BANGKOK: Malaysian Muay Thai exponent Muhammad Johan Ghazali Zulfikar made a stunning and unforgettable ONE Championship debut at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok on Friday night when he scored a knockout victory.
The 16-year-old Sarawakian teenager took only 16 seconds to knockout his 18-year-old Thai opponent Padetsuk Fairtex in their flyweight Muay Thai clash.
He caught his rival with a left hook-right overhand combo, leaving his rival down and out.
Johan or better known as “Jojo” also bagged 350,000 baht as performance bonus.
“It was a dream come true for me to make my debut at a ONE Championship and a knockout victory is unexpected,” he told Bernama.
Johan who represents Rentap Muay Thai Club said he went through a one-and-a-half month intensive training period to prepare for the ONE Championship fight.
“I always wanted to fight in a ONE Championship. So, I trained hard to accomplish my goal. I trained about eight hours a day – four hours in the morning from 6 am and another four hours in the afternoon from 4 pm. Yes, my hard work paid off.
“I would like to express special thanks to my coach Addy Singpayak. He takes care of me. He is a very dedicated coach and ensure I trained consistently,” he said.
Last year, Johan won the 14-15 category (under 60kg) title at the 2022 IFMA World Youth Muay Thai Championship. – Bernama