The King of Kings promotion (KOK) continues its incredible 2019 season this Sunday with an event at the Arena Riga in Riga, Latvia.
The KOK World GP in Riga features both established contenders and exciting young prospects, with a battle for the KOK World Middleweight Title headlining the fight card.
KOK Fight Series in Riga 2019
The action begins at 6 p.m local time (4 p.m. London, 11 a.m. New York) with the KOK Fight Series in Riga 2019. The KOK Fight Series features up-and-coming talents competing for an opportunity to advance their careers in KOK and the sport. The event streams exclusively on KOK Fights TV.
Sunday’s Fight Series card includes two female bouts. Annia Mieksa of Latvia meets Poland’s Monika Porazynska in a -52 KG contest under KOK Kickboxing Rules.
A boxing match in the -59 KG weight category pits Latvia’s Ekaterina Mielixova against Ilona Wojda of Poland.
Youngsters Aleksandr Cerkesov and Ilja Skolnov will battle for the U-18 WAK-1F (World Amateur K-1 Federation) European Title, and two other bouts are scheduled.
KOK Fight Series in Riga 2019
24 November, 2019
Arena Riga, Riga, Latvia
Start Time: 18:00 Local Riga Time
-52 kg (KOK Kickboxing Rules): Annia Mieksa (Latvia) vs Monika Porazynska (Poland)
-U-18 WAK-1F Europe Title: Aleksandr Cerkesov (Latvia) vs Ilja Skolnov (Estonia)
-59 kg (Boxing): Ekaterina Mielixova (Latvia) vs Ilona Wojda (Poland)
-U-18 67 kg (KOK Rules): Artur Stura (Lithuania) vs Shamil Dzamaldaev (Latvia)
-75 kg (KOK Rules): Arturs Leisans (Latvia) vs To Be Announced
KOK World Series 2019 in Riga
After the KOK Fight Series in Riga 2019, it’s time for the KOK World Series event. Six bouts are scheduled, including five kickboxing matches and a mixed martial arts bout to be held under MMA Bushido rules. KOK Fights TV will stream the event live and worldwide exclusively.
Repeat or Revenge?
KOK World Middleweight Champion Daniel Forsberg was too strong for Jurijs Orlovs when the two met last year in Estonia. The Finnish southpaw took control of the bout in the third round and won an extra-round decision.
After defeating Orlovs, Forsberg captured the vacant title with a five-round decision over contender Raimonds Aukstikalnis. Sunday will be Forsberg’s first title defense, and the tough Finn told Kickboxing Z he is expecting “a hard fight” from Orlovs in the rematch.
Orlovs scored an important win in February when he defeated Holland’s Mike Sprangh via extra-round decision. Sprangh, fighting out of the legendary Mike’s Gym in Amsterdam, gave the Latvian a stern challenge, and the referee seemed to miss a knockdown scored by Sprangh in the first round.
For Orlovs to succeed Sunday, he’ll probably need to use his excellent boxing skills and movement and avoid Forsberg’s heavy body and low kicks.
Contenders in Action
Third-ranked KOK lightweight contender Mindaugas Narauskas of Lithuania faces Latvia’s Marek Pelcis in the co-main event. Pelcis is a former amateur champion who scored an impressive decision win against contender Jan Naus at KOK 61 last year. Narauskas fought just last weekend at the massive KOK 80 event in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Former title challenger Aleksejs Marizihins faces Raimondas Avlasevicius of Lithuania. Marizihins fought for the then-vacant KOK World Welterweight Title against Constantin Rusu last year, losing a decision to the talented Moldovan. He needs a strong performance Sunday if he wants another chance at the title. Avlasevicius is unbeaten as a professional, and scored a first-round knockout with a body shot at the KOK World Series in Vilnius last year.
KOK World Series 2019 in Riga
24 November, 2019
Arena Riga, Riga, Latvia
-71 kg (MMA Bushido): Osvald Fedorovic (Lithuania) vs Silvestr Kaneps (Latvia)
-67 kg (KOK Rules): Mikhail Kolesov (Russian Federation) vs Eduards Misins (Latvia)
-65 kg (KOK Rules): Vitaly Usov (Latvia) vs Ulugbek Zukhurov (Uzbekistan)
-77 kg (KOK Rules): Raimondas Avlasevicius (Lithuania) vs Aleksejs Marizihins (Latvia)
-71 kg (KOK Rules): Mindaugas Narauskas (Lithuania) vs Marek Pelcis (Latvia)
Main Event
-85 kg: Daniel Forsberg (Finland) vs Jurijs Orlovs (Latvia)-For the KOK World Middleweight Title