PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – Preparations are well underway for the Better Opportunity for Talent (BOFT) pre-St. Maarten Day World Kickboxing Competition. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the date and venue has been changed to 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.
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.
“I am calling on the St. Maarten/St. Martin communities to come out and give their support to our local players. Our local kickboxers are role models. They are our present athletes who can positively influence our future athletes. This is something positive for our youths,” President of BOFT Milton Ottley, organizer of the pre-St. Maarten Day World Kickboxing Competition said.
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.
St. Maarten’s very own Light Heavyweight Kickboxing Champion of the World, Omarie Marsham, who has a professional record of five fights – three wins, two by knockout, with two loses, holding an amateur background record of 11 fights – 10 wins, seven by knockout, one draw and one loss, will be defending his WMTA World Title belt which he won in June.
Marsham will be facing off against the hard-hitting Ritchie Siebring Aka “The Hitman” from The Hague, The Netherlands, with a professional record of six fights, three of which are wins – two by knockout and a draw. Siebring has an amateur background of 27 fights – 21 wins and one draw 5-loses.
Also representing the north of the island will be Nicolas Parlanti with a record of 41 fights – 35 wins, nine by knockout and six losses. He will be challenging Lennart Blijd from Suriname but fighting out of the Netherlands. Blijd has a record of 22 fights – 10 wins, eight of which are by knockout and four losses. This match will be for the Welterweight WMTA Kickboxing World Title belt.
In the female Featherweight category, Elsa Savitri Benichou will be representing the north of the island. She holds a record of 17 fights, with 14 wins 3-loss, and will be going up against the pride of Curacao, Shanice Josephina fighting out of the Netherlands. Josephina holds a record of 22 fights with 19 wins 3-loss
On this card there will be more local C-class and amateur kickboxer fights against fighters from around the Caribbean.
PHOTO: Omarie Marsham, Light Heavyweight Kickboxing Champion of the World
