Ole Baguio Laursen interview July 2007
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Ole
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What do you think about Andy Souwer; what you know of him outside and inside the ring?
Don’t know much, met him at fights, always been a nice guy, not that we spend a lot of time talking like close friends, but he seems cool. Also know he just became a dad and he has changed coach and gym.
So, tell us about training and the months coming up to this rematch, and what inspired you to prepare?
Well, it was Andy Souwer,
2005 max champ and most important, the guy that knocked me out in Shootbox
tourney with scissor knee 30 sec in first round.
So really, that’s what inspired me, a chance to get back at him
and chance to get back on top.
Did you feel you learned anything from the last Shootboxing fight?
Hell yeah! I learned a shitload. When I first met Andy, I had no clue who he was. I thought it was gonna be a walk in the park. Learned a lot from that fight. He came out strong and fast and I wasn’t worried for a sec til I was down. So what did I learn? To be ready for whatever from whomever. A lot of new cats are coming up and there’s world class fighters worldwide waiting for the chance for the breakthrough
Before this fight, what had your attitude been towards fighting professionally?
To be honest, I been kinda off. A few years really where I been content at just fighting, not really caring about win, loose, draw, whatever; was in it for the wrong reasons, really wasn’t in it; been a few years that I’ve been away from my 100% focus on fighting, because of new things coming into my life.
However,after my last fight (vs. Masato), I found my inspiration again; the urge to win and put people to sleep with my hands; the will to train harder than my opponents, to get that win.
What do you change different with training for K1 MAX fights and your everyday training schedule?
For this fight I just
had with Andy, I changed from usual Thai training, to more of 3 rounds
of K1 fighting style; no clinch allowed;
more combos = more points
higher work rate = more points
more aggressive work = more points
so a lot was changed in training, too much to mention here; basically,
training sessions were shorter, more intense, more sprints and weird drills;
a lot of boxing and combo work mixed into the more technically and less
intense pad work I usually do with my coaches.
Tell us about making weight and was 70kgs hard for you to make?
70 kilo is very hard
for me, but I’m not complaining.
Andy for some reason could not make 70 kilo and came in at 71kgs, didn’t
want to cut so I agreed to fight him regardless. Day I made 70kgs, I was
80kgs that same evening getting my fuel back.
How did you feel preparing days before event, warming up just before and going into the ring?
Everything was cool, felt good, nervous as hell but I had the Untamed ones with me: Jaime, Zidov, Malik were there supporting. They all helped get me ready for this fight so it was good to have them with me all they way to the ring.
So, what was going through your head from the bell, during the fight and up to the knockdown, and was it a clean knockdown? Could you have gotten up if your foot wasn’t in pain?
From sound of bell it
was fight. We touched gloves and it was on. I followed the plan. It was
all going good. Everything we worked on was working. I don’t think
he actually hit me with anything until he landed that right at end of
round that put me down.
On TV, looks like its his overhand right that puts me down, and true,
it hits me well, but I wasn’t fazed; but at same time, I hear and
feel a crack on right ankle and I fall down in pain. I wanted to get up
but I couldn’t stand.
Fight was over. I couldn’t believe it; all that work, all that hard ass training, my dreams of getting back was crushed. I’m ok now, but in that second and the following hours I was not doing too good.
What did the doctors say about your foot?
Xray showed a break
on supporting bone on right ankle, freak accident? I guess.
Doc in Japan showed me Xray and said, “your ankle’s broken,
you’re gonna need surgery. Should be 3-4 months of healing time
until you can train again, IF you get an operation. Without an operation,
you’re lookin at 6-8 months.
Can you tell us a little about what happened from when you were carried out, to arriving at the hospital, to getting back to the hotel?
Well, I guess I was just a sad case. I couldn’t believe that I could be this unlucky; all that work, my newly found inspiration, my chance to get back on top. All that work, just to be pushed back down with a broken ankle. The guys were all there for me, I gotta thank the guys for helping me through, all the way to the end
How does K1 treat their fighters with injuries like this?
Great, that’s only thing I can say about that; send me with translator to hospital, all worried about me and getting me treated.
Are you going to have to cancel anything coming up soon?
Afraid so; had 5 rounds of Muay Thai scheduled in August in China; now cancelled. I was lookin forward to the full Muay Thai rules; been ages and been missing it a lot.
How are you looking at this injury: just simple bad luck, or bad training preparation, or a bad sign that u have no really control over?
