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GLORY HITS NEW YORK CITY’S HAMMERSTEIN BALLROOM WITH WORLD-CLASS KICKBOXING EVENT FEATURING EIGHT-MAN, LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT TOURNAMENT SATURDAY, JUNE 22


PLUS SUPERFIGHTS:

DANIEL GHITA VS. BRICE GUIDON
JOSEPH VALTELLINI VS. FRANCOIS AMBANG
BRETT HLAVACEK VS. PAUL MARFORT

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GLORY, the world’s premier kickboxing league that is home to the greatest martial arts stand-up fighters on the planet, today announced that it will bring its championship fight series to The United States for the first time ever with a one-night, eight-man, light heavyweight (209 pounds/95 kilograms) tournament at Hammerstein Ballroom at Manhattan Center in New York City on Saturday, June 22.

In one of several Superfights also scheduled for the event, heavyweight superstar and former secret service agent Daniel “The Savage Samurai” Ghita (46-9, 35 KOs) of Romania will collide with Muay Thai champion Brice Guidon (28-8, 13 KOs) of France.

“We are thrilled to kick off the expansion of GLORY’s world championship kickboxing series to the U.S. with such a high-caliber event in the sports and entertainment epicenter that is New York City,” said GLORY Sports International CEO Andrew Whitaker. “We are looking forward to establishing the GLORY brand in the U.S. with this debut event that will showcase the product for what it is – the most exciting and elite form of world-class kickboxing, or martial arts stand-up fighting.”

Slated for battle in the single-elimination tournament, thus far, are hard-hitting KO artist Brian Collette (19-1, 16 KOs) of Norfolk, Va.; four-time world champion Danyo Ilunga (51-4, 41 KOs) of Germany; Muay Thai sensation Filip Verlinden (40-9-1, 16 KOs) of Belgium; Peter Aerts-protégé Mourad “The Silent Power” Bouzidi (75-20-2, 34 KOs) of Tunisia; world Muay Thai and Karate champion Steve McKinnon (42-5, 29 KOs) of Australia and granite chinned Koichi (26-8-1, 15 KOs) of Japan The remaining two tournament competitors will be announced soon.

In other Superfight action, hard-hitting “Bazooka” Joseph Valtellini (8-1, 7 KOs) of Toronto, Ontario Canada will square off with fellow rising star Francois Ambang (9-2, 4 KOs) of Mechanicsville, Va. in a welterweight (170 pounds/77 kilograms) matchup and Phil Nurse protégé Brett Hlavacek (8-1, 3 KOs) of New York, N.Y. will face three-time Muay Thi titlist Paul Marfort (10-5, 4 KOs) of Orlando, Fla. at welterweight.

The 27-year-old Valtellini, a high school teacher by day, has become a familiar face in New York, winning six of his pro Muay Thai bouts in The Big Apple, all by way of (T)KO. Valtellini, who also holds a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, made a splash, first start in the GLORY ring in Istanbul, Turkey on April 6, stopping Murat Direkci, a veteran with more than 10 times as many fights under his belt than Valtellini, in the third round of their matchup.

Ambang, a 26-year-old native of Cameroon, made a mark in New York City for the first time on March 22, winning the one-night, eight-man development Road To GLORY USA welterweight tournament at Capitale to earn a multi-fight contract with GLORY. Using heavy body attacks, Ambang defeated three consecutive opponents – two by way of TKO – including a first round stoppage of Hlavacek in the tournament’s championship round.

The 29-year-old Hlavacek reached the championship round of the tournament after scoring a stunning, 41-second TKO on Ryan Parker in the quarterfinal stage of the eight-man affair and earning a unanimous decision over Eric Utsch in the semifinal stage.

A draw to determine the GLORY 9 New York light heavyweight tournament’s quarterfinal stage matchups will be held on a date to be announced soon. Doors at Hammerstein Ballroom will open at 5 p.m. EST and the first preliminary bout will begin at 6 p.m.

HARD-HITTING SUPERSTAR TYRONE SPONG ENTERS GLORY 9 NEW YORK LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT KICKBOXING TOURNAMENT


TICKETS ON SALE NOW FOR HISTORIC, STAR-STUDDED EVENT AT MANHATTAN’S HAMMERSTEIN BALLROOM ON SATURDAY, JUNE 22


Twenty-seven year-old martial arts fighting superstar Tyrone “King of the Ring” Spong (69-6-1 43 KOs) of Boca Raton, Fla. via Suriname will compete in the one-night, single-elimination GLORY 9 New York tournament featuring a lineup of the world’s top light heavyweight (209 pounds/95 kilograms) kickboxers, at Hammerstein Ballroom at Manhattan Center in New York City on Saturday, June 22, Glory Sports International (GSI) announced today.

