"The Natural" Retires:
Nieky Holzken Hangs Up Gloves!
(February 10th) Known as "The Natural," Nieky Holzken, is a retired Dutch kickboxer and boxer from Helmond, Netherlands, celebrated for his technical striking across two decades and multiple disciplines. Born December 16th, 1983, he amassed over 150 professional fights before announcing his retirement on February 8, 2026, at age 42, citing reflection after a final loss.
Holzken began kickboxing training at age 10, inspired by martial arts films, after being raised by his grandparents following his parents' separation. He trained under coaches like Sjef Weber for boxing skills and Ramon Dekkers for kickboxing, dropping out of school as a teen to pursue the sport professionally. These roots in Dutch combat culture shaped his fluid, pressure-based style with sharp combinations and low kicks.
Holzken debuted professionally in the mid-2000s, winning the 2006 K-1 World MAX North European Qualification via three KOs. He claimed the inaugural GLORY Welterweight World Championship Tournament in 2013 at GLORY 13 Tokyo, stopping Joseph Valtellini in the final after a unanimous decision over Karapet Karapetyan—a bout later named Fight of the Year by multiple outlets. His record stands at 95-18 with 48 (T)KOs, including defenses against Murthel Groenhart and wins in ONE Championship like a 2024 special-rules TKO over Yoshihiro Akiyama.
Holzken secured seven world championships, blending tournament wins and defenses.
GLORY Welterweight Champion (three defenses, 2015-2016).
2013 GLORY Welterweight World Championship Tournament Champion.
2015 GLORY Welterweight Contender Tournament Winner.
WFCA K-1 Rules Super Middleweight World Champion (2011).
Earlier: SIMTA European titles (2005, 2007); K-1 MAX North European (2007).
Nieky, built an impressive professional boxing career alongside his kickboxing dominance, compiling a 15-2 record with 11 knockouts primarily at super middleweight and light heavyweight.
Holzken debuted in 2013 with a knockout win in the Netherlands, quickly racking up stoppages in domestic and German bouts. He captured a BeNeLux super middleweight title early on and later added a light heavyweight belt, maintaining an undefeated streak while competing at kickboxing's elite level.
In February 2018, Holzken stepped in on five days' notice for the World Boxing Super Series super middleweight semifinals, replacing Jürgen Brähmer against Callum Smith. Despite a wide unanimous decision loss over 12 rounds, he earned widespread respect for his durability, counters, and heart against a top pure boxer.
After a brief pause following the WBSS, Holzken returned in July 2025 in Helmond, outpointing Edison Demaj (14–4–1 entering) over 10 rounds to claim the vacant WBF light heavyweight title.
His final bout came on February 7, 2026, headlining Holzken Fight Night 8 at Veka Sportcentrum in Helmond, where he suffered just the second pro-boxing defeat of his career—a unanimous decision loss to Besir Ay (20–2 entering) in a bid for the WBF super middleweight title.
“After a lot of reflection, I’ve decided to step away from my active career. 7x World Champion. 150+ fights. All around the world. This chapter ends—a new one begins.”
With those words, age 42, Nieky Holzken officially announced his retirement from both boxing and kickboxing on February 8 via social media shortly following his twelve-round unanimous decision loss to Besir Ay.
Print