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 knock out 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, better known as “Jojo”, also bagged ฿350,000 (RM44,456.64) 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 said.
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 6am and another four hours in the afternoon from 4pm. 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 ensured 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, February 26, 2023
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