BANGKOK: Malaysian Muay Thai exponent Muhammad Johan Ghazali Zulfikar made a stunning One Championship debut at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok last Friday when he scored a stunning knockout victory.
The 16-year-old Sarawakian teenager took just 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, better known as 'Jojo', also bagged RM45,000 as performance bonus.
"It was a dream come true for me to make my debut at a One Championship event and a knockout victory was unexpected," he told Bernama.
Johan who represents the Rentap Muay Thai Club, said he went through one-and-a-half months of intensive training to prepare for the One Championship fight.
"I always wanted to fight in a One Championship event. So, I trained very 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. And yes, my hard work has paid off.
"I would like to express special thanks to my coach Addy Singpayak. He takes good care of me. He is a very dedicated coach and ensures that I train properly, consistently," he said.
Last year, Johan won the 14-15 category (under 60kg) title at the 2022 IFMA World Youth Muay Thai Championship. — BERNAMA