Glory 9 took place in New York this past weekend and it was filled with excitement from start to finish. Some of North America’s top talents were in action on the night as well as some of the biggest names in the sport of Kickboxing.
Joseph Valtellini continued to prove to fight fans that he is the real deal with another (T)KO stoppage, Wayne Barrett put fight fans on notice, and Randy Blake made a successful Glory debut. There were some great performances from the North American based fighters.
Below are a few match-ups we think would make sense as the next possible fight for the North American winners at Glory 9, as well as some of the fighters that tasted defeat.
Joseph Valtellini vs. Gregory Choplin
Valtellini’s lone loss of his professional and amateur career combined came at the hands of Gregory Choplin at Lion Fight 7. Valtellini has since won three consecutive fights, two by stoppage under the Glory banner. Choplin is no stranger to Kickboxing bouts and it would make a nice match up. Will Valtellini be able to implement his crisp boxing combinations followed up by leg kicks or will Choplin once again use his experience to take home a victory over the younger Valtellini? Either Choplin beats the red hot Valtellini and jumps right into the Glory mix, or Valtellini avenges his lone loss to a highly touted and respected striker.
Wayne Barrett vs. Andrew Kapel
Wayne Barrett surprised many people with his knockout of Mike Lemaire. Unless you knew him you probably weren’t picking him to beat Lemaire, especially considering he only had one pro fight coming into the bout. Now Barrett is in the unique position that he only has two pro fights yet he beat one of the Road to Glory USA champions. Do you throw him into the mix with the top strikers in the world or bring him up accordingly. The best bet here would be to give him a hard nosed veteran of the North American striking scene. Andrew Kapel is as hard nosed as they come, tough durable and likes to get in your face. He dropped a razor thin split decision in the Road to Glory tournament to Lemaire, a bout in which he knocked Lemaire down early in the fight. Kapel would be a good measuring stick for Barrett, if he can beat two of North America’s top cruiserweights it would be a big accomplishment.
Brett Hlavacek vs. Stephen Richards
Hlavacek and Richards were set to fight at the Warriors Cup a few months back, but both fighters ended up pulling out of the match up. Now would be a great time for it to happen. Hlavacek rebounded nicely form his first career defeat by scoring a decision victory over Paul Marfort at Glory 9, and Richards most recently scored a win over highly regarded Alex Berrios. Bother Hlavacek and Richards are both strong fighters who normally impose their will in the ring so it would be interesting to see who would dictate the action in this bout.
Randy Blake vs. Dustin Jacoby
Blake won at Glory 9 against Koichi Pettas in a super fight, while Jacoby defeated Brian Collette in the opening round of the Glory Light Heavyweight Grand Slam and then dropped a decision to Danyo Ilunga in the semi-finals. The pair previously met in the opening round of the Road to Glory Light Heavyweight Tournament, a bout which Jacoby won by third round (T)KO. Blake was the favorite in the tournament and Jacoby surprised many by not only beating Blake but winning the tournament. The first fight was entertaining and there is no reason the second bout wouldn’t be.
Francois Ambang vs. Anthony Nieves
Ambang hung tough against Joseph Valtellini but eventually succumbed to leg kicks in the third round. He was able to land some clean shots on Valtellini, and kept a nice head and body defense for most of the fight, but left his legs open for attack. Valtellini does attack his opponent’s legs more than the average fighter, so it shouldn’t be something Ambang needs to worry about too much, he defended well early but the damage just accumulated. Valtellini was definitely a good measuring stick for Ambang. A fight against another strong North American based fighter should follow for Ambang. Nieves dropped a decision in the opening round of the Road to Glory USA tournament that Ambang won, but would present a strong test for Ambang.
Mike Lemaire vs. Afam Egbochuku
Lemaire went into his fight with Wayne Barrett a heavy favorite, but when it was over he was left face down on the canvas. Lemaire didn’t look good in his previous outing before fighting Barrett despite taking home a victory, and now his performance against Barrett raises some questions. A fight against a fighter like Afam Egbochuku who just happens to be based in San Diego like Lemaire would be a nice little in town rivalry, but would also be a good fight to see how Lemaire rebounds after his first professional loss. Egbochuku has power to test Lemaire’s chin but half the amount of fights.
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