The cameras are rolling again on a rivalry years in the making, and Johan “Jojo” Ghazali has plenty to say to Rustam “Tomahawk” Yunusov.
Their history goes back further than most fans realize, and the undefeated Russian is itching for another installment.
He made that crystal clear earlier this month, shortly after outpointing Thai veteran Suriyanlek Por Yenying by unanimous decision in the main event of The Inner Circle 34 at Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium.
The classy win lifted “Tomahawk” to 18-0 and moved him one step closer to the coveted US$100,000 main roster contract.
With the job done, the One Chance and Tomahawk Kamilov Team product delivered a post-credits scene of his own, turning the spotlight onto a familiar name.
Yunusov told onefc.com:
“What I can say about Johan – I cannot say anything, because I don’t want to fight with actors. I fight with fighters. Johan has to film Malaysian films.”
If Yunusov – now 9-0 in ONE Championship – was hoping to get under Ghazali’s skin, he cast the wrong co-star.
Never one to let a jab go unanswered, the Malaysian-American fired back in trademark fashion, with a reply worthy of the red carpet.
Ghazali said:
“Thank you very much. Thank you so much [for the compliment]. It’s not easy to look like me. It’s not easy to be as rich as me. It’s not easy to be as influential as me. So I take it as a compliment.”
That reply, however, was merely the trailer. Ghazali had a full feature in store for his old rival, and he was ready to roll it.
Naturally, the fellow 19-year-old slugger saved his showstopper for the final scene.
The Rentap Muaythai Gym and Superbon Training Camp athlete said:
“Rustam, you’ve been calling for this fight for a while. If the fans want to see it, I have no problem. Let’s do it, and I’ll beat you again like the last time I did. And then, I’ll make a movie about it.”
Round Four: Ghazali Ready For Yunusov In ONE
Johan Ghazali’s confidence is not just for the cameras. It is rooted in a trilogy most fans never got to see.
All three meetings came at the IFMA World Youth Muay Thai Championships, when both fighters were young teenagers. Yunusov claimed the first two, but their third showdown, at the 2022 edition of the tournament, went in favor of the young Malaysian-American knockout artist.
“Jojo” said:
“The first fight took place when we were 38 kg, I think. We were very small. The second one was at 57 kg, and the third one was at 60 kg. I won the last one.”
If that memory fuels his confidence, his recent form only adds to it. At The Inner Circle 35 on Friday, October 16, he avenged an earlier defeat to Colombian-American Diego Paez in their flyweight Muay Thai rematch to improve to 28-11.
While he respects what the Russian brings to the table, Ghazali also offered a frank review of their potential first blockbuster on martial arts’ grandest stage.
He said:
“He’s a good fighter. He’s a southpaw, so it’s a bit tricky to fight him. But, I mean, he hasn’t been fighting the same caliber of opponents that I’ve been fighting. So, nine-win streak or not, for me it doesn’t really make a big difference because of the people he’s been fighting.”
