-Contributor: Lucas Bourdon
After a very good (if a bit sad, considering how Bonjasky looked) first event of the year last month in London, Glory is back with another card and another big heavyweight main event.
#2 ranked Daniel Ghita (47-8, 36 KOs) is taking on #3 ranked Gokhan Saki (78-16-0-1, 55 KOs) in a rematch of the quarter finals of the 2010 K-1 Grand Prix. In a very close fight that went to an extra round, Saki capitalized on Ghita slowing down, using his speed and cardio to outwork the Romanian in the later rounds. That victory came to a price though, as Ghita’s powerful kicks broke his arm, leading to a loss in the semis to eventual Grand Prix winner Alistair Overeem. Since then, Ghita rose to a top 3 ranking, going 10-2 with only one his victims reaching the final bell. For his part Saki also looked very good in those two years, especially since he made the move from Golden Glory to Mike’s gym losing only to Badr Hari and Semmy Schilt.
When these two meet in Istanbul, the fight, like in 2010 will come down to speed versus power. Can Saki withstand Ghita’s power long enough to take over in the later parts of the fight? If he does, can Ghita now keep up with Saki’s frenetic pace? If pressed, I’d pick Ghita but whatever happens in that fight it’s likely to be a great one.
In what is in my opinion the second most interesting fight of the evening, Karim Ghajji (84-7-1, 49 KOs) and Nieky Holzken (74-11-0-1, 34 KOs) will meet at 77kg.
Karim Ghajji is coming off the biggest night of his career in february, winning the Nuit Des Titans tournament with a victory in his rubber match with Yohan Lidon and brutally knocking out Aikpracha in the finals (although he was a bit lucky that Aikpracha had to go through an absolute war and an extra round to make the final and that he didn’t have to go an extra round with Lidon himself). Nieky Holzken is more of a known quantity to kickboxing fans, he’s a tall fighter with an extremely agressive style and a very good record over the last few years, going 16-3 since losing to Buakaw in the 2009 K-1 Max Grand Prix. At 32, this is Ghajji’s opportunity to capitalize on his momentum and make a name on the international scene. He has the technical tools to beat Holzken but at his age he’s shown a tendency to fade a bit late in fights and you have to wonder how that’ll play out against an aggressive and younger fighter. My pick: Holzken by decision.
At 70 kg, Andy Ristie (39-3-1, 20 KOs) is coming off of a very good 2012, going 6-1 (5 KOs) only losing to K-1 Max and Shootboxing legend Andy Souwer in the final 8 of the 2012 K-1 Max tournament. He will be taking on 21 year old Alessandro Campagna (32-5, 14 KOs) who recently scored the biggest win of his career against Fabio Pinca in a close fight (thanks to a point deduction to Pinca for excessive use of Muay Thai throws). Alessandro Campagna is a decent prospect but I think Ristie will prove to be too stiff a test for him at his point in his career, as he is a bit too hittable for me to be confident in his chances. My pick: Andy Ristie by KO.
Still at 70 kg, Max Baumert (4-0) will face local fighter Ismail Uzuner. Initially booked on the undercard, Baumert was 13-1 (10 KOs) as an amateur and 28-6-1 as an amateur boxer. He trains with Golden Glory Berlin and turned pro in september of last year and immediatly scored a good debut win over journeyman Marco Piqué, Uzuner took second place in the 2012 European Sanda championships and should provide a good test and an opportunity to shine on the big stage to the 20 year old German.
In the opening bout of the evening, Dong Su Kim (35-7) a 22 year old from South Korea will clash with Naoki Yasuda at 65kg. Kim is a southpaw brawler with fairly limited skills but he can count on a good chin and above average power for the weight class to take him through fights. He took part in the 2011 Thai fight tournament, knocking out Team Nasser Kassem product Houcine Bennoui in the quarter finals before losing wide decision to eventual winner Kem Sitsongpeenong (no shame in that, the same thing happened to far better and far more experienced fighters). He entered another one night tournament in 2012, gutting through an extra round to win his quarter final before once again falling in the semis. He’s coming off a high kick KO win of another young fighter in early 2013, I have no idea who the hell Naoki Yasuda is, if he can box a bit he shouldn’t have too much trouble with Kim as the Korean has been soundly outboxed for stretches of every fight I’ve seen him in but Kim’s style should make for an entertaining opener either way.
-Lucas can be reached @lucas_bourdon
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