Simon ‘Bad Bwoy’ Marcus (40-2-1, 24 KO’s) says he is “ready to make a statement” when he enters the GLORY 20 DUBAI four-man Middleweight Contender Tournament on Friday April 3.
Marcus debuted at GLORY 17: LAST MAN STANDING with a fight against long-time rival Joe ‘Stitch Em Up’ Schilling. The encounter took place in the quarter-final stage of the eight-man tournament and was an instant classic; fans declared it the Fight of the Year 2014.
Unfortunately for Marcus, he was on the losing side. The back-and-forth fight went to an extra round before a huge right hand from Schilling put Marcus down and out in the dying moments. Marcus’ first fight under kickboxing rules was also his first loss as a professional.
“I'm very competitive and I fought to win so naturally I was unhappy to suffer my first loss. But I take full responsibility for that loss and I have to use it to motivate myself and catapult me forward. There were so many different factors that played against me in that fight but at the end of the day I failed to get the ‘W’,” says the Canadian-Jamaican middleweight.
“I know that wasn't my best fight and things didn't go my way so that’s just more motivation to become a better fighter and bounce back. Also Schilling fought a great fight, he earned the win with his efforts. Next time I will do what is necessary to win, no excuses.”
That “next time” will be next month. Marcus has drawn Wayne Barrett (5-2, 4 KO’s) in the semi-final stage of the Dubai tournament. It is a classic match of opposing styles - Marcus has a traditional Muay Thai background while Barrett is a very mobile fighter who uses a lot of movement and unorthodox techniques.
“I think it will be an interesting match of styles. But I believe styles don't win fights, fighters do. It will be the fighter who can overcome the other that will win this fight and I have no doubts that will be me,” says Marcus.
In the opposite bracket Jason ‘Psycho’ Wilnis (24-4-1, 6 KO’s) of the Netherlands meets Alex ‘Poatan’ Pereira (17-2, 10 KO’s) of Brazil. They have fought before, back in 2012 under the It’s Showtime banner, with Wilnis taking the win inside the distance after hammering Pereira with leg kicks.
“I think both are top level fighters. Pereira has a long reach which may pose a problem for Wilnis and Wilnis has a good low kick which may pose a problem for Pereira. Its a toss up. I haven’t fought either before. They both seem like game fighters... either way, I’ll be ready for whoever wins their fight,” says Marcus.
In 2012 Pereira had not long made the transition from professional boxing to kickboxing, which made facing a proficient low-kick specialist like Wilnis a tough proposition for him.
Since then he has rounded his game out considerably, to the point that middleweight champion Artem Levin recently said Pereira was, after Schilling, the second-hardest opponent he had faced in GLORY. Levin is backing Pereira as the favorite to win the tournament in Dubai.
“That’s just wishful thinking in my opinion. Levin should knows better than that. But everyone has the right to their own opinion,” Marcus snorts derisively.
Levin’s comments about Marcus’ recent loss (“He looked terrible!” the Russian chortled) also draw a shake of the head from Marcus. He holds a win over Levin from a fight under Muay Thai rules in March 2013. Levin has said he wants to fight Marcus in GLORY and settle the score (“This is very important to me.”)
“I didn't see Levin’s comments but it’s no surprise [he said that]. But Levin of all people should know that a loss doesn't define a fighter,” he says.
“Especially since he himself got knocked out by a smaller fighter [in the form of] Yodsaenklai Fairtex and got banged out in a TKO loss by another European fighter in the past, where it looks like he just gave up. That’s something I've never done.
“So right now I’ll let him say what he will, but after these victories in Dubai we will see what he's got to say when I take his belt off him…”
GLORY 20 DUBAI takes place Friday April 3 at the Dubai World Trade Centre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Robin van Roosmalen headlines in a World Lightweight Championship title defense against Andy ‘The Machine’ Ristie.
In the co-main, a GLORY World Featherweight Champion will be crowned for the first time as Gabriel Varga of Canada meets Mosab ‘The Jaguar’ Amrani of Morocco in what is expected to produce a ‘Fight of the Year’ contender for 2015.
GLORY 20 DUBAI airs in the US on Spike TV at 10pm ET/9pm CT and will air in 140 territories worldwide. Check local listings for details.
