The legend of 16-year-old Muay Thai phenom, Johan Ghazali, grew larger on Friday when the Malaysian fighter scored a brutal liver punch knockout finish at ONE Friday Fights 36 from inside Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Ghazali, who entered Friday’s fight with a 3-0 professional record, was matched up against Russian bantamweight, Temirlan Bekmurzaev, on the YouTube undercard (watch HERE). The 16-year-old prospect has looked good so far into his career, but his clash against Bekmurzaev was supposed to represent a step up in competition.
Let’s just say Ghazaili didn’t get the memo.
While Bekmurzaev had his moments in the first round and was more than willing to stand in the pocket and exchange in close quarters with his younger counterpart, it was Ghazali who was clearly the more powerful puncher. He was also the bigger fighter, which allowed him to bully Bekmurzaev when he saw fit.
Towards the end of Round 2, Ghazali started to get off some really nice shots along the ropes. That’s about the time he uncorked a combination that ended with a brutal left hook to the body. Bekmurzaev instantly fell to the canvas and simply couldn’t continue. It was a spectacular outcome for Ghazali and a finish that should put all bantamweights on notice for 2024.
Check out the finish in the above video player and a full-card replay of ONE Friday Fights 36 below:
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
