We Speak Boxing
GLORY COLLISION 10: Mory Kromah Defends Heavyweight Title Against Antonio Plazibat on December 12
ARNHEM, Netherlands — The stage is officially set for one of the biggest heavyweight kickboxing fights of the year, as GLORY COLLISION 10 will feature reigning GLORY Heavyweight World Champion Mory Kromah defending his title against Croatian knockout artist Antonio Plazibat.
The championship showdown takes place Saturday, December 12, inside the iconic GelreDome, one of Europe’s premier stadium venues, promising a spectacular night of elite kickboxing action. The same card also features an eight-man Welterweight Grand Prix, where champion Chico Kwasi’s belt will be defended through the tournament, and a clash between Tarik Khbabez and Mohamed Touchassie.
Kromah (38-3-1, 25 KOs) enters his second heavyweight title defense after an unforgettable performance at GLORY COLLISION 9. The champion retained his crown in spectacular fashion by knocking out Milos Cvjeticanin with a devastating flying knee that quickly became one of the year’s most viral combat sports highlights — according to GLORY, the knockout generated more than 10 million views across the promotion’s social media platforms, helping establish Kromah as one of kickboxing’s fastest-rising global stars.
The rivalry needs no selling. At a promotional staredown in Rotterdam in September, the two men had to be separated in a scuffle that left a security guard on the canvas, and they were put in the same room again at the GLORY 110 fan zone in Antwerp this past weekend.
“Plazibat thinks he is coming to take my belt. He can think again,” Kromah said. “He already had his time in GLORY. This is a new era, the Mory Kromah era. When my knee connects to his chin, he will go to sleep and only dream of becoming GLORY champion.”
Plazibat (24-5, 17 KOs) secured his opportunity by delivering an emphatic knockout victory over Anis Bouzid at GLORY COLLISION 9, immediately solidifying himself as the division’s No. 1 contender. The Croatian powerhouse made his intentions perfectly clear.
“The plan is simple. I will smash his face and beat him down until he quits,” Plazibat said. “No more playing heavyweight for Mory Kromah. He does not know the world he is entering when he is in the ring with me.”
The heavyweight title Kromah holds was made famous by Rico Verhoeven, who ruled the division for a decade before leaving GLORY for the boxing ring — where he challenged Oleksandr Usyk for a world title in Egypt in May. Verhoeven is back in the headlines this week: the Dutchman says he has accepted an offer to box former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder on December 11, the night before COLLISION 10, though Wilder’s agreement and the final terms are not yet confirmed.
Tickets for GLORY COLLISION 10 are on sale now through GLORYKickboxing.com.
We Speak Boxing
Wang Junguang Spoils Prajanchai’s Kickboxing Return With Stunning Split-Decision Upset at Lumpinee
Former ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Title challenger “The Warrior” Wang Junguang made a triumphant return to the global stage after a six-year absence, claiming a monumental split-decision upset over reigning ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Champion Prajanchai Pongsuphan PK in the strawweight kickboxing main event of The Inner Circle 35.
Broadcast live in Asia primetime on Friday, October 16, from Bangkok’s historic Lumpinee Stadium, the marquee clash delivered fireworks from bell to bell.
Stepping back into the world’s largest martial arts organization determined to make an immediate impact, Wang came out firing from the opening exchange. His unorthodox footwork and stinging lead-leg teeps instantly pushed Prajanchai toward the ropes. The Thai champion answered with a crushing left body kick set up by doubled-up jabs, but Wang relentlessly charged forward with a blistering four-punch combination, repeatedly taunting his foe to get under the former two-sport king’s skin.
Prajanchai maintained his veteran composure in the second round, leaning on volume-heavy left hands and punishing body kicks. Unfazed, Wang crashed a powerful overhand past the guard and pressed the action even harder, driving the Thai superstar back to mid-range with a vicious cross combination. Prajanchai smartly switched his tactics to close-quarters combat with short uppercuts and sharp hooks, but the defiant Chinese striker just kept marching forward.
Neck and neck heading into the final three minutes, both strikers bit down and stuck to their guns. Wang relentlessly clobbered away with heavy body shots and digging knees, while Prajanchai shelled up and intelligently created distance with sharp straight punches. The PK Saenchai ace absolutely refused to break, matching the sheer aggression of “The Warrior” as he continuously pressed forward until the final horn sounded.
Ultimately, however, Wang’s unyielding aggression and the accumulated damage he inflicted swayed the judges’ scorecards. The split-decision upset pushed the 31-year-old’s professional record to an impressive 31-7 and emphatically announced him as a highly intriguing potential challenger for reigning ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan Di Bella.
Because the bout was fought under kickboxing rules, Prajanchai’s Muay Thai world title was not on the line. The Thai champion gets his chance to bounce back on December 18, when he defends that belt in a unification bout against interim champion Aliff Sor Dechapan at The Inner Circle 43.
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