Topic:Kickboxing : “glory 10“ – Los Angeles, 28 Sept 201
Kickboxing : “GLORY 10“ – Los Angeles, 28 Sept 201
Kickboxing : “GLORY 10“ – Los Angeles, 28 Sept 2013
The next GLORY Kickboxing event, will take place on September 28th in Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
‘GLORY 10’ will feature a one-night, four man tournament, to establish who is the best Middleweight Kickboxer in the World!
The contenders for the GLORY Middleweight title are Joe Schilling, Artem Levin, Jason Wilnis and ENGLAND’s Steven Wakeling!
Additionally the Heavyweights are also in action with Jerome Le Banner vs. Sergei Kharitonov as well as a Super Fight between Robin Van Roosmalen and Shemsi Beqiri.
Full fightcard to be announced soon!
Fight for GLORY! www.gloryworldseries.com
Jordan Watson, 25, comes from the highly respected Bad Company gym in Leeds, England and is a training partner of GLORY featherweight contender Liam Harrison. Having gone 2-0 in GLORY and risen to number eight in the world rankings, Watson now faces the toughest test of his career in former world number one lightweight Albert Kraus.
The fight takes place at GLORY 10 on September 28 in Los Angeles. For Watson it’s a chance to climb the rankings towards the title shot he badly wants, and another opportunity to shine in the GLORY ring as he continues his quest towards proving himself the best in the world at 70 kilograms. Kraus is 1-1 in GLORY and coming off a loss to Andy Ristie but Watson thinks he is as dangerous as he ever was.
Interview:
----------
Kraus will be the biggest name you’ve fought in your career. What are your thoughts on this match and what do you want it to do for you?
“I’m really excited about it. I’ve had two fights for GLORY now and I think I’ve had two good performances but this will be my first match with one of the elite GLORY names. Kraus has been around a long time, he’s got a very big name.
“I’m ranked number eight at the moment and I want to climb the rankings. He’s ranked above me so if I beat him - which I am confident I can - then I can break into that top five where I want to be.”
Recently Kraus has had to contend with people saying that, at 32 and with a decade of fighting, he has faded from his best. Do you think he is any less dangerous than he used to be?
“No I don’t think so. I watched him fight at GLORY 5 against Warren Stevelmans, the same card that I was on, and I thought he looked excellent. His boxing looked good and his combinations and stamina looked good so I don’t think he’s lost anything.
“He has been around a long time but that translates into experience. He is still an elite guy, he’s still very dangerous.”
You come from a Muay Thai background. What lessons have you learned from your two GLORY fights thus far and how has that fed into your training?
“I’ve been working a lot on my boxing because that’s more important in GLORY fighting than it is in Muay Thai. And I’ve started doing strength and conditioning work, for the first time in my life I am doing weights and using a strength and conditioning coach.
“You need to be really fit for GLORY fights because there is no way to steal a rest. In Muay Thai you can clinch and you can find little ways to have a little rest but you can’t do that in GLORY. The pace is faster and it’s more tiring.
“Not that I’ve ever had problems with fitness or anything. I think for me size is the thing. Some of the guys in GLORY are massive. I’m cutting to 70kg and getting back up to 74kg, some of these guys are weighing in at 70kg and then getting up to 80kg by fight night.
“I’ve bulked up since I started working on strength and conditioning, if you see me now I look different to what I did at GLORY 5. I’m looking forward to seeing how I feel in my next fights because I feel a lot stronger now.”
Which of the two sports do you find harder on your body?
“I think generally in kickboxing you can land your shots a bit cleaner, there isn’t as much solid blocking as there is in Muay Thai. But you take more strikes and definitely more punches to the head so, it’s either way really.
“Though I did break my shin against Steve Moxon at GLORY 5 in London. First kick of the fight, I landed right on his elbow and broke my fibula. That was pretty painful. I think that’s why I started throwing knees instead of kicks. I actually didn’t notice it at the time, it was after the fight when the adrenaline wore off and suddenly I couldn’t walk, haha!”
Adrenaline is something that characterizes the GLORY experience, for fans and fighters alike. Our recent US debut - GLORY 9 NEW YORK - met with a very positive reception from US fight fans, many of whom have never been exposed to elite kickboxing before.
“It’s brilliant though isn’t it? People just going for it for three rounds, no cuddling on the floor or stupid dancing around. No big breaks between fights, straight on to the next one.
“I think its proper exciting and I really enjoy watching it. Its action straight away, as soon as the bell rings, people aren’t walking round looking at each other for two rounds before they get going. It’s what the fans want.”
While you’ve been having success at lightweight your team mate Liam Harrison has had a rough ride in the featherweight division, being stopped by Mosab Amrani at GLORY 5 and then eliminated from the GLORY 8 tournament in the second stage. What has been the reaction to that at Bad Company?
“I think he’s just been unlucky. Against Mosab it was just a good well-placed shot early in the fight and then in Japan he was doing well, all his shots were going in and then he got caught with a knee. But that’s the game, especially at this level, no matter how good you are you can always get caught with something.
“But I think it will just make him better. He’s been working on his boxing but he’s a good all-rounder anyway. Even in Muay Thai he fights like a kickboxer, a lot of hands and low kicks. He’s just not had the chance to show himself properly in GLORY yet but he will, he’s got some great fights ahead of him.”
www.gloryworldseries.com
As the world's premier kickboxing league, GLORY not only showcases the most exciting sport on the planet but also continually seeks to enrich and evolve it. Rules are continually being tweaked by executives such as Cor Hemmers, formerly the most accomplished coach in kickboxing, to ensure the sport delivers maximum excitement for fans while at same time staying true to its core values.