“We are excited to enter Tyrone into this historic, first GLORY championship series event in the U.S. that will determine who is physically and mentally the top athlete in kickboxing’s light heavyweight division,” said Glory Sports International CEO Andrew Whitaker.

“Tyrone’s recent performances in the ring have distinguished him as one of the best and most powerful martial arts fighters in the world who can showcase our great sport at its highest level,” continued Whitaker, “so we look forward to seeing him compete against the other superstars who have been enlisted for action in the tournament.”

In his last GLORY start on March 23, Spong, a member of the vaunted Blackzilians fight squad that boasts the likes of fellow martial arts fighting greats Rashad Evans, Alistair Overeem and Vitor Belfort, triggered a changing of the guard in the ring at ExCel Arena in London, England, decimating Remy “The Flying Gentleman” Bonjasky, a three-time champion of the old K-1 series and one of kickboxing’s greatest athletes of all time, with a vicious right hook in the second round (2:02) of their highly-anticipated main event showdown.

The explosive KO marked Spong’s fifth consecutive kickboxing victory. One fight prior, on June 30, 2012, Spong toppled another icon of the sport and future Hall of Famer, Peter Aerts, scoring a thunderous KO on Aerts in the third round (2:10) of their matchup in Brussels, Belgium.

Since turning professional as a middleweight in 2003 and winning 12 fights that year, Spong, a former protégé of retired heavyweight kickboxing legend Ernesto Hoost, has since climbed his way to the top in four different weight divisions. He has faced and defeated a host of top-ranked rivals in addition to Bonjasky and Aerts, including Kaoklai Kaennorsing, Ray Sefo and Melvin Manhoef.

Tickets for GLORY 9 New York, priced from $48 (plus handling fees), are on sale at all Ticketmaster locations, online at Ticketmaster.com and charge-by-phone at 800-745-3000.

Also slated for battle in the star-studded, eight-man single-elimination tournament, are hard-hitting KO artist Brian Collette (19-1, 16 KOs) of Norfolk, Va.; developmental Road To GLORY USA light heavyweight tournament winner Dustin Jacoby (9-3, 7 KOs) of Arenzville, Illin.; four-time world champion Danyo Ilunga (51-4, 41 KOs) of Germany; Muay Thai sensation Filip Verlinden (40-9-1, 16 KOs) of Belgium; Aerts-protégé Mourad “The Silent Power” Bouzidi (75-20-2, 34 KOs) of Tunisia; world Muay Thai and Karate champion Steve McKinnon (42-5, 29 KOs) of Australia; and Michael Duut (38-3, 17 KOs) of The Netherlands.

The GLORY 9 New York light heavyweight tournament’s quarterfinal stage matchups will be announced soon.

In one of several Superfights also scheduled for the event, heavyweight superstar and former secret service agent Daniel “The Savage Samurai” Ghita (46-9, 35 KOs) of Romania will face Muay Thai champion Brice Guidon (28-8, 13 KOs) of France.

In other Superfight action, hard-hitting “Bazooka” Joseph Valtellini (8-1, 7 KOs) of Toronto, Ontario Canada will square off with fellow rising star Francois Ambang (9-2, 4 KOs) of Mechanicsville, Va. in a welterweight (170 pounds/77 kilograms) matchup.

Valtellini has earned six of his eight professional career victories in New York. Ambang emerged the winner of the development, eight-man, developmental Road To GLORY USA tournament, created to identify new talent and potential future champions for GLORY’s championship series, at New York City’s Capitale on March 22.

Phil Nurse protégé Brett Hlavacek (8-1, 3 KOs) of New York, N.Y., the runner-up in the developmental Road To GLORY USA tournament on March 22, will face three-time Muay Thai titlist Paul Marfort (10-5, 4 KOs) of Orlando, Fla. at welterweight.

Additional Superfights will be announced soon. Doors at Hammerstein Ballroom will open at 5 p.m. EST and the first preliminary bout will begin at 6 p.m.

NEW YORK KO ARTIST WAYNE BARRETT TO MAKE GLORY KICKBOXING DEBUT AGAINST TOURNAMENT CHAMP MIKE LEMAIRE AT MANHATTAN’S HAMMERSTEIN BALLROOM ON SATURDAY, JUNE 22


Hard-hitting upstart Wayne Barrett (1-0, 1 KO) of Queens, N.Y. will compete on the biggest stage of his young professional fight career when he faces off with fellow undefeated Muay Thai stylist Mike Lemaire (9-0, 3 KOs) of San Diego, Calif. in a middleweight (187 pounds/85 kilograms) Superfight contest at the first-ever GLORY championship series kickboxing event in the U.S. at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, N.Y. on Saturday, June 22.

