Golden Glory To Open Satellite Gym In Huntington Beach

Earlier this week, Bas Boon, manager of the Dutch-based fight camp Golden Glory, revealed the organization's intentions of opening up a satellite gym in Huntington Beach, California.

In the last decade, Golden Glory has established themselves as a presence in both mixed martial arts and kickboxing. The gym is currently home to four-time K-1 World Grand Prix Champion Semmy Schilt, Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem, newly crowned Strikeforce Welterweight Women's Champion Marloes Coenen, as well as a variety of veteran fighters including Sergey Kharitonov, Errol Zimmerman, Gokhan Saki, and Siyar Bahadurzada.

Boon, who originally explained the strategy to Cage Potato.com, says Carlo Dekkers, brother to retired kickboxer Ramon Dekkers (who compiled a career record of 186-30-2), will be the head trainer at the California extension.

The intended purpose of the gym will be to train fighters planning to compete in North America. A gym was opened earlier this year by the G.G. team with the same purpose in Pattaya, Thailand, where fighters make final preparations for bouts scheduled to take place in Asia.

Bas Boon, a longtime combat sports magnate, said he will make regularly scheduled visits to the Huntington Beach camp along with well-respected trainer and retired boxer Cor Hemmers, and many of the camp's highly touted fighters, including Schilt, Overeem, Kharitonov, and Coenen.

Perhaps the biggest detail of the announcement is the team's plans to bring established American fighters and young prospects into the gym. If Golden Glory is successful in this endeavor, the camp could easily become a strong force in United States.

An official opening date for the satellite gym has not been confirmed, but the announcement is expected soon.