Starting with GLORY 10, which takes place in Los Angeles, California on Septemeber 28, fighters will no longer be able to receive a ‘standing eight count’ from the referee. A ‘standing eight count’ is when the referee elects to intervene when a fighter has been knocked down or is in trouble while standing, giving him a count of eight seconds and examining his condition.
With no standing eight count, a fighter who is in trouble while standing will either have to elect to go down or take a knee, initiating the standard ten count, or if already knocked down will have the standard ten seconds to get back to his feet and continue. If he cannot beat the ten count then the fight will be waved off.
Round-by-round open scoring has also been dispensed with. The judge’s scores will now only be revealed at the end of the fight. The judging panel has been reduced from five members to three members and decisions will be based on their majority opinion at the end of the fight.
Having trialed a computerized system, judges will now return to using paper ballots for their scoring, which will be collected by the head judge at the end of the fight. Points will then be tallied and the decision awarded. Results will then be manually entered into the computer system for the purpose of GLORY rankings points to be calculated.
“We are always looking to make the fights as exciting as possible and we also want the sport to be easy for the fans to understand. These rule changes are designed to achieve that and we think they will be welcomed by the fans and fighters alike,” says Hemmers, a trainer of multiple champions before becoming part of the GLORY infrastructure.
GLORY 10 is the organization’s California debut. The centerpiece of the Los Angeles event is a four-man, one-night middleweight tournament featuring world number one Artem Levin, American standout Joe Schilling, multi-time world champion Steven Wakeling and Dutch knockout artist Jason Wilnis.
The stacked undercard also includes top names such as Sergey Kharitonov, Jerome Le Banner and Robin van Roosmalen. It’s an event no fight fan can afford to miss. Tickets are on sale now!
Source : www.gloryworldseries.com/en/news/view/273
For the past few years, names like Buakaw Por Pramuk, Giorgio Petrosyan and Yodsaenklai Fairtex have been the talk of the kickboxing town, with British Muay Thai fighters like Jordan Watson and Iman Barlow also making massive waves in the stand-up circuit. The sport has undoubtedly been growing in recent years, evident through avenues like The Contender Asia and K-1 Max as well as the expansion of mixed martial arts and the increasing exposure of its exciting strikers like Anderson Silva and Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic.
Despite winning his first WMC world title at 19 against the experienced Ying Yai, as well as defeating the legendary ‘John’ Wayne Parr – arguably the most popular Western Muay Thai fighter to grace the ring – back in 2006, the UK’s Stephen Wakeling has remained relatively low key. In the last five years you can count the number of bouts he’s had on one hand, and with a record of just over 40 professional fights, the Epsom-born Thai boxer hasn’t had nearly half the amount of experience in the ring as most of his contemporaries.
But the serious striking fans and fervent followers of Muay Thai and kickboxing have perhaps seen GLORY World Series’ signing of ‘The Surgeon’ as one of the most thrilling. Finally, the opportunity for decent, exciting match-ups for the technical striker at a weight class packed with talent. So what is it exactly that, regardless of his played-down profile, makes Wakeling such a fan favourite?
Having started Muay Thai as a young boy under the tutelage of his father Mark and alongside his brother Michael (all of whom run Scorpions Thai Boxing Gym in Beckenham, South London together), most would’ve said Wakeling was destined to find success in the ring. But if asked if such talent can be instilled from birth, it’s guaranteed they’d all disagree. ‘It’s hard work and determination to reach my goal that’s got me here,’ says Wakeling, whose drive shows through his fighting.
The Scorpions fighter’s skills come from a raw passion to win, perform well and put on a good show for the fans, and this isn’t limited to his time in the ring. ‘The journey for most good fighters begins in the gym, with training,’ Wakeling adds, ‘the moments when there’s no one watching, no one to cheer you on but yourself and your coach – that’s when you really have to dig deep.’ The hours spent honing technique, crafting combinations and breaking through mental barriers to reach a point where improvement is inevitable. With all this perfected, the minutes spent between the ropes simply can’t disappoint – win, lose or draw.
Having gone toe to toe with some of the world’s best Thai boxers, it’s September 28th 2013 that will present the biggest challenge of Wakeling’s career so far. While that’s a cliché used to promote many fights in their lead-ups, for Wakeling, it’s real. The middleweight tournament which takes place at the Citizens Bank Arena in California next month will only be the second outing at 85kg for the previous 72.5kg and 76.1kg WBC world title winner.
His first test of the tournament will be against the hometown hero, Joe Schilling; a battle that Schilling himself as well as the fans have been asking for for quite some time. Should Wakeling come out victorious, he hopes to then face the Russian Artem ‘Lion’ Levin in a rematch that is more than highly anticipated. Their first meeting on the Xplosion Fight Series in London last year caused quite a stir with its controversial decision, in which the judges deemed the five-round Muay Thai war a draw, much to the British audience’s dispute. Wakeling plans to leave it pretty clear-cut this time, with expectations to fly home with the middleweight crown firmly in place and a spot at the top of the rankings, as well as confirm his title as the people’s champion.
Follow Stephen Wakeling and Scorpions Gym on Twitter (@SteveTheSurgeon and @ScorpionsThai).
Amanda Khouv is a health, fitness and sports writer, personal trainer and Muay Thai instructor based in London, UK. Follow her on Twitter @TheGlucoseKid.
Source : Liverkick.com
www.liverkick.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2639:wakeling-looks-to-make-a-mark-at-middleweight&catid=50:glory
HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT: Ky Hollenbeck will be stepping in to take on Albert Kraus at Glory 10 in Los Angeles, September 28th! This will be Ky's first fight since taking on Giorgio Petrosyan.
it all comes down to this luck fight whatever you want to call it he still won and nobody thought he would!!!
Sponsor
Sponsor:
Javascript is disabled in your browser. Please turn on Javascript to post messages.