Former enfusion champion Ismael Lazaar to face Rico Verhoeven at GLORY 41 superfight series

AMSTERDAM – GLORY, the world’s premier kickboxing league, today announced the signing of former Enfusion heavyweight champion and current Enfusion No. 1 heavyweight contender Ismael “The Star” Lazaar (30-2-2, 15 KO, fighting out of the Netherlands).

The Dutch-Moroccan talent will be facing a tall order in his promotional debut, taking on GLORY heavyweight world champion Rico “The King of Kickboxing” Verhoeven (50-10, 14 KO, fighting out of the Netherlands) in a five-round, non-title superfight. The bout will headline GLORY 41 SuperFight Series, airing live from Brabanthallen Exhibition Centre in Den Bosch on Saturday, May 20.

Following a back-and-forth affair with Jahfarr Wilnis (currently No. 3 in the GLORY rankings) last year, 26-year-old Lazaar has won four of his last five fights and submits a resume that includes career wins over Andrew Thomson, Thomas Vanneste, and Daniel Sam.

At only 28 years old come fight night, Verhoeven has risen to superstar status since joining the organization and enters the bout on a 12-fight winning streak inside the GLORY ring. His run of dominance includes five title defenses against the world’s best heavyweights and most recently, a TKO victory over legend Badr Hari at GLORY: COLLISION – the sold-out show hosted by König Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany in December.

Former lightweight and featherweight world champion Robin “Pokerface” van Roosmalen (37-7, 21 KO, fighting out of the Netherlands) will battle 21-year-old prospect “The Professor” Petchpanomrung Kiatmookao (156-35-2, 25 KO, fighting out of Thailand) in the co-headline bout of GLORY 41 SuperFight Series. The match-up will determine the featherweight division’s next champion, as the vacant GLORY featherweight world title is on the line.

In a rematch from 2012, perennial title challenger and No. 4 ranked welterweight Murthel “The Predator” Groenhart (64-22-3, 37, fighting out of the Netherlands) faces the relentless Armenian-Belgian striker Harut Grigorian (44-10, 32 KO, fighting out of the Netherlands), ranked No. 5 after a earning a unanimous decision over Pavol Garaj less than two weeks ago at GLORY 39 SuperFight Series in Brussels. Groenhart, coming off a highlight reel finish against Thongchai in February, won the first encounter with Grigorian by knockout.

The currently announced card for GLORY 41 SuperFight Series can be found below:

GLORY 41 SuperFight Series
Heavyweight Superfight Headline Bout: Rico Verhoeven vs. Ismael Lazaar
Featherweight World Title Bout: Robin van Roosmalen vs. Petchpanomrung Kiatmookao
Welterweight Bout: Murthel Groenhart vs. Harut Grigorian
Light Heavyweight Bout: Michael Duut vs. Mourad Bouzidi

GLORY 41 Holland will feature three heavyweight tilts, pitting the roster’s hardest hitters against each other in a one-night, four-man heavyweight contender tournament. The eventual tournament winner is tasked with facing and defeating two titanic opponents in a single evening.

The heavyweight contender tournament participants and additional bouts for both GLORY 41 Holland and GLORY 41 SuperFight Series will be announced shortly.

Tickets for GLORY 41 Holland and GLORY 41 SuperFight Series are on sale now, priced between €45 – €350 (VIP). Tickets are available for online purchase at tickets.glorykickboxing.com and at the Brabanthallen Exhibition Centre box office.