GLORY 93, on Jul. 20, will the lightweight champion Tyjani Beztati attempt to make a successful debut at welterweight against the former division king. The co-main event in Rotterdam will see the featherweight crown on the line.
GLORY 93
Tyjani Beztati vs Endy Semeleer
The Moroccan-Dutch Tyjani Beztati has been one of the centrepieces of the GLORY Kickboxing promotion. After multiple dominant title defences of his world title, his division may be cut by the organization. Throughout his run, he has defeated K-1 Champions Enriko Kehl and Stoyan Koprivlenski, RISE king Kaito Ono, knocked out Josh Jauncey and the featherweight titleholder Petpanomrung Kiatmuu9.
Now, the 26-year-old athlete will debut at welterweight against the former champion Endy Semeleer. The Curaçaoan-Dutch fighter held the welterweight title until stopped by Chico Kwasi. Notable athletes Semeleer has defeated include Alim Nabiev, Superbon Banchamek, and Jay Overmeer, among others.
“The Wonderboy” Beztati has great advantages in the lightweight division due to his length and height. With jabs, teep kicks, and pull counters, he was effective at utilizing his height against opponents in that division. These tools may be less effective in the welterweight division where his opponents are mostly the same size as him. Additionally, in multiple interviews with myself, Beztati explained for most of his career he did not even walk around at 170 lbs. Now, he is attempting to add muscle to his frame just to make the limit.
“Bad News Endy” is a high-skilled striker to likes to work off of the counterattack. The 28-year-old athlete will prod and poke with jabs and kicks until his opponent commits and then he will strike; going first and third in exchanges. Semeleer is a challenging opponent for anyone with his speed, eye for timing, and active head movement.
Chico Kwasi was able to defeat Semeleer by jabbing to the chest to counter the active head movement of Semeleer. Plus, his game plan clearly outlined that his opponent liked attacking first and third and planned to exploit this. Additionally, “Luffy” had a major size advantage against the former champion. Throughout their fight, Semeleer would land counterattacks but were not strong enough to stop the onslaught from the towering Kwasi. Beztati will likely be able to employ the first two strategies but will not have a size advantage.
It will be a struggle for Beztati to adjust to the welterweight division given that much of his style is based on his length advantages. A pull counter is less effective against someone in that range. Semeleer is also a highly skilled veteran striker who thrives against tactical opponents. However, it will be a massive statement if “The Wonderboy” is able to succeed. It will answer many questions about the future of his career and will immediately put him in line for a title shot. It is a pivotal fight for both fighters and a compelling matchup.
Petpanomrung Kiatmuu9 vs. Kento Haraguchi
The GLORY 93 co-main event will see Petpanomrung Kiatmuu9 vs. Kento Haraguchi face off for the third time, but now the featherweight crown will be on the line. The Thai-born Petch has been the long-reigning featherweight king and picked up the RISE title by defeating Haraguchi in 2021. “The Professor” is looking to set a new record in GLORY by defending his title in eight matches.
“The Professor” Petch has a background in Muay Thai and has had an incredibly successful kickboxing career, having over 170 professional victories between the two sports. As a southpaw, he enjoys using his strong body kick to the open side, a highly powerful kick taught by the Kiatmuu9 gym. Many opponents will try to counter this by closing the distance, however, Petch is effective at utilizing a Thai clinch to stop their offensive attack.
Kento Haraguchi, of Japan, has a background in professional boxing and karate. Between matches, he will change his stance and movement style based on what would work best against his opponent. Abraham Vidales met the boxing stance and was knocked out with a punch. Anvar Boynazarov met the karate stance and was quickly knocked out with a body kick.
While many opponents struggle to work against the Thai champion, Australia’s Chadd Collins was able to take his RISE title in 2023. Collins has a background as a Muay Thai striker and was able to counter many of Petch’s Muay Thai tactics, including caught kicks and clinches.
Petch and Kento Haraguchi have met twice before and these bouts look entirely different. In 2021, it was not a close fight; Haraguchi could not find any space to work and was soundly out-struck. But their second match was scored a draw initially and needed to add an extra round to make a decision. At this point, these two strikers have fought a whopping nine rounds against each other.
The Japanese striker seems to have momentum on his side, entering this match on a three-fight knockout win streak, whereas the 29-year-old Petch is coming off a loss. Additionally, in their second match, Haraguchi seemed to be able to find space and counter, landing significant strikes including a flying knee to counter the framework of his Thai opponent. This is a compelling fight for the featherweight title that will look nothing like their first two meetings.
Miguel Trindade vs. Abraham Vidales
GLORY 93 also has some great fights on the card such as the featherweight showdown between Miguel Trindade and Abraham Vidales. Portugal’s Trindade is just coming off a first-round knockout win against the aforementioned Chadd Collins. Additionally, he had one of the best fights of all time in his wild showdown against Berjan Peposhi where over 400 strikes were thrown in just nine minutes.
Vidales, of Mexico, is a tactical kickboxer who is aggressive and is always looking for a knockout. Nearly eighty per cent of his wins were taken by way of knockout. Miguel Trindade vs. Abraham Vidales has fight-of-the-year potential written all over it.
GLORY 93 goes down on Jul. 20 live from Topsportcentrum Rotterdam in Rotterdam, Netherlands. For information on how to watch, check here.