The 27-year-old Barrett, a former Georgia State Golden Gloves amateur boxing champion and martial artist since the age of 10, has become a dangerous force in the ring with his thorough mix of striking skills and ability to read his opponents while splitting his training camps between Brooklyn, N.Y. where he works under boxing mentor Kelly Richardson, and Atlanta, Ga. where he trains alongside the likes of fellow GLORY competitor Eddie “Showtime” Walker and other world-class fighters.

After amassing a near-perfect amateur kickboxing and Muay Thai record of 19-1, with 15 of his wins coming by way of (T)KO, Barrett made his professional debut in Queens, N.Y. on Feb. 22 against Strahinja Ivanovic, a fighter with 12 professional fights under his belt. Barrett quickly overcame Ivanovic’s experience advantage, landing a right hook to the head that sent Ivanovic to the canvas for the 10-count at the 2:43 mark of the bout’s second round.

Lemaire, a 26-year-old protégé of retired, former world Muay Thai champion Melchor Menor, burst onto the national fight scene on Feb. 9 when he defeated three consecutive opponents in one night to capture the developmental Road To GLORY USA middleweight tournament championship and earn a multi-year contract with GLORY. Lemaire scored KOs on two of his three tournament opponents, including championship round adversary Walker.

A native of France, Lemaire began studying Judo at age 4 and later transitioned to Karate and kickboxing after he reached the age of 12. It was in 2007, the year he moved to the U.S. that Lemaire became immersed in Muay Thai.

The event will be headlined by a star-studded, eight-man tournament featuring a lineup of top light heavyweight (209 pounds/95 kilograms) martial arts fighters. Slated for action in the one-night, single-elimination contest is world champion Tyrone “King of the Ring” Spong (69-6-1 43 KOs) of Boca Raton, Fla. via Suriname; KO artist Brian Collette (19-1, 16 KOs) of Norfolk, Va.; developmental Road To GLORY USA light heavyweight tournament winner Dustin Jacoby (9-3, 7 KOs) of Arenzville, Illin.; four-time world champion Danyo Ilunga (51-4, 41 KOs) of Germany; Muay Thai sensation Filip Verlinden (40-9-1, 16 KOs) of Belgium; Aerts-protégé Mourad “The Silent Power” Bouzidi (75-20-2, 34 KOs) of Tunisia; world Muay Thai and Karate champion Steve McKinnon (42-5, 29 KOs) of Australia; and Michael Duut (38-3, 17 KOs) of The Netherlands.

The GLORY 9 New York light heavyweight tournament’s quarterfinal stage matchups will be announced soon.

In one of several other Superfights scheduled for the event, heavyweight superstar and former secret service agent Daniel “The Savage Samurai” Ghita (46-9, 35 KOs) of Romania will face Muay Thai champion Brice Guidon (28-8, 13 KOs) of France.

Hard-hitting “Bazooka” Joseph Valtellini (8-1, 7 KOs) of Toronto, Ontario Canada will square off with fellow rising star Francois Ambang (9-2, 4 KOs) of Mechanicsville, Va. in a welterweight (170 pounds/77 kilograms) Superfight.

Valtellini has earned six of his eight professional career victories in New York. Ambang emerged the winner of the development, eight-man, developmental Road To GLORY USA tournament, created to identify new talent and potential future champions for GLORY’s championship series, at New York City’s Capitale on March 22.

Phil Nurse protégé Brett Hlavacek (8-1, 3 KOs) of New York, N.Y., the runner-up in the developmental Road To GLORY USA tournament on March 22, will face three-time Muay Thai titlist Paul Marfort (10-5, 4 KOs) of Orlando, Fla. at welterweight.

GLORY 9 NY FIGHT CARD:


Light Heavyweight Tournament Quarterfinals:

Danyo Ilunga vs. Mourad Bouzidi
Brian Collette vs. Dustin Jacoby
Filip Verlinden vs. Steve McKinnon
Tyrone Spong vs. Michael Duut


Superfights:

Rico Verhoeven vs Errol Zimmerman
Daniel Ghita vs Brice Guidon
Daniel Sam vs Anderson ‘Braddock’ Silva
Joseph Valtellini vs Francois Ambang
Wayne Barrett vs Mike Lemaire


Reserve Fights:

Artem Vakhitov vs Luis Tavares
Randy Blake vs Koichi Watanabe


Preliminary Card:

Brett Hlavacek vs Paul Marfort
Casey Greene vs Keith Berish
Andrea Deangelo vs Laura Byrnds
Abdrew Ball vs James Smith Jr
Chris Mauceri vs Niko Tsigaras
Nick Pace vs Levan Makashvili