Holzken: “I've got the hunger back, I want to eat people”

Former welterweight champion Nieky 'The Natural' Holzken (90-12, 46 KO's) rematches Cedric Doumbé (66-4-1, 39 KO's) at GLORY 42 PARIS this Saturday night in the capital city of France.

Six months have passed since Holzken and Doumbé met at GLORY COLLISION in Oberhausen, Germany. That cold December night, Holzken entered the arena as champion but left it without his belt, having lost a decision to Doumbé after five rounds.

Now, in the height of the Parisian summer, he is looking to reclaim what once was his.

“Sometimes what sets you back at first can end up taking you to a higher level. It wasn't a hard fight, I didn't take any damage. He hit like three times in the fight maybe. I was mad because I lost to myself, in the dressing room after the fight I looked at myself in the mirror and I just wanted to punch the mirror, you know?” he reflects.

“I've got the hunger back now. I want to eat people. It's not that I was bored or something, but I was fighting so often and not losing, it made me maybe not prepare properly or something. You win 25 fights in row, boxing and kickboxing, it can affect your motivation, make you [complacent].”

It was one of the biggest upsets in kickboxing history and Doumbé won plaudits for his performance. But Holzken says there is more to the result than meets the eye.

“I underestimated the fight. I had just fought Murthel Groenhart three or four weeks before and I had some injuries from that fight but when GLORY offered me to fight on the COLLISION card I thought f—k it, why not? It was a big card with Badr Hari and Rico Verhoeven, sold out arena, but it was a mistake for me to fight on that card,” he explains.

“I think I was about sixty percent. I couldn't really kick like I wanted to, couldn't use my left hand like I wanted to. You have never seen anyone clown around in front of me like Doumbé did but the only reason he could do that was because of me, it wasn't what he was doing, it's because I wasn't 100%. I really hope he tries the same in this fight, because this time he will pay for it.”

Doumbé and Holzken headline GLORY 42 PARIS this Saturday, June 10 at the Accor Hotels Arena in Paris, France. Also on the card is a four-man Lightweight Contender Tournament which will send the winner into the title shot picture.