Tyrone Spong vs Joerie Mes 2006

In 2008 Tyrone Spong took his plunge into heavyweight, following a weight increase from 75 kg to 95 kg over about 1.5 years. This match was about a year before he would start his rise through cruiserweight to fight in the K-1 WGP.

Spong is a technical fighter now as a super-heavy, but at 75 kg he was fast and technical. Spong's game now looks very similar to his game then, but a little less busy. He employs a variety of punches, mixed with well-executed teeps, knees, low kicks, and the occasional middle or high kick. One thing I really enjoy seeing in Tyrone is his excellent deployment of rhythm that allows him to roll with strikes and land his own with precise timing.

Joerie Mes was a strong contender in the Dutch 70 and 75 kg in the mid '00s and has met most of the big names in Holland, like Nieky Holzken, Andy Souwer, and even Ramon Dekkers. His CV contains an interesting mix of older generation and new Dutch names. He hasn't fought since dropping a decision to Yoshihiro Sato in K-1 in 2009.

This fight took place in Rotterdam, Netherlands under Muay Thai rules modified with no elbows. Spong varies a little from the usual Dutch style, but this is a good example of Dutch Muay Thai, a very effective school of boxing. Spong wears the red gloves and Mes is the skinhead in camo shorts who looks like a Neo-Nazi. He's not, but the resemblance is frightening and hilarious.

[The first round is missing a few seconds. I chose this upload out of preference for Youtube's less intrusive ads. You can watch the complete fight on Dailymotion here: Spong vs Mes.]

Part 1