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A teenager has spent more than a year replaying three rounds in his head. He believes the tape tells a very different story from the scorecards.
Johan Ghazali meets Diego Paez in a flyweight Muay Thai rematch at The Inner Circle 35 on Friday, October 16. The bout broadcasts live in Asia primetime from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Their first fight at ONE Fight Night 32 in June 2025 saw the 19-year-old march forward behind heavy combinations while Paez countered with slick footwork and creative strikes. The Colombian-American earned a razor-thin split decision, the first win of his ONE tenure.
Ghazali has gone through that footage with a fine-toothed comb. He believes he landed the cleaner shots and simply let his eagerness work against him.
“I feel like I landed more clean shots. I rushed in a bit too fast, and he was smart and took advantage of my hunger to win. If you watch that last fight closely, none of his spinning strikes actually landed clearly,” Ghazali said.
“I can only remember one spinning back kick that landed, but I returned with fire straight away. I know the improvements I need to make. The first fight was very close, but honestly, I’ve never been more confident.”
Johan Ghazali dialed in against a battle-tested Paez
Paez, 32, has come through three straight down-to-the-wire fights in ONE, most recently a narrow loss to Black Panther at ONE Fight Night 42 in April. Ghazali has gone 2-2 since their first meeting, beating Zakaria El Jamari and Ye Yint Naung before his latest defeat against Ramadan Ondash.
The Superbon Training Camp product respects how difficult Paez is to pin down. Even so, he believes the stakes weigh far heavier on the older man.
“He is a tough fighter who is hard to catch. But it doesn’t concern me. I still feel like I’m the better fighter, and if you zoom out, the pressure is on him. I’m 19. I have nothing to lose,” Ghazali said.
“He can be as hungry as he wants to. But none of his hunger will worry me too much. I’m dialed in, and I’m ready to k*ll.”
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