Sergio Wielzen (born November 1, 1987) is a Surinamese-DutchMuay Thaikickboxer. His nickname is "Samurai". He was the (first ever) It's Showtime 61MAX world champion as well as the Lion Fight Muay Thai world lightweight champion.[5]
Despite his deceptively small stature he is known for his explosive power - having won many of his fights by knockout.
Biography and career
Born in Suriname, Wielzen moved to the Netherlands where he became involved in the Dutch national Muay Thai scene beginning his career at C-Class. An explosive fighter despite his short stature, Wielzen worked his way up through the ranks finishing many of his opponents and was becoming noticed as one of the top young prospects at -61 kg in the Netherlands. In 2007 he met fellow up and coming fighter, Mohammed 'Mootje' Kamal, coming out on top in what would be the biggest victory in his career up to that point, winning by decision after five rounds in their B-Class clash. The two would meet again in a re-match the following year, this time at A-Class level. Although Wielzen suffered a TKO defeat, he also proved that he had an excellent chin fighting against a great boxer, puncher before Wielzen didn't came out of his corner in the fourth.
Wielzen would truly emerge on the international scene in 2010 when he faced Thai legend Anuwat Kaewsamrit in Geneva, Switzerland. In a match he was considered a clear underdog, Wielzen shocked the Muay Thai world by knocking out the 'Iron Hands of Siam' via a vicious head kick after just 30 seconds.[6] Due to his results on the local scene – including winning the U.M.C. Contender title against Imed Boukouayel - Wielzen would become involved with the It's Showtime organization, making his debut in Milan and defeating local fighter Matteo Lippi by knockout.
Towards the end of 2010, Wielzen was called up to face Frenchman Mikael Peynaud for the first ever It's Showtime 61MAX world title. The fight had some controversy as the match was stopped in the second round after a clash of heads left Peynaud with a cut. Unable to continue, the fight went to the judge's scorecard, resulting in a technical decision victory for the Surinamese fighter in his home town of Amsterdam.[7] In December of that year, Wielzen was back in action, defending his world title after two months against Japanese K-1 fighter Masahiro Yamamoto in Athens. This title fight was much more clear cut than the first with Wielzen winning by TKO in what was a commanding performance.[8] In March 2011, Wielzen defended his It's Showtime world title once again but was unable to retain his crown, losing by majority decision after five rounds to Karim Bennoui at the event in Brussels.
Wielzen got his first win of the year when he knocked out Saša Jovanović in round one at Vendetta VI in Vienna, Austria on December 8, 2012.[11][12][13]
He knocked out Alexei Blinov in the first round at Era of Champions in Cheboksary, Russia on March 14, 2013.[14]
Wielzen rematched Masahiro Yamamoto at RISE 94 in Tokyo, Japan on July 20, 2013, and fell victim to a second round high kick from the Japanese fighter.[19][20]
Wielzen competed at the -65 kg/143 lb Thai Max tournament in Meyreul, France on October 19, 2013, defeating Mickael Peynaud by first-round KO in the quarter-finals before losing to Houcine Bennoui by unanimous decision in the semis.[21][22]
