Teenage phenom Johan “Jojo” Ghazali is confident that he’ll restart his hype train on September 6 at ONE 168: Denver. The fighter is riding a one-fight losing streak, however, he would like to overturn

That night, live in U.S. primetime from Ball Arena, the 17-year-old will square off with Mexican scrapper Josue “Tuzo” Cruz in a can’t-miss flyweight Muay Thai tilt.

Johan Ghazali aims to reassert dominance in his upcoming

“Jojo” burst onto the elite level in 2023, reeling off five consecutive victories – including four highlight-reel stoppages – to secure a spot on ONE’s global roster and announce himself as a legitimate contender in the talent-laden flyweight Muay Thai division.

But in his most recent outing, in June at ONE 167, he suffered a decision loss to Vietnamese veteran Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat. With that upset loss in the rearview mirror, Ghazali is now ready to remind fans of his immense talent and show-stopping power.

He recently spoke about his upcoming showdown with Cruz and was straightforward in his assessment of how he thinks the fight will play out: “Not trying to sound too confident or anything like that, but I believe my striking is way better than what Cruz brings to the table. I don’t think he’ll be able to handle my strikes when we fight. I think it’s going to be me putting the pressure on him, trying to score, trying to find that knockout, to be honest. That’s all I can think about now.”

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Ghazali predicts a knockout victory over Cruz

As confident as he is, Ghazali promises that he’s not looking past Cruz, who compiled an impressive 17-0 record on Mexico’s regional circuit before signing with ONE. “Jojo” knows that his opponent in Denver is a gamer who certainly won’t go away easily, but that doesn’t change his prediction – a knockout.

The teen says that he plans to force Cruz on the back foot while employing a ruthless boxing attack before ultimately finding the finish: “Ideally, I’d like a quick finish, but I’m not underestimating Cruz. I know he’ll be eager to fight. However, realistically, I think it’ll be hard for him. So, maybe a knockout in the second or third round. A late one would be nice, and it’ll be great to have a bit of drama.”

He further added, “I want to do the work with my hands, pressure him, break his defense, and have fun. But who knows, there could be a head kick or something that fans have never seen before.”