Malaysian-American teenage sensation Johan Ghazali considers his explosive ONE Championship debut the defining moment of his young career, despite enjoying plenty of memorable nights on the global stage since.

The 18-year-old knockout machine reflected on his most cherished memory from his brilliant campaign under the ONE spotlight ahead of his upcoming flyweight Muay Thai war with Diego Paez at ONE Fight Night 32 inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 6.

“Most memorable? I mean, besides the contract, I would say my first fight, the debut in ONE Lumpinee,” Johan Ghazali told Goated Combat when asked about his career highlights. “I won by knockout in 16 seconds.”

The Superbon Training Camp and Rentap Muay Thai Gym standout sent the Mecca of Muay Thai into a frenzy during his promotional bow at ONE Friday Fights 6 in February 2023.

Johan, then only 16 years old, shut down Padetsuk Fairtex in 16 seconds with a left hook-right overhand combination for the 20th win of his career.

The Sarawak-based star has added four more highlight-reel wins against Tai Sor Jor Piek Uthai, Temirlan Bekmurzaev, Edgar Tabares, and Josue Cruz. If, all goes his way, he hopes to see off Paez in similar fashion at ONE Fight Night 32.

Johan Ghazali aims to make the most of his career in his prime

Despite dreaming of claiming and defending the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title for as long as he can, Johan Ghazali doesn’t plan to continue fighting well past his prime.

In the same interview, the knockout machine delivered:

“Actually, realistically, I don’t want to be fighting till I’m old. I want to get in, get the belt, make a name for myself, prove a point, and get out and do something else.”

Watch his full interview with Goated Combat below:

North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can witness ‘Jojo’ in action and the entire ONE Fight Night 32 card for free, live in U.S. primetime, on Friday, June 6.