ONE 173: “He does nothing for me if I fight him”

“The threat of Bosnia” Denis Puric again showed no interest in facing it A Championship teenage sensation Johan Ghazali.

A surprising generational clash between the 40-year-old veteran and the 18-year-old phenom has been speculated for some time following their constant back-and-forth online.

Ghazali, for his part, has been eager to get his hands on Puric. However, the Bosnian-Canadian warrior made it clear that he did nothing to gain from this possible fight.

Puric bluntly explained why he refuses to indulge “Jojo” in a recent interview with the South China Morning Post (SCMP):

“No, bro. I'm not fucking watching this kid. What's he doing for my career? It doesn't do anything for me if I fight him; win or lose, it doesn't matter to me. I'm not watching this kid, I'm looking to fight the beasts. The beasts I've been fighting.”

To be fair, Puric has been fighting the best of the crop in the 135-pound ranks, including the former ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon.

He is also scheduled to return at ONE 173 against Japanese superstar Takeru Segawa on November 16 at Tokyo's Ariake Arena.

As for Puric, Ghazali still has a long way to go before considering giving him the fight.

Watch the full interview:

Denis Puric is honored to be a part of the star-studded ONE 173

With seven world titles on the line and massive bouts across multiple sports disciplines, ONE 173 is easily the biggest event of A Championship history

Even Denis Puric is in awe of this incredible lineup of fights. “The Bosnian Menace” is deeply honored to fight Takeru Segawa in the the most stacked martial arts event of the year.

“I'm so excited. Honestly, this whole card feels crazy. I think this is the best card ONE Championship has ever put together. You have basically the best fighters in ONE on this card,” he told SCMP.

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda and ONE Championship for the latest on Puric's ONE 173 showdown.