'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
ONE: First Strike will pit Andy Souwer against Marat Grigorian for the ONE Championship Kickboxing Featherweight Grand Prix Quarter Finals.
As both fighters seek to advance to the next round, it will be a battle between the past and the present.
Andy Souwer has been competing inside the kickboxing ring for many years and has accumulated 183 professional bouts. He is two knockouts shy of reaching a hundred and has also dipped his fingers into MMA.
However, it seems that father time is catching up to Souwer who turns 39 this November. Honoring his current contract with ONE Championship, he shared his reaction when Marat was going to be his next opponent:
"Next year, I will become 40 years old, and you’re gonna fight along with Marat. I never took the easy road," said Souwer in an online press conference through Zoom. "I never afford the biggest challenges in life, especially in the sport—the names that I fought, conquered, and beat. Why wouldn’t Marat fit into that list? It’s gonna be a tough, hard, aggressive fight."
Marat has been emphasizing before this fight that this is his time to shine and Souwer is over the hill. Nonetheless, the Dutch fighter will see to it that Marat will have to earn his stripes:
"Of course, he’s the now because I’m gonna quit. In some ways, it’s true, but it doesn’t mean that I will give the W to him as I gave to some certain opponents in the past. I know it’s gonna be my last trip. Every word that I am saying and doing right now will be my last as a fighter, so it feels different—in some ways, spiritually. I feel really strong in that case. Age doesn’t matter. What I and Marat have achieved in the past are all about this coming Friday," Souwer said.
Looming retirement after ONE: First Strike
Souwer has made his mark in the world of kickboxing and is very much content with what he has achieved. He is coming off a win against Zhang Chunyu in December 2020 with a unanimous decision win.
Prior to the victory, Souwer was on a three-fight losing streak with two in ONE Championship. Picking up wins has become difficult and he has hinted at retirement if he loses this upcoming match.
Souwer has been busy passing on knowledge to his students and this Grand Prix could be his swan song.
