KUCHING, Oct 7: At just 16-years-old, Sarawak-based Muay Thai prodigy Muhammad Johan Ghazali Zulfikar is the youngest athlete ever to earn a contract with the world’s largest martial arts organisation ONE Championship.
Johan Ghazali, better known as ‘Jojo’, was awarded the contract after shutting down his opponent Temirlan Bekmurzaev from Russia with a liver blow at the ONE Friday Fights 36 at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand yesterday (Oct 6).
According to the ONE Championship website, the victory marks Jojo’s fourth straight victory in ONE in 2023.
In addition to the six-figure (USD100,000) contract, Jojo was also awarded a 350,000 Baht knockout bonus.
“This is crazy. I turn 17 (years old) next month. I guess I have a ONE Championship contract before I even have my driver’s license. So, this is crazy,” Jojo said in a post shared on his social media account when interviewed after winning the flyweight Muay Thai event.
In the initial round of the fight, 25-year-old Bekmurzaev managed to withstand Jojo’s aggressive attacks with power and precision.
However, as both fighters lowered their guards and exchanged blows, Jojo seized an opportunity and landed an elbow strike that forced his opponent to go on the defensive.
Sensing victory, he quickly closed in, delivering a powerful right hook to the jaw, followed by a devastating liver shot that left Bekmurzaev unable to respond to the referee’s count.
The fight concluded at 2 minutes and 43 seconds into the second round, earning the Malaysian-American his fourth successive victory in ONE in 2023.
Jojo, who trains at Rentap Muay Thai Club based in Kuching here under coach Addy Singpayak, made a stunning ONE Championship debut in Feb 24 this year when he took just 16 seconds to knockout his 18-year-old Thai opponent Padetsuk Fairtex in their flyweight Muay Thai showdown.
Fueled by his ambitious dreams, he continued to impress with another knockout victory against Tai Sor Jor Piek Uthai from Thailand during ONE Friday Fights 18 on May 26, as well as a unanimous decision win against Samurai Seeopal, also from Thailand, during ONE Friday Fights 25 on July 14. — DayakDaily
