Jauncey: “I’m ready for anything”

Josh Jauncey (22-4, 11 KO’s) is the son of Vincent Jauncey, a former kickboxing champion who trained Josh and his brothers from a very young age.

He knew very early on that he wanted to be a professional kickboxer when he was older and from his teenage years he was making regular trips to the Netherlands for training, first at Amsterdam’s legendary Meijiro Gym and then as part of Team Souwer when former K-1 MAX champion Andy Souwer formed his own team.

That team is headquartered in Souwer’s home town of Den Bosch, about an hour south of Amsterdam. Jauncey is taking part in the GLORY 22 FRANCE Lightweight Contender Tournament and elected to stage the whole camp at the Team Souwer facility in order to achieve maximum focus and take advantage of a wider range of sparring partners.

“This is the first time I have been here for an actual scheduled training camp. Usually I am here only to sharpen up or when I’ve had a fight here in the Netherlands or something,” he says.

“This camp is to sharpen up and also for Andy and the other trainers to maybe see things that might have been overlooked by my dad and brothers at home because they are so used to me. I have got a massive arsenal of techniques, it is just a case of sharpening and getting better at what I do.”

If Jauncey wins the Lightweight Contender Tournament he will go forward to a title shot against Robin van Roosmalen, the current World Lightweight Champion. By coincidence, Den Bosch is also his home town. On previous visits to the town Jauncey and he have crossed paths (“We’ve seen each other in restaurants and stuff”) but they have not done so on the present trip.

“If I get that title shot it will all have happened fast, or at least faster than I expected it. But f--k it, you know? That’s how fighters make their legends, beating guys they aren’t supposed to beat at that stage of their career,” says Jauncey, 3-0 in GLORY.

The young Canadian prospect has been gratified to learn that he is far from the only person picking himself to win the tournament. “I believe in myself and I know that I can do it but it has been a pleasant surprise to read on the internet that other people are backing me and saying they think I will win,” he says.

“When I read the positive comments it gives me confidence. That’s pretty cool because usually people on the internet just talk s--t… I mean, some people are saying Larsen is going to smash me but they are just Larsen’s friends so that doesn’t count, ha!”

Denmark’s Niclas Larsen (40-7-1, 20 KO’s) is 1-1 in GLORY has seriously impressed everyone who has seen him.

A national champion in Muay Thai back in his homeland, Larsen has a technical but unorthodox style coupled with plenty of stopping power. He took Andy Ristie the distance on a week’s notice at GLORY 10 and stopped Steve Moxon at GLORY 15 ISTANBUL.

“He’s good, he has an awkward style like Ristie and that’s maybe why he was able to take Ristie to decision in that fight. He is definitely dangerous, he has got a complete game,” nods Jauncey.

“I do think I am better but just because you are technically better doesn’t mean you can’t get caught with something. So I have a lot to watch out for but at the same time I think I am better and I am pretty confident.”

In the tournament’s other semi-final bracket, former champion Davit Kiria (22-10, 7 KO’s) faces Thai debutant Sitthichai (97-27-5, 25 KO's).

Having lost the belt to Van Roosmalen at GLORY 18, Kiria is determined to win it back. Sitthichai, last year a champion in Thailand’s iconic Lumpini Stadium lists, has his own goals in mind. Only one of them will succeed.

“Sitthichai I actually don’t know too much about apart from two recent fights of his I have been able to watch. Sometimes he can look really sharp and be on his game and other times he looks a bit slow, so I guess it depends what Kiria brings to the table,” says Jauncey.

“Kiria has never lost to a Thai as far as I know but I know Sitthichai can be difficult to deal with. Either way, I will be ready to deal with whichever of them wins.”

GLORY 22 FRANCE takes place Friday, June 5 at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille, France and is headlined by a World Heavyweight Championship fight between Rico ‘The Prince’ Verhoeven and challenger Benjamin ‘Mr Gentleman’ Adegbuyi.

The event airs LIVE in the US on Spike TV at 4pm ET/3pm CT and will air live in more than 100 countries around the world.