Andy Souwer has fought for the final time. The two time K-1 Max winner announced his retirement after being stopped in the second round by Marat Grigorian at ONE: ‘First Strike’.
Souwer was holding his own but had a mountain to climb on the scorecards after ending up on the receiving end of flash knockdowns in the first and second rounds. He was unable to get up after the second knockdown, suffering a shin injury.
Souwer had promised to retire if he lost the fight and the Dutchman sounded like a man who had fought for the final time,
“24 years a s a professional all my life. The last couple of years was tough but martial arts helped me a lot through my life . Not just money, but being a good human being. I think it’s time to say goodbye.
He did admit that this was not the way he had hoped to finish his career,
“I fought a lot and to end like this it’s difficult,” he admitted.
But the 38 year old appears to have reached the end of a road that started out when he had his first fight 30 years ago. He won the K-1 Max tournament twice during the heyday of kickboxing in Japan, beating the likes of Buakaw Banchamek, Yodsaenklai Fairtex, Nieky Holzken, Masato and Albert Kraus.
Souwer’s spot in the annals of kickboxing history is secure even if his career didn’t finish the way he would have wanted. The Dutchman is a true legend of the sport.
