ghazali details struggle to make weight at ONE Fight Night 17
“I wouldn’t say that it was a serious reduction in weight. I simply was not able to pass the hydration test. Unfortunately, I was unable to make the weight when I finally did.
He is evolving as a man and a competitor, and as he continues to grow into his physique, it is possible that he will compete in numerous weight classes in the future. For the time being, he has been lighting up the Circle with some magnificent performances in 2023, and many people are eager to see how he would do the following year.