Been going over it so many times since fight; over and over again. At first, I felt something larger than me was controlling my fate. I don’t know what to say; it’s just far from normal that I on this day, at that moment, would break my ankle. Now, 3 days after, I’m thinking, shit; It was just bad luck. Shit happens and sometimes shit happens on bad days after bad runs. After a lot of bad times when you feel that you deserve some luck, even then you can get unlucky. I guess that’s what happened with me.
How many other serious injuries like this have u had in your pro fight career?
From early fights, it was usual stuff: broken nose, broken toes, nose 3 times, toes maybe 4 times, broken rib, broken jaw, popped both knees and now, broken ankle. HaHaHa!
Do you think there was anything different you could’ve done that would’ve changed the outcome of this fight?
Shit, I am not normal
with these things. Now thinking about it, it could be many things: could
be that I didn’t wear my necklace all the way to ring, could be
that I was wearing white, another thing I’m thinking about a lot
now is that I didn’t bring my mongkon with me. I wanted to change
things up, wanted to leave the old behind and do it new.
Could be I spend too much time being superstitious.
If you could go back in time, what would you do different?
All was good as it was. My superstitious nature would make me wear my mongkon.
Who are u going to look to for guidance and support in these tough times ahead?
Tough times ahead? I don’t know. I think I’m over it now. I lean on my friends and family ,Untamed when needed.
How is it affecting your outlook on future kickboxing and MMA fights?
MMA is still the new fire that burns inside me and can’t be put out. K1 promised me new Hero matches, so I just gotta get back on my feet and back to the hard training in Legacy Gym.
Do you feel like hanging up the gloves?
Every now and then, yeah I do. Especially after bad times like that. But I listen to good friends and fighters that inspire me. The real fighting spirit is getting back up no matter how many times you get pushed down.
What advice would you share with up and comers, who dream of these big fights, but get injuries like this early in their careers?
If the dream is still there after all the hard times, means more hard times are coming because you gotta keep pushing.
Anything you’d like to add?
To the few worried fans, seen good docs in Bangkok, they seem to think I will be back in gym training in 2 months or less. Could be just cheering up by docs, but I’m taking them on their word, and plan to be back training hard to fight again.
Any shouts you’d like to give?
Untamed 4 Life!!
The guys were with me from get go until end. Even Untamed ones not in
Thailand was supporting from a far.
Like to thank my beautiful wife for always being there for me.
Anything you like to say to Andy Souwer if he’s reading this?
Doubt that he bothers to read these things, but I have deep respect for him, good man and great fighter. Also gotta say that you did not knock me out this time; freak accident put me out of fight early. Hope I get another rematch sometime.
Thanks for your time vato.
* Updated July.14.2007
Me: Carnal, so how’s the leg?
Ole: Besides broken? Sad. We (Ole & Misa Bakulov) went to see the magic man. So anyways, the old monk sits and prays into these 2 bottles of water, while meltin a candle in each. Then he calls me over, asks me to sit, and he then says somethin for a while. Then takes a sip, and spits the whole glass of water over my leg; hits me everywhere. He does this 5 times.
Me: Did he take off the cast?
Ole: No. I’m desperately tryin to keep a straight face, cos homeboy just spat at me big time. Then, it’s Misa’s turn. Misa got a f@cked shoulder. I’m right next to him (Misa), again same thing; the monk prays and spits all over Misa’s shoulder, but of course manages to spray him all over upper body and his face real good. Hilarious! The monk does this 5 timess, Misa I see is also tryin hard to keep a straight face; and man, I had to f#ckin really work hard to keep from not die laughin! I couldn’t look up at anyone.
Me: Man, I just pissed myself
Ole: After we were finished, Misa was soaked. Oh, after, he made us drink the remaining water, and gave us a bottle each to go.
Me: From the spit?
Ole: To drink later and spit at each other. Man, it was all so cool and holy and I was thinkin the whole time about what you said about the master (Jean Charles Skarbosky’s Master) and how you could feel the energy; And then he just spit on us; and man, only 1 time, and then I started smiling, fuck it was so funny. Misa was f%ckin soaked. So you said you could feel the energy, 4real?
Me: Yeah. Kinda like when your hairs on your arms go up (referring to a time when I saw JCS’ Master perform tattoo rituals on his followers. The Master hacked a man’s back with a machete, and there was no damage).
Me: So, did the magic help?
Ole: Well, same day I went back to sleep and I woke up thinking I could walk. First foot on the ground was the right, and I fell right back down in pain. But, I feel good today.
Me: Well, that’s
good to hear carnal
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