Theme Park at its Darkest

Ben Edwards will face off against Romanian fighter Raul Catinas at K1 Final Elimination on October 14. Raul and Ben will meet in what I expect to be the most exciting fight on the card; both are big, powerful men with a reputation for big, powerful punches. Both have cut their teeth with previous Final Elimination appearances at which they lost to more experienced opponents. The road is narrowing to a path and Catinas and Edwards are nose-to-nose at the junction.

How old are you now, Raul?

24 years old.

How many fights have you had?

21 fights for 17 wins and 4 losses.

Are you living in Holland nowadays?

I go to Amsterdam 6 or 8 weeks before every fight. I don’t live in Amsterdam, but most of the time I am training there.

How often to you get to go home to Romania?

After each fight I return home for two weeks; I live in Arad, Romania and I am representing both teams, Chakuriki Amsterdam and Metalbox Arad.

What is the difference between training in Holland and training in Romania?

In kickboxing, the difference is the experience of the trainers from Netherlands.

How do you enjoy training at Chakuriki, gym of the legendary Peter Aerts?

I appreciate at Chakuriki the tough trainings and the good sparring partners.

How would you compare Thom Harinck (Chakuriki) and Cor Hemmers (Golden Glory)?

I didn’t manage to know Cor too well in only two weeks.  Now I think Thom is probably the best and the most experienced trainer in the world, which is proved by the Champions he trained.

What contribution does Marcel Dragan, your original Romanian trainer, make to your training?

Marcel is not directly involved in my trainings anymore but, as my mentor, I always ask his advice before every fight because he knows me better than anyone else.

How would you describe your fighting style?

A very aggressive style, similar to Mike Tyson’s. My style has changed very much. I am mature now; more complex and balanced but my heart has remained the same – the heart of a lion.

How was your preparation for the Final 16?

I have trained very hard and I am in a very good shape.

What do you expect from Ben Edwards?

I am happy that Ben has the same violent fighting style and I think this fight will be the most spectacular fight in the Final Elimination K-1. The tactics remains the same.

How do you think the fight will turn out?

I don’t think it will be ended by points…

Who was your toughest opponent to date?

Probably Daniel Sam, because of his size and strength.

What are your goals in kickboxing, long-term?

I was born to fight and would like to become a legend in this sport. I will become the champion, with God’s help!

Raul and I trained together in 2008. He was a very big boy then, as well as now. The kid ate more pasta than I have ever seen. 

This entry was posted on October 11, 2012 at 11:06 am and is filed under Journalism, Kickboxing with tags Ben Edwards, Chakuriki Amsterdam, Cor Hemmers, Daniel Sam, Golden Glory, Holland, K1 Final Elimination, Marcel Dragan, Metalbox Arad, Mike Tyson, Peter Aerts, Romania, Thom Harinck. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.