Hi everyone! Let me introduce myself, my name is Brice Guidon, and I was born on 16th July 1985 (remember what a superb day that was, with the sun shining all day long…). I am 1m98 tall and weigh around 110kg.

School-wise (let’s start in the shallow end), I didn’t quite get the "Bac Scientifique" (Science ’A’ levels equivalent) (which means I messed up the day of the exam), but passed the "Bac Littéraire" (Literature ’A’ level) even though I was no longer attending college AND without the right textbooks … what a star!

But let’s move on to talk about my interest: Thai boxing. Starting out with French boxing at La Riche Boxing Club, I picked up combat sports at the age of 9, a result of avid viewing of Bruce Lee and Jean Claude Van Damme (Netsuko!) and an evident overdose of energy (my parents’ words, not mine …).

After three years of French boxing and ongoing improvement (honestly, I’m not talking myself up!) I started kick boxing (fists and shins), still at La Riche BC. As I was already pretty strapping as a kid, I found myself in the adult classes at just 13! With kick boxing and the intensive training involved, my passion for boxing soared and I devoted much of my free time to the world of boxing (k-7 video, tv gala, books, etc.).

After four years of non-competitive kick boxing, during which I had become disheartened by the fact that juniors weren’t allowed to administer blows, I was over the moon when La Riche BC at last opened a Thai boxing section, a very hard form of martial arts authorising fists, shins, knees, elbows and throwing. It was during these classes that I met Stanislas Pauleau, my coach, and it was he who motivated me to move on from practising it, diligently for sure, but still just as a hobby, to more competition-orientated training.

In 2001, Stan and I began intensively preparing in earnest for the French Championships. I trained 3 evenings a week (two sessions in a row) with an extra class on Saturday mornings alone with Stan, bearing in mind that the club was over 40km from my house. Thanks Mum for the long hours spent waiting for me in the car!

In terms of fights, I was training in the under-18s category (educational) and so KO wasn’t allowed, but blows were permitted (phew, at least that’s something!!). I fought in the French Cup in December 2002 and won in just 1 minute by default… After the French Championships, in which I also won the first round, things got much more complicated. It all could have been so simple if I had continued my sporting rise in France, but of course, I was unconventional... At 17 I already weighed over 90kg, which is unusual in Thai boxing (today’s youngsters just don’t eat enough).

I moved around on several occasions, each time in vain, as for the Île de France Cup and other championships there weren’t any boxers of my weight.

Outclassing everyone in the 18-20 year-old category didn’t change anything either as once again I found myself opponent-less. Which meant that it was going to be tough to be able to box in France for some time.

A solution had to be found because I really wanted to go professional, and more than 2 years out of the ring wasn’t going to help me. So (everyone ok, following the plot?) I had the idea of immigrating to the Netherlands as that’s where heavyweight Thai Boxing is really at. In fact, the world or K-1 championships from the land of Edam are no longer counted.

In this easygoing country, Thai boxing has flourished and there’s no difficulty in finding fights with no 18-20 year-old category and heavyweights everywhere. The quadruple, triple and double k-1 champions, E.Hoost, P.Aert and R.Bonjasky respectively, also train there, and it’s a real privilege when I get the chance to train with them.

When I first came to the Netherlands, I camped in the month of August and trained at Team Aerts and Mejiro Gym. I fitted in really well and won the respect of my opponents thanks to my commitment and persistence. I got on really well with A.Mannaart, Mejiro’s coach, and he set about getting me fighting for the club. I am currently contracted with Mejiro.

Things continue to go really well, I have moved into a little flat in Amsterdam, I have boxed in Romania (where I won of course …), in the Netherlands, at the K-1 France in Marseille … and have even travelled to Japan where I was in Remy’s corner for his fight against Ignashov while I waited to go on and fight myself.

In a nutshell, things couldn’t be better, and what’s encouraging is that several people in the know predict a brilliant future for me thanks to my technical skills and motivation…

What more can I say? Oh, how about I love motocross, melon … Ok, ok, I’ll stop there! So there you have it, my short presentation, thanks to all those who stuck it out ‘til the end!