It's Showtime: Andy Souwer vs. L'houcine Ouzgni Preview

Two-time K-1 MAX champion Andy Souwer will meet L'houcine Ouzgni in the co-main feature of Sunday's It's Showtime event. Look for the bout to answer questions surrounding both men, as Souwer looks to bounce back from recent difficulties in his career and Ouzgni aims to establish himself among the top 70kg. kickboxers in the world.

Andy Souwer has gone 4-3 since losing to Giorgio Petrosyan in the finals at the K-1 World MAX 2009 Final. Following a decision victory over Faldir Chahbari in January, Souwer's 2010 was effectively oriented toward Shootboxing - and winning at S-Cup 2010 more specifically. Having choked out Hinata in Septembe, Souwer entered the tournament in November with many expecting to see him advance to the final and square off against Buakaw Por. Pramuk. While Buakaw worked through his side of the bracket, Souwer was upset by late replacement Toby Imada in the semifinals of the tournament. Souwer rebounded with a victory over Pajonsuk Por. Pramuk at It's Showtime's December show in Athens, Greece. Unfortunately for Souwer, he was unable to keep the momentum going as he was upset once more by Abraham Roqueni in their bout last month.

The Moroccan-Dutch Ouzgni enters this bout having been long fought in relatively anonymity, fighting one weight class higher than the well-covered 70kg. division. The 28 year old former 77kg. standout began kickboxing at age 18, an age when his opponent was merely two years removed from making his K-1 MAX debut. Despite his relatively late start, Ouzgni has quietly put together quite the career already. Well, perhaps it was done quietly until he met the young Nieky Holzken at 75kg. last September. In the fight, which happened under the It's Showtime banner, Ouzgni surprised everyone by quickly dismantling his opponent and scoring a knockout victory in the first round. With the stunning victory, Ouzgni was in line for a shot at Cosmo Alexandre's 77kg. title. With Alexandre's choice to fight in Thailand and his removal from the promotion, Ouzgni was left to face Artem Levin for the vacant title in December. After three and a half rounds of solid action, Ouzgni was finished by way of an eye injury.

With Souwer looking for redemption and Ouzgni working toward the spotlight, this is one of the more intriguing bouts that you will be coming across any time soon. While Andy Souwer has the ability to put opponents away, a fair amount of his career wins have come by way of decision. Souwer is as experienced a fighter as you will find at 70kg., and engaging in a war of attrition is something that he is certainly able to do. When thinking about K-1 MAX in general, some of the first things I think of are images of Souwer busted up over the course of multiple tournaments, whether in victory or defeat. What's more, the Dutch great hasn't been stopped since 2006.

As we've hinted at, Ouzgni is quickly gaining more of a reputation as a dramatic finisher, possessed of the sort of height and reach that is going to give most anyone at the 70kg. limit absolute fits. It's not as though Ouzgni possesses the physical tools and doesn't know how to us them either. Whether listening to him speak about his height in interviews, or seeing the way that he uses range in his bouts, you can tell that it is integral to his success. The stoppage of Ali Gunyar which was mentioned earlier is a good example; having established himself at range, the Moroccan only blasted Gunyar with the fight-ending right cross after a brilliant teep kick.

With Souwer's recent disappointing results and inability to make weight in his most recent bout against Abraham Roqueni, some have wondered if he is still mentally prepared for the grinding nature of top-flight competition. What's more, his well-documented interest in transitioning to mixed martial arts have spawned some interesting comments that have led some to wonder just how focused he is on kickboxing period. Be that as it may, Souwer remains one of the top 70kg. fighters in the world and it seems he may be somewhat rejuvenated from his recent training with UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo.

As for Ouzgni, the questions surrounding the Moroccan's weight cut are reasonable ones, however it is worth noting that he has been in the neighborhood of 70kg. before. Prior to his bout against Holzken, the Moroccan knocked out Ali Gunyar with an absolutely beautiful right cross in February 2010. Ouzgni weighed in at 71kg. for that bout. Some may not yet be sold on Ouzgni either way. Artem Levin was likely to score a victory over him regardless of injury, and for all of his success, Holzken has been unexpectedly tested, if not beaten, at other points in his young career.

Whatever your own expectation, I can assure you that this bout is bound to deliver and I anticipate that both fighters will offer the sort of performance that you won't want to miss. Win or lose, it is almost certain that both Souwer and Ouzgni will come away looking exactly like the top fighters that they are.