This Friday (7th June) at 8pm, Muhammad Johan Ghazali Zulfikar will confront Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat, Vietnam’s five-time WMF Muay Thai champion to bring honour to Malaysia. Fondly known as Jojo, the fighter from Sarawak is driven by patriotism and the desire to pay homage to his supporters, rather than monetary gain. If he wins, the ONE 167 event in Bangkok will present a performance bonus of USD50,000 (RM234,900) to the victor.
Despite the high-paying incentive, the 18-year-old will focus on making his home country proud. “Many will come to Bangkok to witness this fight. They place their trust in me. I genuinely love fighting and want to make Malaysia proud. Any reward is a bonus,” he told Harian Metro.
Acknowledging the challenge, the young fighter noted his opponent’s extensive experience and skill. He emphasised his preparations, highlighting Duy Nhat’s versatility and dangerous head kicks. Confident in his readiness, Johan believes his youth, quick recovery, and strength will give him an edge.
“I feel like the advantage I have in this fight is my youth. I’m younger, I recover faster, I’m stronger. While it might be tough initially, I know he will tire in the later rounds, making it easier for me to knock him out,” he said. For your information, the upcoming match marks the Selangor-born star’s return to the ring since defeating WBC champion Edgar Tabares from Mexico with a knockout in 36 seconds last December. He had taken a break to focus on his Malaysian Certificate of Education (SPM) exams.
Fans and sports enthusiasts have flooded the athlete’s social media with well wishes. Some netizens left funny comments like “Let him COOK!!!” while others urged him to “make Malaysia proud.” Many supporters expressed confidence in his ability to secure a knockout victory (KO).
Regardless of his motivations, as Malaysians, we stand united in support of him. As the saying goes, “Malaysia Boleh!“. Sadly, the broadcast for the upcoming tournament is only available on Prime in the US and Canada but we still would like to extend our heartfelt wishes for Johan’s journey to the championship to be smooth and successful.
Source: Harian Metro
Sabrina Azahar contributed to this article.
