Post by K1power on Dec 23, 2019 16:28:54 GMT 1
Errol Zimmerman is preparing for a comeback
"Most people only look you up when things are going well."
By Sam van Raalte
Errol Zimmerman (33) hands me a can of Cola. We're walking through the diner, through the smoking area. Some guys are smoking a hookah. Two guys are playing FIFA on a big flatscreen. At the end of smoking are Zimmerman opens a door to a more quiet room. It's clear he's a regular at Deli, a restaurant around the corner of Hemmers Gym in Breda.
"I'll be honest: at first I didn't want to do an interview. I didn't feel like it," says Zimmerman as we sit down. "But I appreciate you looking me up. Most people only ask about you when things are going well." Lately Zimmerman's career has indeed been in a slump. Up until 2015 he was one of the best heavyweights at Glory, the world's biggest kickboxing promotion. He was the last fighter to viciously knock out Rico Verhoeven. But ever since he got injured, it's not been going too well.
The last years he's lost more than he won. I wonder how he's doing now and if we can expect him back in the ring anytime soon. That's why we're sitting in the quiet room in the back of Deli.
VICE: Hey Errol, how's life treating you these days?
Errol Zimmerman: I'm good, I can't complain. I think 2020 will be a good year. I'm involved with the sport again - that took a while.
How so?
Roughly five years ago I got injured against Rico. In the meantime I've been recovering. I took some fights to cautiously get back into the rhythm. I had to beat my fear, regain trust in my body. After the injury I thought I'd never be able to walk or fight again.
What kind of injury was it?
I tore my patellar ligament, which is a thick tendon below the knee. I threw a back kick against Rico, but missed, which is when I got injured.
It must have been difficult, both mentally and physically.
Things kind of went south from that point onwards. I was always involved with kickboxing, but now all of a sudden I couldn't walk anymore. I was out during my prime. I had to get a second surgery, because scar tissue in my knee from the first surgery was hardening. I couldn't move my leg at all. That was a very long process. I love fighting. Used to be outside of the ring, but luckily nowadays only inside of it.
How was it to be back in the ring?
They asked me to fight in the (Amsterdam) Arena in late 2015. I don't like saying no, so I went. Thing is, I could barely walk. You can tell from the footage of my fight against Thomas Vanneste. I thought fighting might force me to conquer my fear. I was not only fighting my opponent, but also my injury. You're fighting an uphill battle, and I lost by decision.
After that you haven't fought at Glory anymore. Why not?
It was my last fight under Glory contract, with that result. I didn't get a new contract. Meanwhile I fathered another child. I was busy with my new son and didn't train much. Now I'm back on it full force. Many fans message me and ask when I'm fighting again. I really like that.
I get that. There's a lack of heavyweights like you, real knockout-artists.
There are plenty fighters, but this brings me back to Rico. It's almost like everyone is scared, because of his extremely good conditioning. Rico is a very technical fighter, but when it comes to down to really fight, he can't. Most don't dare to take that risk, though.
Your teammate Jamal Ben Saddik did take that risk against Rico. What's your opinion of that fight?
He really did, but he gave Rico too many little moments to take a breather, which gave Rico a chance to recover. He should have turned it up a notch, it wouldn't have taken much more. You know what it is? Nine out of ten fighters stepping into the ring with Rico think: I have to pace myself for five rounds. That is a very wrong mindset. Your mindset should be: "I'll knock his head off, he'd be lucky to keep up with me." You know? That's the trick to beat him. If he has to fight with you, he makes many mistakes. He's not a fighter. If you give him combinations, he'll throw those nicely. But in the heat of the battle, when it's war, he'll never win that war.
You've called him a pussy in interviews.
Really, he should be an actor. If he gets a text, he can repeat it like the best. I think he should play in movies, rather than doing this.
What do you expect from Badr vs. Rico this time?
When they first fought Rico had been training non stop for a decade. I think Badr barely trained for two months, also had court issues and those kinds of headaches. Badr was ahead on points, before he got injured. Too bad. This time Badr will take it for sure. Look what he did to Schilt. Badr mauled him. I've fought Sem twice myself, so I know his power. If Badr can do that, who's Rico? I'm with Badr, man. Even if Jamal should have gotten this chance.
You won your first fight against Rico by knockout. What's the story behind that fight?
They threw Rico to the lions back then. All of Rico's fights used to be handpicked, they gave that boy a bit of courage, to build some confidence. By putting him against me they wanted to see if he was ready for bigger things. My trainer at the time, Cor Hemmers, gave me a combination. He said "If you throw this one, he's going down for sure". It was a six punch combination. I was well prepared for that fight. Rico tried to fight with me. I threw the six punch combination. He went down with the fourth punch. Then he got two more. Cor had a good eye.
