Tessa De Kom has already carved out a reputation for herself as some of the promising kickboxers on this planet. The Dutch fighter, who holds each the Enfusion Girls’s Strawweight and RISE Girls’s Flyweight titles, is making 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 struggle is of years of onerous work and dedication. “I feel that is my greatest struggle thus far, so I’m actually trying ahead to it. And yeah, it’s a extremely good opponent—she’s very robust, aggressive. It’s going to be a really powerful and onerous struggle,” De Kom says. Nevertheless, regardless of the powerful problem forward, she’s by no means felt extra assured in her talents. “I skilled actually, actually onerous for it, however I’ve by no means felt so good a couple of struggle earlier than. So, yeah, I feel I might be at my finest,” she provides.
The preparations for this title protection have been intense. Tessa De Kom’s coaching camp could have been shorter than ordinary, however she’s made each session rely. “It’s a brief preparation, however I feel, due to the preparation earlier than, it doesn’t matter. The perfect schedule is a coaching camp of six to eight weeks, I feel. However yeah, when there’s an opportunity like this, I can’t say no—I’ve to go.”
“A Woman Can Kick Your Ass”
In a sport dominated by males, Tessa De Kom explains her perspective. “Nicely, don’t be scared that they’ll have a look at you otherwise or say, ‘Yeah, you’re a woman; you punch like a woman.’ Simply say, ‘Yeah, I punch like a woman, and a woman can kick your ass!’ Each woman can try this. If you wish to go to kickboxing, it’s best to actually do it. You’ll really feel nice about your self.”
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 Girls’s Strawweight and RISE Girls’s Flyweight titles alongside the way in which. In truth, when requested about her latest success, Tessa De Kom notes, “I really feel actually good. However, there are at all times some factors that must be higher, so we have to work on that. However general, I really feel glad that every thing went so properly. Yeah, I feel it was like a dream.”
Nevertheless it’s not all concerning the struggle. De Kom is balancing her demanding coaching schedule together with her training, as she’s at present in ending her ultimate yr of learning sports activities advertising and marketing and administration at Rotterdam College of Utilized Sciences. “Yeah, it’s lots, however each are essential. If I had to decide on proper now, I’d say the struggle is extra essential to me. However I informed that to my trainer yesterday, and he wasn’t so glad 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 simply subsequent to me in my mattress. Yeah, I slept with it. However then I spotted the fabric was very chilly, so after I’d flip round and really feel it at night time, I’d get up. That wasn’t one of the best place for it. So, I put it within the health club the place everybody can see it. I hope it motivates individuals. It additionally motivates me throughout coaching when it will get powerful—I simply push more durable.”
Her subsequent struggle might be in Japan, a spot that holds a particular place in De Kom’s coronary heart. “It was actually good. The individuals have been very good and helped me with every thing. It’s a disgrace I couldn’t keep longer, however this time I’ll, so I can see extra of the nation and go to completely different cities.” The journey can be a reminder of how far she’s come since her early days in kickboxing. “After I first heard about this chance, I felt like, ‘Huh? Did I hear that proper?’ However yeah, it was actually cool.”
As for the longer term, De Kom is concentrated on defending her title and persevering with to show that she belongs on the prime of the kickboxing world. “My sport plan is to win, in fact. However I don’t wish to say an excessive amount of about it. I might be extra highly effective, and I gained’t again down,” she says, her confidence unwavering.
When her hand is raised in victory at RISE 184, it will likely be simply one other chapter in a narrative that’s solely getting began for Tessa De Kom.
