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Valtellini looks forward to Holzken rematch, vows to “keep getting better”

  • News
  • Jun 24, 2014

‘Bazooka’ Joe Valtellini (12-2, 10 KO’s) is a wanted man - and he knows it.

The new GLORY World Welterweight Champion has had the belt a matter of days. Even as the belt was being wrapped around his waist following his win over Marc De Bonte (87-12-1, 28 KO’s) on Saturday night, he knew a target was being painted on his back.

“Whoever has the belt is a wanted man. When Marc de Bonte had it I wanted him and now I have it, Nieky Holzken wants me,” the Canadian says.

“I’m likely to face Holzken in my first title defense and that is fine by me. A lot of people called our fight at GLORY 13 TOKYO in December he Fight of the Year 2013 and I am sure we can do the same again.”

Valtellini’s fight with Holzken (84-11, 44 KO’s) was a war and an instant classic for the kickboxing archives. Interest in a rematch has been high ever since.

In fact most of Valtellini’s fights have been wars; he isn’t a fighter who likes to play the points game and so even though he won the belt at GLORY LAST MAN STANDING on Saturday night, he still felt some disappointment.

“Any time I get a decision I am upset. Even if I dominate, I am a fighter who wants to get the KO. You see it in all my fights which go to decision, I look disappointed,” he says.

“So for me, even though I got the decision and won the fight, I wanted that knockout. I had envisioned a knockout for the whole training camp so I was upset I didn’t get it.”

At one point in the third round it looked like Valtellini did indeed have the knockout in the bag. He pressured De Bonte with a flurry then landed a hard head kick which dropped the defending champion to his back.

“I thought he was out, I was surprised he got up. Seeing he was hurt I pushed the pace on him, I thought I could have dropped him [again],” he says.

“I could feel my pace drop in the fourth and fifth because I had wanted to finish the fight in the third, my killer instinct takes over. He was rocked pretty bad, I didn’t think he was getting up.

“To come back from that says a lot about him as a fighter. I knew it was a close fight but I knew I won the first three rounds.

“This is a dream come true. This is what I wanted from a young age and here I am now as champion. It was a tough fight and I have to give it to Marc de Bonte, he is a very talented fighter and it was a good fight.

“Next step is to keep getting better, keep improving and keep having fun while I am doing it.”

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