Rico won your second fight bu decision, bringing the score to 1-1. Then you got injured in the next one. How do you look back at your trilogy?
Unfinished business, they say. But that's in the future. Next year I'm going to fight again. Two, three nice fights that'll get people to talk differently. You know what? It's always been in my hands. But, I've always enjoyed living life. Went partying, barely any sleep. You could find me anywhere: smoking a joint in the coffeeshop, drinking, you name it. I was introduced to the sport at a young age, always thrown to the lions and always showed up. By the time I'll want Rico, I'll have him. For now though, I'm not too focused on him I'm focused on myself.
Do you still enjoy living life?
Sure, but in moderation. Every day used to be partytime for me. You could find me in the club on any given day. Tuesdays in the club in Belgium, Wednesday in Rotterdam. Something every day. I liked that. At the same time, I was part of a great team, Golden Glory. They had Sem Schilt, Gökhan Saki, Alistair Overeem, all the big names. When I got home from partying at 7 in the morning, you could still find me in the gym at 12. Then I had to work out with those guys.
That sounds hard. I'm groggy after a night of partying.
It was fucking hard, but I always took things to the limit. I was an eightteen year old kid and was sparring with those guys. At the beginning I got my ass kicked. But over time, since I kept coming, I improved. I liked it, didn't mind getting hit. It motivated me. Receiving one means I have to return three.
You mentioned fighting outisde of the ring earlier. What happened?
I'll be honest, I've been in jail a few times. The district attorney wanted to get me banned from kickboxing and set me an ultimatum. "If you hit someone it's like a regular person using a baseball bat.", he said. My hands are weapons, I know how to take someone out quickly. That woke me up. Without this sport, I'm not sure how I would have ended up. I've had a difficult youth.
In what sense?
Lots of crime man, I've done some bad shit. In and out of jail for mischief, theft, all kinds of stuff. Bad things. Things I regret. I'm ashamed of it.
How did you get into kickboxing?
It's a funny story. Two friends of mine were in a schoolfight here in Breda and came to get me. The guys we were in a fight with challenged us to fight in the ring of their gym. We liked that, so we went to their gym. The trainer there was Cees Besems. He said we could fight in the ring if we trained with them first. We thought to ourselves: "We're no fags, we're not going to decline.". So we trained with them and then we sparred. The kids we were in a fight with were the youth champions there. We pounded them through the gym. We all fell in love with the sport. A few weeks later I had my first real fight, Cees became my first trainer. At age eighteen I went to Ramon (Dekkers).
What was it like being trained by Ramon Dekkers?
Harsh. There is no better trainer than him. Listen, Ramon was a small guy. But I've seen big people turn into children when he said something. All he had to do was give a look and I'd become a kid again. If he shook your hand.. such strength. Unreal. He was a powerful person. Also a sweet guy though, great.
He passed away in 2013. How did that hit you?
On the day he died, we were supposed to train together. He was breathing down my neck for not spending enough time at the gym. He wanted to go back to working one-on-one with me. That day was supposed to be the start of it. My stepbrother called and asked if it was true that Ramon died. I didn't want to believe it when I heard it. I said "No, I'm meeting him at the gym today. You must've heard wrong." Then I started making some calls. I was crushed, man. It's still hard on me. I named my son after him. I've asked Ramon's mom and his brother Nick (Hemmers) for permission. I consider Nick a brother of mine as well. I cried when his mom told me it was okay.
Aside from Ramon, how many kids do you have?
I have two daughters, aged fourteen and seven. My oldest daughter fights as well. She's just like me, man. When it's me fighting, it doesn't bother me until I make my entrance. With my daughter though, for her first fight, I got really nervous. I saw her on the pads and couldn't sit still. I hugged her and her head leaned against my heart. "Daddy, why is your heart beating so fast?" I felt so weak. I was so nervous for her, much more than my own fights.
Your last fight didn't go too well, you lost to Nidal Bchiri. What went wrong?
For that fight they called me on two weeks notice. I said yes. I barely trained, maybe five times. I took that risk. I just can't say no. When someone attacks me on the street I wouldn't walk away either. But it was an ugly fight. I was against the ropes, dropped my hands, ate some punches and went down. Nick threw in the towel. I hated that. I would have preferred to go out cold. Nicky wanted to save me. I'll be honest: I'd rather be counted out or put to sleep. I don't give up.
Looking at your record, you've lost a lot lately. There is a lot of work ahead of you.
That's right, and it's all related to my injury. But I'm working hard now. What used to be red, will be green again. I like that you were here. Most people only look you up when things are going well. When things have improved, we'll talk again. The only thing I need to do is hit the gym, nothing else on my mind. I'll be back in 2020.
www.vice.com/nl/article/z3bb99/errol-zimmerman-comeback
