The Arrival

by Nathan Aripez

 

If you are a fan of Kickboxing then you probably watched Glory 6 in Istanbul, Turkey. If you did then odds are that you witnessed the arrival of Joseph Valtellini.

A little over a year ago Valtellini was an up and coming fighter with a 5-0 record, looking to get the attention of the larger promotions. Despite being from Toronto, Ontario, Canada all of his fights had been in New York under the Friday Night Fights promotion, and he was a relative unknown outside of New York. Ever since Valtellini made the transition to the pro ranks his goal was to catapult to the top by beating the best. It all started to change for Valtellini when he scored a vicious knockout of west coast standout Shawn Yarborough at Friday Night Fights in March of 2012. It was then that people began to pay attention, but anyone hoping to get a peak at the man they call “Bazooka” would have to wait seven months to do so. With no video footage of the fight available for fans, all they knew was coming through word of mouth.

In October of 2012 Valtellini stepped into the ring under the Lion Fight Promotions banner to face Gregory Choplin. Despite Choplin having ten times the amount of fights Valtellini had, and despite Choplin having fought some of the best names in the sport, Valtellini was confident going into the bout. When it was all over Valtellini had suffered the first loss of his career. Despite losing by decision to Choplin, those who saw the young Canadian’s performance could see there was something special. He entertained the crowd with his aggressive style and, despite suffering a nasty gash over his eye, continued to press forward.

It would be a quick turn around for Valtellini as he was invited to fight at Muay Thai in America: In Honor of the King in Los Angeles, CA. This time he would be matched up with Mehdi Baghdad, a former K-1 tournament champion in France and Belgium. Valtellini would once again entertain the crowd en route to a unanimous decision victory over Baghdad. His crisp and fast combinations stifled Baghdad’s attacks, and despite being cut with an elbow by Baghdad midway through the fight, Valtellini continued to press forward. Bleeding profusely from his forehead did not slow him down, as punch-kick combinations were delivered in droves until the final bell.  It was then that, if he hadn’t caught your attention earlier, Valtellini certainly had it now.

Before his fight with Baghdad, Valtellini had heard about Glory signing North American talent.  On the night before his bout with Baghdad, he heard from Glory and their interest in signing him. Talk about adding pressure to your fight, now knowing that the biggest Kickboxing promotion is now going to be paying attention to your fight.

“I knew that Glory contacted my coach before the fight. I didn’t want to get ahead of myself and made sure to stay focused on Mehdi because I knew he was a dangerous opponent”, said Valtellini. “It was after the fight that I was really able to show my excitement for the Glory contact and of course the recent win.”

Immediately after his victory over Baghdad, Valtellini was officially on the Glory roster. Much of the North American talent that Glory was picking up were signed to fight in the Road to Glory USA tournaments, but Valtellini’s contract was to compete for Glory on the international level. They were sending him straight to the big leagues, and it was something Valtellini was more than happy to do.

“It was really important to me.  Even before I was signed with Glory, I believed and was confident that I was ready to compete at that level," said Valtellini. “When they gave me the opportunity to fight Murat in Istanbul, I really wanted to make a statement.  I wanted to show that I can compete against experienced and top international opponents. I have a lot of people around me believing in me, but the win against Murat really allowed me to fully believe in myself that I belong at this level.”

After a few months of waiting, Valtellini was finally contacted about his first Glory bout. Murat Direkci was the name he was offered and he gladly accepted. Direkci was a veteran that had defeated the likes of Albert Kraus, Gago Drago, and Chahid Oulad El Hadj all by (T)KO. He had also competed against the likes of greats like Robin van Roosmalen, Nieky Holzken, Albert Kraus, and Yoshihiro Sato. 57 of Direkci’s 68 wins had come by (T)KO, that was more wins by (T)KO than Valtellini had fights, but Valtellini was more than ready. It was what he had dreamed up since he first took up martial arts, and since his ascent up the Muay Thai and Kickboxing ladder began. Training out of Team Ultimate under the tutelage of Paul Minhas, Valtellini feels he is ready for any situation that arises and this was no different. Along with Minhas, Valtellini and devised their plan and were ready to set it into motion come fight time at Glory 6.

Valtellini arrived in Istanbul, Turkey expecting nothing more than to put on a good show on what was a pretty big card. The main event of Glory 6 featured Gokhan Saki vs. Daniel Ghita 2, a huge re-match in the Kickboxing world. On the day of the press conference Valtellini was asked to make an appearance, something he was not aware he would be doing. When he showed up to the press conference he was seated right next to one of the best heavyweights in the world, Gokhan Saki.

“Being at the press conference was an amazing experience, especially sitting at a table with 2 of the world’s best Kickboxers, the Glory CEO and Stephen Quadros.  Being at the press conference did add a little pressure, especially since I’m new on the international Kickboxing scene”, said Valtellini. “I’m sure a lot of people were wondering who I was, and what I was doing sitting beside Saki. I really wanted to put on a spectacular and dominating performance to show that I belong.”

After successfully making weight, it was fight day. According to Valtellini, mental preparation was the key, something he felt he was more than ready with. When it was time to go it was clear that the crowd was in favor of Direkci and they chanted his name in support on several occasions. Direkci came out like a pit-bull, immediately going after Valtellini looking to add another name to his knockout list. Valtellini, however, remained composed despite getting hit with a few big shots. As the opening round was winding down, Valtellini connected with a punch that sent Direkci to the canvas. In the second round, Valtellini began to take over, tilting the momentum heavily into his favor, including a spectacular head kick that Direkci never saw coming. In the third round after some heavy shots form Valtellini, Direkci’s corner had seen enough and threw in the towel.

If you didn’t know who Joseph Valtellini was before his fight with Murat Direkci, you definitely did afterwards. Valtellini was soon in the ring with announcer Stephen Quadros talking about his victory on the world's biggest Kickboxing stage, putting the exclamation point on his arrival. Not only had he collected a win under the biggest Kickboxing promotion, Glory, but his impressive win was over a seasoned veteran in Direkci.

“I had a lot different emotions (after the win). I put a lot of pressure on myself, so I was extremely happy and relieved that the fight was over and I got the outcome that I planned," said Valtellini. “This was something I dreamed about early in my career. The win still hasn’t set in, and I continually have to re-watch the fight to believe it.”

For his next fight, Valtellini will come full circle, back to where his pro career began. He will be fighting Francois Ambang, the winner of the Road to Glory USA welterweight tournament, in New York. Being back where it all started three years ago you can rest assured Valtellini will be looking to once again entertain the crowds with his blend of skill and power.