Teen sensation Johan Ghazali fires out 36-second win at ONE Fight Night 17, wants next bout to ‘make some noise’
- Malaysian-American dismantles Edgar Tabares in Muay Thai bout, takes ONE Championship record to 5-0
- But failure to make weight costs 17-year-old shot at hefty performance-related payday
Teenage Muay Thai sensation Johan Ghazali needed just 36 seconds to add to his growing reputation at ONE Fight Night 17, which is how long it took him to knock out Edgar Tabares on Saturday.
The 17-year-old landed a vicious left shot to his opponent’s body at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, taking his ONE Championship career record to 5-0, with four of those wins via knock out.
It was a performance that would have normally earned the fighter a hefty financial bonus, but because the Malaysian-American failed to make his weight, he instead had to give 50 per cent of his purse to his opponent.
Not that the teen seemed unduly bothered by the loss of what could have been a substantial payday, saying he “did not fight for money”.
“Honestly, we were expecting a first-round knockout or at the latest in round three so we were expecting a knockout,” Ghazali said. “After the first jab, I saw him get staggered a bit and then I threw the hook.
“I knew he was in pain, I saw his guard [up] so I just tried it [the left hook] and it worked out. After the first jab, I knew he was going to run the whole fight. It is all right, props to him for taking the fight.”