PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – Shanice Josefina and Lennart Blijd are both professional fighters from Amsterdam the capital of the Netherlands. Josefina and Blijd both fight for Sityodtong Muay Thai and Kickboxing Amsterdam and are trained by the brothers Paul and Vincent Pengel.
Preparations continue by the Better Opportunity for Talent (BOFT) for its pre-St. Maarten Day World Kickboxing Competition which will take place on Sunday, November 10 at the L.B. Scott Sports Auditorium on the Pondfill.
Milton Ottley said that fighters from around the region will be participating in the World Muay Thai Association (WMTA) sanctioned competition.
The bouts will bring the auditorium to life at 8.00pm and will feature three of St. Maarten/St. Martin kickboxers competing for one of three WMTA World Title Championship belts.
Shanice with her roots from Curacao and Suriname, is a three-year lightweight professional.
“This title fight is very important for her not only because of the title but also for her Caribbean blood. Her mother and a big part of her family lives in Curacao and they are planning to come to St. Maarten to support her big time.
“She said that her family will give her that extra strength that she needs and that’s why she knows she will bring the title back to Amsterdam after the short stop at Curacao,” stated President of BOFT Milton Ottley, organizer of the pre-St. Maarten Day World Kickboxing Competition.
Lennart Blijd is a professional two-year welterweight fighter in Kickboxing and Muay Thai. His roots are from Suriname but has lived his entire life in Amsterdam.
“In May Lennart fought for the Dutch Champion Title in Muay Thai and won. The pressure that he felt was huge and everybody around him were screaming, the crowd, his trainers, but, as he his, he remained cool and fought his own fight. He did that with class.
“Lennart will bring that same class with so much more to St. Maarten to fight and bring the title back to Amsterdam. Sityodtong Muay Thai and Kickboxing is very proud of both Shanice and Lennart.
“They train very hard and they will continue that until they set foot on the ‘Friendly Island.’ The fighters, the trainers and the whole team Sityodtong are very grateful to be a part of the pre-St. Maarten Day World Kickboxing event. Both professional fighters are very thankful for getting the opportunity to show their skills to the people of St. Maarten/St. Martin,” Ottley said on Sunday.
Both Josefina and Blijd thanked Ottley for his role and organization of the upcoming competition and giving them the opportunity to defend their titles.
WMTA is one of the oldest amateur and professional sanctioning organizations of Muay Thai in the world for the sport. Created in the Netherlands in 1984, the organization became one of the major sanctioning bodies for professional Muay Thai.
PHOTO: Shanice Josefina / Lennart Blijd
