He defeated his compatriot Levi Rigters in the final, who had to give up in the second round after falling for the fourth time. Verhoeven earned $500,000 with his final victory.
The 34-year-old Verhoeven seemed to be on his way to an easy victory in the final. He knocked down the 28-year-old Rigters twice in the first round. But in the second round Verhoeven suddenly had to go to the ground. The Brabander staggered for a moment but quickly put things in order.
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Lurking injury
The Grand Prix for heavyweights was somewhat reminiscent of the K1, a tournament with big winners such as Peter Aerts, Ernesto Hoost, Semmy Schilt and Remy Bonjasky that had its heyday in Tokyo at the end of the last and beginning of this century. Organizer Glory has only organized title fights and no tournaments in the past ten years.
Verhoeven feared that the best kickboxer might not win the Grand Prix, because the risk of injury loomed before the final battle. But he reached the final quite easily. The Brabander opened his Grand Prix with a victory over the Frenchman Sofian Laïdouni. He also went three rounds in the semi-final battle to win over 23-year-old Nabil Khachab, born in Amersfoort and playing for Morocco.
So Levi Rigters had to give up. In his first reaction he speaks of a fierce match: “My shins were completely destroyed,” he says. Verhoeven also talked about ‘a wear and tear’ in front of the Videoland camera, but he is happy that he took the win. “It means a lot to me. It is my passion and my life.”
Avoid stairs
Shortly after his semi-final, Verhoeven almost came to blows with his arch-rival Jamal Ben Saddik, who was in Khachab’s corner. The Belgian Moroccan made a kicking motion towards the Brabander. Security guards who rushed over managed to keep the two kickboxers apart with great difficulty. “He kicked at me,” Verhoeven said. “I just clearly won. And then he comes back into the ring. This man should simply be banned from this sport. It is unacceptable.”
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Rigters defeated Estonia’s Uku Jürjendal within a round and a half in his quarterfinal. He escaped in the semi-final battle against the bravely fighting Bahram Rajabzadeh from Azerbaijan, who was much stronger, especially in the third round. Rajabzadeh had to go to the ground in the first round after receiving a knee from the Dutchman on his chin.
2024-03-09 22:07:59
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