Ibiza is definitely getting in on the kickboxing show. And no wonder, as the island’s fans of this contact sport and the public in general responded with enthusiasm on Saturday to the exciting kickboxing event organised by Fight System Ibiza at the Can Guerxo pavilion in Sant Jordi, which became the stage for a stellar evening of fights that included five promotional fights for amateurs and three with professional fighters, and the excitement of those present was palpable.
As Diario de Ibiza reported last March 26th, the event held in Can Guerxo also brought a great novelty never before seen on Ibiza by introducing a fighting cage in the style of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), instead of using a normal ring.
With more than 300 people in the stands and in the stalls enjoying the fights and the splendid atmosphere in Can Guerxo, the kickboxing evening organized by Fight System Ibiza was a success in terms of attendance, a key factor that firmly establishes the idea that its promoters are considering to present, according to this newspaper, at least two evenings of fights every year on our island.
“The outcome of the evening at Can Guerxo is, to be honest, very positive. We we had a much bigger turnout than we expected,” says Rockwell Galván, from Fight System Ibiza, while pointing out: “Our intention is to be able to do at least two kickboxing events per year here on Ibiza. Now, for example, we are going to try to do several events of the same type in different cities in Spain, but under the same Fight System Ibiza brand. On May 21st we want to organise an event in Bilbao.
A high level kickboxing show
Regarding the quality of the show that was offered on the canvas, Rockwell Gálvez wanted to value the dedication and commitment of the fighters who entered the cage to fight in the evening, while highlighting the high level shown in each of the fights.
“The fights were very good and very evenly matched. They were very good encounters, such as those of professionals Emad Larabi and Alan Huarte, in the penultimate and the last fight that took place, since both ended by K.O., one in the first round and the other in the third,” the promoter explains.
As for the promotional fights for amateur fighters, Rockwell Gálvez highlighted, among other performances, that of his pupil Arthur Martins, who debuted with his first fight against the Ibizan Javi González, from Pascal Fight Ibiza Gimnasio, despite the fact that the Brazilian fighter, who lives on the island, ended up losing.
“The amateur fighters from Ibiza also fought very good fights and ended up very happy. And Israel Colón, who fought professionally, also won by K.O.”, highlighted the representative of the promoter Fight System Ibiza, who also stressed: “There was a super healthy atmosphere at the event, which was what impressed me the most because we found that kickboxing here in Ibiza has enough acceptance and people enjoyed it a lot. The audience was very enthusiastic and showed great interest each of the fights, so people left very happy. There have been quite a few people who have called and written to me the last few days to tell me that the evening was a great event and that they hope there’s another one soon”.
When talking about the momentum that kickboxing has gained in Ibiza in recent times, Rockwell Galván assures that there is a “good pool” of young fighters on the island which is very promising for the future.
“We have guys who are doing well right now. They are going out to fight outside the island, to Madrid and elsewhere, and, although they have only had three or four fights, they are already showing a lot of promise”, emphasizes the promoter, who is grateful for the facilities and the help he has received this time from the Sant Jordi and Sant Josep Town Halls to be able to organize the kickboxing event in Can Guerxo.
Fight Results
With regard to the results of the eight fights that took place in the end, given that the sixth fight that had been scheduled was cancelled, it is worth mentioning in the professional section the victories by K.O. of the Ibizan Israel Colón against Óscar Tirado, in Pro K1-80 kilos, in addition to the previously mentioned victories of Emad Larabi (Pro K1-62 kilos) and Alan Huarte (Pro K1-65 kilos) against José Martínez, with a right crochet, and David Navarro, with a low kick, respectively.
In the amateur fights, Daniel García won on points over Pablo Mejide (62 kilos), Lucía Fresno over Paula Romero (68 kilos), Javi González over Arthur Martins (Amateur K1), and Alexander García over Attilio Pugliese (70 kilos), besides the victory by K.O. of Esteban Bueno over Luis Manuel Rodríguez (Amateur K1-65 kilos).
For the full article and photo gallery of the evening, please visit Diario de Ibiza website here.