Curacao boxer Zion Martina, who lives in Den Helder, the Netherlands and trains at B.A.V. Frisia in Leeuwarden, participated with success at the international Eindhoven Box Cup, the largest Olympic boxing event in the BeNeLux.
On May 18, Zion won against Armenian Eli Tahmasi, who lives in the Netherlands, and on May 19, Zion won against the German Amir Umaev. In the final on May 20, the Englishman Bobby Wallace turned out to be just a size too big. Zion boxed at this tournament for the first time in a heavier weight class, -80 kg, because -75 kg. is not an Olympic weight class.
Before this events Zion Martina, just returned from more than a month of training camp at Gleason’s Gym in New York, which was good preparation.
The training was tough and very educational. Zion trained in the mornings for a minimum of 2.5 hours and a maximum of 3.5 hours with his American trainer Don Saxby, with whom he also trained in 2023 and who has trained several champions. Zion has been able to spar a lot with the national top of the USA and he was surrounded by many greats, including Don, Delen “Blimp” Parsley (childhood friend and former sparring partner of Mike Tyson and trainer of more than 17 world champions) and Leon “Kat” Taylor (a very good professional boxer who operated in the top world, former sparring partner of ex-world champion Michael Spinks).
Zion has agreed with his American trainer to come back next year for 3 months, and then also take part in boxing tournaments such as the Golden Gloves and turn professional in late 2025, early 2026, and work with him as a trainer from Gleason’s Gym in New York.
Zion Martina won Berend Sonneveld on March 16, 2024 in Alphen a/d Rijn and he won Douwe Peet on February 24, in Leeuwarden.
Photo from left to right; Edwin Baas, Gerardo Martina (Zion’s father an former kickbox champion), Zion Martina, Raekwon Baas
June 2023, both Raekwon Baas and Zion Martina became North Netherlands champions.
