If you haven’t been watching kickboxing; start now. This is not an advertisement, nor is it hyperbole for the sake of internet points. I’m a firm believer in knowing your history when following a sport. You have to know where things came from to understand the present situation. If you want to know what makes a good kickboxer, for example, it’s good to be familiar with the standard bearers of old. That being said, if tomorrow’s Glory World Series is anything like the last few have been, you won’t need to do too much research. Standards are being set as we speak.
This has been going on for a while now. I first started to notice when Glory, the world’s largest kickboxing promotion, brought their show stateside. New York, a state that has notoriously held out on legally sanctioning MMA fights, was the home of Glory 9. Americans, many for the first time, were introduced to kickboxing by the monstrous Tyrone Spong destroying his way through a light heavy-weight tournament where he met former champ Danyo Ilunga in the finale. Even though it wasn’t technically a knockout, Spong unleashed a barrage of damage on Ilunga so devastating that the ref had no choice but to stop it while Ilunga still stood on his feet. Even though most Americans prefer to see faces hit the floor, seeing a new champ crowned in an outstanding fashion isn’t a bad way to introduce yourself to us Yanks. The same night saw Wayne Barrett, a NY fighter, defeat Mike Lemaire by KO. Everyone loves a hometown boy.
Speaking of hometown boys, Glory 10 proved that one cannot indeed stop crazy. Surprising everyone who isn’t from California, Joe Schilling came out as champ of the Glory Middle Weight Tournament proclaiming a new era in kickboxing and taking America’s (in his opinion) rightful place in it. The change was a’ coming, and Glory 10 was to be sign of the new revolution. Schilling may have been the one to say it, but (for those of you who like foreshadowing) super fight winner of the night Andy Ristie may be the one who signaled the changing of the guard.
Before the next Risty fight, however, there was Rico Verhoeven vs Daniel Ghita. Daniel Ghita is an exciting, experienced fighter who has been winning fights by knockout since 1999… when Verhoeven was 10 years old. Not a kid anymore, Verhoeven shocked the world at Glory 11 by beating Ghita to become the Tournament Heavy Weight Champion of the World… they grow up so fast. The same night we saw Spong, again, tearing through Nathan Corbett. Some say we have a new GOAT on our hands.
At this point, the writing was pretty much on the wall. There is a new breed in town, and these kids are gunning for the belts. There is no better way to exemplify this than to re-watch Glory 12 and look at Andy Risty. After the Light Weight Tournament where Risty took down the King Giorgio Petrosyan, they should have started calling this man the Usurper. Not only is Petrosyan a veteran, he’s a legendary veteran who had never been knocked down in his previous 81 professional fights. He was the sure thing. He was why we tuned in to watch the tournament…. He was knocked out. The same night saw Joe Schilling’s ironic prophecy of a dominant American kickboxer come true, as he was defeated by Wayne Barrett. Change is exciting.
Now, tomorrow we see Glory 13. The revolution has brought us all the way around, so to speak. It will be in Tokyo, Japan, a special and almost spiritual place in the hearts of martial artists everywhere. This will be the Welterweight Tournament, which promises to be extremely exciting. We’re also being promised to see a return to form of Erroll Zimmerman as he faces off with Ghita, and the penultimate fight of one my personal favorites, Remy Bonjasky. Most importantly, however, Verhoeven returns to the ring for the retirement fight of a kickboxing legend, Peter Aerts. How fitting for a legend to retire at this time and at this location while fighting this young man. The revolution truly is being televised.
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