Tessa De Kom has already carved out a reputation for herself as some of the promising kickboxers on the planet. The Dutch fighter, who holds each the Enfusion Ladies’s Strawweight and RISE Ladies’s Flyweight titles, is getting ready for a showdown at RISE 184 in Tokyo on December 15, 2024, the place she is going to defend her Flyweight title in opposition to the harmful knockout striker Arina Kobayashi.
Tessa De Kom vs. Arina Kobayashi
For Tessa De Kom, this combat is of years of arduous work and dedication. “I think this is my biggest fight so far, so I’m really looking forward to it. And yeah, it’s a really good opponent—she’s very strong, aggressive. It’s going to be a very tough and hard fight,” De Kom says. Nevertheless, regardless of the powerful problem forward, she’s by no means felt extra assured in her talents. “I trained really, really hard for it, but I’ve never felt so good about a fight before. So, yeah, I think I will be at my best,” she provides.
The preparations for this title protection have been intense. Tessa De Kom’s coaching camp could have been shorter than regular, however she’s made each session depend. “It’s a short preparation, but I think, because of the preparation before, it doesn’t matter. The ideal schedule is a training camp of six to eight weeks, I think. But yeah, when there’s a chance like this, I can’t say no—I have to go.”
“A Girl Can Kick Your Ass”
In a sport dominated by males, Tessa De Kom explains her angle. “Well, don’t be scared that they’ll look at you differently or say, ‘Yeah, you’re a girl; you punch like a girl.’ Just say, ‘Yeah, I punch like a girl, and a girl can kick your ass!’ Every girl can do that. If you want to go to kickboxing, you should really do it. You’ll feel great about yourself.”
And her confidence isn’t simply restricted to her phrases—she’s additionally put within the work to again them up. Her skilled file stands at a powerful 14-3, capturing each the Enfusion Ladies’s Strawweight and RISE Ladies’s Flyweight titles alongside the best way. The truth is, when requested about her current success, Tessa De Kom notes, “I feel really good. But, there are always some points that need to be better, so we need to work on that. But overall, I feel happy that everything went so well. Yeah, I think it was like a dream.”
Nevertheless it’s not all in regards to the combat. De Kom is balancing her demanding coaching schedule together with her training, as she’s at present in ending her closing yr of finding out sports activities advertising and marketing and administration at Rotterdam College of Utilized Sciences. “Yeah, it’s a lot, but both are important. If I had to choose right now, I’d say the fight is more important to me. But I told that to my teacher yesterday, and he wasn’t so happy about it,” she admits with fun.
Sleeping with the Belt
The champion retains her RISE title shut, even when it means a little bit of discomfort. “At first, I had it just next to me in my bed. Yeah, I slept with it. But then I realized the material was very cold, so when I’d turn around and feel it at night, I’d wake up. That wasn’t the best place for it. So, I put it in the gym where everyone can see it. I hope it motivates people. It also motivates me during training when it gets tough—I just push harder.”
Her subsequent combat will probably be in Japan, a spot that holds a particular place in De Kom’s coronary heart. “It was really good. The people were very nice and helped me with everything. It’s a shame I couldn’t stay longer, but this time I will, so I can see more of the country and visit different cities.” The journey can be a reminder of how far she’s come since her early days in kickboxing. “When I first heard about this opportunity, I felt like, ‘Huh? Did I hear that right?’ But yeah, it was really cool.”
As for the longer term, De Kom is targeted on defending her title and persevering with to show that she belongs on the high of the kickboxing world. “My game plan is to win, of course. But I don’t want to say too much about it. I will be more powerful, and I won’t back down,” she says, her confidence unwavering.
When her hand is raised in victory at RISE 184, it is going to be simply one other chapter in a narrative that’s solely getting began for Tessa De Kom.
