THE FIGHT OF YOUR LIFE

INSIGHTS FROM NATESKIN AMBASSADOR AND MUAY THAI PHENOM JOHAN "JOJO" GHAZALI TO HELP DECIDE IF COMBAT SPORTS IS RIGHT FOR YOU.

- ZECH PHARAMOND

JOHAN "JOJO" GHAZALI comes from fighting stock, which is precisely what you'd expect from an 18-year-old Muay Thai prodigy who's won six out of seven fights against wilier opponents at One Championship. His father, SAC (Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police) Zulfiqar Mohd Ghazali was part of the 'old-school' Muay Thai scene i.e. 5-round fights that start mellow but crescendo into broken skin and bruised egos by the end of the bout. You'd get heavy punchers versus whip-fast kickers, or hyper-aggressive bruisers against super-slick clinicians that danced around without getting hit. His paternal grandfather was the decorated army general, Tan Sri Dato' Sri Mohd Ghazali bin Che Mat.

His stateside mother who met his father in an American Muay Thai gym, is herself no stranger to the rodeo. Her father used to fight on the same boxing circuit as legendary boxer Jack Dempsey. All of Jojo's siblings (an elder brother, a younger brother and a baby sister) have all stepped into the squared circle. Jojo describes it as his calling, saying, "I got this from my family. It's in the blood. I realised this when I started this sport. It was clear that with the right discipline and focus, I could make this my life."

But why? I suspect the answer can be found in an as-yet, untraced quote: "Not all of life is about fighting. But all of fighting is about life”. See, the best humans aren't built through participation trophies.

And they are told very early on, that their opinions have little value. For sure you've heard of the Harvard study to determine predictors of adult success. Spanning over 75 years, researchers carefully tracked if children needed more sports or longer classroom hours; if the side of the tracks they came from made a difference; and whether endless affirmations or persistent self-examination was the key to a happy, productive adulthood.