Jamal Ben Saddik (26-4, 22 KO’s), who faces Anderson ‘Braddock’ Silva (38-11-1, 24 KO’s) at GLORY 23 LAS VEGAS on Friday, August 7 is “on the elevator” to the top of the heavyweight pile, according to his coach Nicky Hemmers.
‘The Goliath’ is the biggest active fighter in kickboxing, standing 6’9” (205cm) and weighing 259lbs (117.5kg). He returned from a disciplinary suspension to stop his GLORY 22 FRANCE opponent in the first round and remind the rest of the heavyweight division of his presence.
“I’ve known Anderson a long time, I’ve had fighters against him several times, including Errol in a GLORY tournament. He’s a technical guy, very sharp and he is always in good shape, he has good conditioning. But I think that Jamal’s power and reach mean that if he really goes out for a full-frontal attack, Anderson won’t be able to handle that,” says Hemmers Jr.
Silva is well known for getting into close-range wars with his opponents, but Hemmers says it is a mistake to categorize the Brazilian as merely a brawler.
“He does brawl but if you look at him he counter-attacks very well, he is quick on the counter, good timing. And he doesn’t throw any wasted techniques, nothing unnecessary. The things he does, he does well, he is a really good fighter. But with Jamal having a 20kg (40lb) weight advantage plus the reach advantage, I think that works a lot in his favor and we have to use it.”
No coach will talk about specific tactics before a fight and Hemmers, younger brother of the Muay Thai icon Ramon Dekkers and son to master trainer Cor Hemmers, is no different. However, he does give some insight into what the approach will be.
“The gameplan really is just to fight him and put the pressure on. Anderson is the more experienced fighter so it would be a mistake for us to play his game. For us it makes more sense to put the pressure on early. The fight is set for three rounds but I don’t think it will go so far,” he says.
“I think Jamal takes twenty or thirty seconds to get into the fight and then he takes over. It’s hard for an opponent to deal with a guy Jamal’s size when he is giving you his full attack, you know? Look at Semmy Schilt.
“When Jamal first came to our gym a few years ago he couldn’t even throw a right hand properly. But he is a training animal, he trains really hard, he is serious about his conditioning and his diet. He has improved with every training session and right now he is on the elevator [to the top] I think. His knees are really dangerous, but everything he throws is powerful.”
GLORY 23 LAS VEGAS takes place Friday, August 7 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada and airs live in the US on Spike TV at 11pm ET/10pm CT.
The headline slot sees arch-rivals Nieky ‘The Natural’ Holzken face off with Raymond ‘Real Deal’ Daniels in a style vs. style rematch for the World Welterweight Championship.
