Teen striking phenom Johan Ghazali is back in the winners’ column in ONE Championship, and he’s targeting more exciting fights from here. Last weekend, “Jojo” demolished Mexico’s Josue Cruz in the first round of their flyweight Muay Thai pairing at ONE 168: Denver this past Friday, September 6, much to the delight of the crowd inside Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.

The win was the 17-year-old’s fifth stoppage in six wins across his seven fights in the world’s largest martial arts organization, and it earned him a coveted US$50,000 performance bonus. Though satisfied with his showing, Ghazali made it clear that he was looking to up the ante in his next fight—and he had one man in mind.

Johan Ghazali calls out Puric for a real challenge

“I’m looking for a challenge, a real fight. I’m not saying my last fight before this wasn’t a challenge. But to be honest, nobody wants to see someone tip-tap toe to a decision win. This is just not entertaining. That’s exactly why I want to call out Denis Puric. I want to fight Denis Puric,” he said in his post-fight interview.

“I know he’s a good fighter. I know he won’t run. He’s strong. He’s been in the game for quite some time. And, yeah, I’m sure it’ll be a good fight. You know, future versus past-past. Old man, Denis Puric, you know, I’m coming for him.”

As impressive as Ghazali’s run has been so far in ONE, fighting Puric would likely be a huge step in competition for the teen star. After all, “The Bosnian Menace” is currently the second-ranked flyweight Muay Thai contender, with many years of experience under his belt.

Is Ghazali the next logical choice for Denis Puric?

In his last outing at ONE 167 this past June, Puric went toe-to-toe with flyweight Muay Thai king Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon in a kickboxing bout that went the distance.

Despite coming up short, he earned the respect of Rodtang and the rest of the combat world with his performance.

It’s also worth noting that Ghazali’s only loss in ONE Championship so far came against Vietnamese star Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat—the same fighter that Puric knocked out in the second round of their encounter at ONE Fight Night 17 in December 2023.

Whether or not ONE’s fight bookers decide that Ghazali’s slate is good enough to challenge a ranked fighter remains to be seen, but there is little doubt that a battle between him and Puric would produce fireworks.