KUALA LUMPUR: Russian combatant Rustam Yunusov stoked the fires of an escalating rivalry with Johan Ghazali, saying the rising Malaysian sensation belongs on a film set rather than in the ring.
The verbal volley arrived during a recent interview Yunusov gave to ONE Championship, where he dismissed the teenager's fighting credentials.
"What can I say about Johan? I can't say anything because I don't want to fight an actor. I fight fighters. Johan should be acting in Malaysian movies," Yunusov said.
Johan, better known as Jojo, deflected the jibe with trademark swagger, transforming his opponent's taunt into self-styled praise.
