Malaysian Muay Thai star Johan Ghazali brushes off haters ahead of ONE Fight Night 35
The confident 18-year-old says criticism doesn’t faze him and expects an ‘easy fight’ against Morocco’s Zakaria El Jamari in Bangkok
Muay Thai sensation Johan Ghazali said he was ready to silence the doubters when he returns to action at ONE Fight Night 35 at Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium in September.
The 18-year-old will face Morocco’s Zakaria El Jamari in a flyweight Muay Thai contest and aimed to deliver a statement performance after a tough decision loss to Colombian-American Diego Paez in June.
“My layovers are a little too long for my liking, but I’m just happy to be back in there,” Ghazali told the Post.
That last outing prompted a wave of criticism online, but Ghazali said he was learning to handle the spotlight.
“People will talk s*** about me no matter what I do,” he said. “Especially now. I’d like to say I’m one of the biggest Muay Thai stars in ONE Championship. I’ve got eyes on me. So, most of it is just for extra publicity – I just play into the marketing game a bit. It doesn’t really affect me.”
Still, he admitted the negativity could be difficult to deal with.