From Kickboxer to Boxer

Nieky Holzken and Yoann Kongolo, both of whom, especially the latter have a decent skillset.

 

Marco Huck

2003 W.A.K.O. World Championships 2003 in Paris, France gold medal −86 kg (Full-Contact)

2002 W.A.K.O. European Championships in Jesolo, Italy gold medal −86 kg (Full-Contact)



Alexander Povetkin

June 2000 European championships (professional) Nicosia 1st place

November 1999 W.A.K.O. World Championships 1999 Caorle 1st place

May 1998 Baltic countries cup Kaliningrad 1st place

September 1997 World Junior championship (under 19)Moscow 1st place

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Grigory Drozd

AW – You were born in Prokopyevsk, Russia. Can you tell us about your early years?
GD – I was born in an ordinary miner’s family in Prokopyevsk. It is in the south of Western Siberia, Kuzbass region. My grandmother spent all her life working in the mine as well as my mum – she is still there. We lived in a big house adjacent to the dormitory.

I was engaged in sports by chance. Once an advertisement in our best-known newspaper at that time, ‘Miner’s truth,’ caught my eye, regarding karate group enrolment. I was about 12 years old and made for ‘Mayakovskii’ Palace of Culture without hesitation. By the way, it still exists.

AW – You weren’t a big amateur, you actually came from another contact sport?
GD – I had four amateur boxing fights, winning them all and quickly turning pro. However, the (combat) background I have is owed to my Muay Thai career, where I earned all titles possible: Russian champion, European champion and world champion, all in Muay Thai kickboxing.

AW – Tell us a little more about your Muay Thai career.
GD – It took me about three years and then I turned to another trainer, due to a lack of (success), though I liked karate. My new trainer was Vitaliy Ilyin and he made me world champion later on. We began alternating with karate and kickboxing while participating in different competitions and my performances didn’t keep us waiting. I became youth champion of Russia at the age of 15 (light-contact), then I was third at the Asian Championship. In 1995, we were invited to the CIS Championship and immediately accepted the offer. It was my Muay Thai debut and I won this tournament.

I went to my first world Muay Thai championship at 17 years old (the youngest in Russian team) and reached the semi-final there. I lost on points to a Frenchman. It was very controversial decision; at the least the fight was equal. As a result I was third (the Frenchman lost to a Belarusian in the final) but nevertheless I wasn’t beaten and felt proud of my showing. There were two European championships next in my career (Italy and Cyprus) and both times I returned with gold. Excellent feelings! I was bursting with pride.

Yet there were no feelings after I became “super champion” and could do nothing more. My second trip to Bangkok took place in 2001. It was another world championship and this time everybody reckoned on my victory as well as I did.



Mairis Briedis

70+ Kickboxing fights

2008 Amateur European Kickboxing Champion

3rd place in the Amateur World Kickboxing Championships in 2007

2002 until 2010 Latvian Kickboxing champion

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Jarrell Miller

His break-out performances as a kickboxer came while representing the New Jersey Tigers in the World Combat League in the 2007-08 season. On May 3, 2008, he defeated K-1 veteran Pat Barry at the WCL Eastern & Western Conference Finals in San Antonio, Texas, the biggest feat of his career at that point.

Following the WCL's demise, Miller went on to rack up a 19-0 (8 KOs) record on New York's heavyweight Muay Thai scene while also turning professional as a boxer.

His exploits won him admirers, and in 2012, he was recruited by K-1, historically the world's premier kickboxing organization.

In his promotional debut, he went up against mixed martial arts knockout artist Jack May at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2012 in Los Angeles on September 8, 2012 with a place at the 2012 K-1 World Grand Prix at stake.

Miller was able to knock May out with an uppercut in the first round to advance to the K-1 World Grand Prix 2012 in Tokyo Final 16 on October 14, 2012 where he was drawn against Arnold Oborotov.

Although Oborotov caused some problems with his low kicks, Miller was able to dominate with his superior boxing ability. He cruised to a unanimous decision win after sending the Lithuanian to the canvas in round one.

At the K-1 World Grand Prix 2012 Final on March 15, 2013 in Zagreb, Croatia, he battled Mirko Cro Cop in the quarter-finals. The panel of judges scored the bout for Cro Cop by unanimous decision, handing Miller his first professional loss and sending him out of the tournament.

He signed with SUPERKOMBAT in August 2013. Replacing Sergei Kharitonov who withdrew from the fight due to a finger injury, Miller rematched Mirko Cro Cop at Glory 17: Los Angeles in Inglewood, California on June 21, 2014. He lost by unanimous decision.

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Vyacheslav Shabranskyy

He first practiced kickboxing, taking part in over 200 bouts, but made the transition to boxing when he realized there was no money in kickboxing in Ukraine

2 time World Champion in pro kickboxing

 

Agit Kabayel

Kickboxing/Thaiboxing record: 15 fights – 14 wins

Denis Grachev

IKF Muay Thai Light Cruiserweight World Champion

2X World Kickboxing Champion (2000, 2005)

4X Russian Kickboxing Champion