FIGHTNEWZ.NET: You must be ready to get back to winning ways, Joerie?
MES: The luck is working against me a little bit at the moment.
My last fight was a couple of weeks ago in Belgium against Kenneth Van Eesvelde, he beat Warren Stevelmans,
who just won the K-1 Max in Holland.
It was no problem, I thought the fight was going my way but he accidentally head-butted me three times.
Then they said he won the match because only one judge saw it but my manager Simon Rutz has protested and
I think they are going to make it a no contest.
If I kicked him in the balls and he couldn't fight on I shouldn't win, so it's the same - I think they should
give me the fight.
I got eight stitches - six over my right eye and two at the side of my eye.
I think he was a little bit afraid also, he was trying to grab and it was K-1 rules with no clinching.
Marco Pique was my fight before that at the K-1 Max in Holland and I lost on points after an extra
round.
I wasn't too sharp I think, I don't know what the reason was. Sometimes you feel something is missing in
the dressing room.
Also a little bit because I trained with him about three years ago and I always kicked his ass in training.
So I thought it wouldn't be that big a problem and I started a little bit too sluggish.
He hit me well on the back of the head and I was a little bit dizzy, which only made him stronger.
But I saw highlights of the fight on video and I saw in the second and third rounds I shook him a little
bit, so some people said the second and third round was for me.
But I don't know, I think he was better in the extra round.
I beat Imro Main in September in Utrecht, that was my last fight before Pique.
I didn't fight for five months and my fight before that was against Murat Direkci at the ArenA when I lost
on a cut.
Five months in between was too long and I didn't have my rhythm.
They said I was going to fight in November in England and December in Russia so I thought it was enough
to win the Max event but they didn't work out.
It isn't my time now but everything will come back again.
FIGHTNEWZ.NET: There wasn't much between you and Souwer when he outpointed you at Slamm III. How confident
are you that you beat him the second time around?
MES: I'm now the underdog and I think that's better. Before everybody expected me to win because Souwer
is a really good fighter but I was heavier and more experienced.
But now everybody is saying now that Joerie can't win so maybe that's better for me, I've got nothing to
lose.
The first fight was really good but I felt I lost too much weight for it.
I was 86.9kg and had to get down to 70kg and went over it.
I think that cost me too much power because I really felt at the end of the second round I had no more power.
The last time was better against Van Eesvelde but against Souwer I lost too much power and I think that
cost me the fight.
Because in the third round when I was throwing combinations I had no power so I couldn't get him off me
and he only got stronger, which made the little difference in the fight in the last 10 seconds.
It was like a bee that wanted to sting me. But it was a good fight, he is one of the best fighters in the
world. I think you will see the best of me at the ArenA next month now.
FIGHTNEWZ.NET: You obviously have ambitions to win the K-1 Max?
MES: That's why I went down in weight, to win the K-1 Max. I'm 29 now and not so young any more and now
I want to make my dream come true.
Now is the time, if I wait too long I will be too old. It will be difficult to win the K-1 Max but there
is a way and I must believe in my dream.
Especially at this time because things aren't working my way. But it will come, I've got confidence.
FIGHTNEWZ.NET: Have you had a period as tough as this before in your career?
MES: I've never had such a heavy period like this. In the last year-and-a-half I lost two fights, one won
fight and lost two and won one.
I've had too many losses. I've been fighting now for 12 years and most of my losses have been in the last
18 months.
Before that time I only lost four times in 10 years, but now I've lost nine or 10 times.
FIGHTNEWZ.NET: How do you think you compare to the top guys in K-1 Max, people like Buakaw?
MES: I think the real top are Masato, Andy and Buakaw. Then there is Drago, Sato and people like that and
I think it is close between everyone else and anything can happen in a tournament.
Those three are the difference.
FIGHTNEWZ.NET: What do you consider your best fight?
MES: Against Perry Ubeda. Not only because of the fight, because the fight was a great fight - I went down,
he went down.
That was at the ArenA in 2003. Perry was like a role model for me when I was younger and I really looked
up to him.
The whole experience, the training for the fight and the show and winning was really a highlight for me.
FIGHTNEWZ.NET: You had a big rivalry with Rayen Simson at one point that seemed to get pretty personal.
MES: It's not personal any more but then it was personal. At that time he was the champ in Holland about
five years ago in my weight class.
I beat him but he said he was injured in his lungs and couldn't fight so had to stop after three rounds
when he was ahead on points.
But I put on the pressure in the third round and then he said he couldn't fight because he was ill, so I
won.
Then he said he wanted a rematch and we fought a rematch about three months later and I won again on
points.
But he said it wasn't fair, he got an eight count and the eight count wasn't right and he should have won.
Then he made it personal and his coaches also went on the internet talking bad about me, saying Rayen is
better, blah, blah, blah.
Then at at the ArenA after one of his fights he said: "I only want one man and that man is Joerie Mes."
He made it really personal and then I lost to Pajunsuk at the ArenA four years ago and then Rayen Simson
fought Pajunsuk and won.
After the fight he came up to me and said: "You saw it?" But I told him I didn't think he won.
Then he went really mad and all of his coaches and people came up to me.
Everything was then mentioned in a magazine, saying Joerie came up to me and said I shouldn't have won
but Joeri is a bad loser and blah, blah, blah.
But the third and last time I beat him it wasn't too hard, especially because eight weeks before the fight
I had an operation on my meniscus, there was a little cut in it.
During clinching somebody threw me and I fell down on my knee.
FIGHTNEWZ.NET: Don't you have bad eyesight?
MES: My vision isn't so good. I fought two times in England against Winston Frazer. I have contact lenses
and at that time I had soft contact lenses and they all went out in the fight but I never said anything, I always continue.
Now I have special lenses, they are really big and can't go out. I put them in with a stick, but they are
really good, boxers and water polo players also use them because they can't go out. I'm a cyborg!
FIGHTNEWZ.NET: How long will you continue to fight for?
MES: It depends but I think not longer than 35. It depends, maybe I stop in two, three years but if I enjoy
it and I'm injury-free and my dream is K-1 Max.
If I can't make that true then I won't fight longer. I don't think I will do MMA.
FIGHTNEWZ.NET: You've shared a ring with some big names, who was your best opponent?
MES: I think Tyrone Spong. In every part of the game he is good at it - boxing, kicking, kneeing and also
the distance and timing and defence.
And one of his strongest points is confidence. It's already 1-0 to him when you step in the ring.
He is moving up to heavyweight now and I think it can go two ways for him.
One way he will do good but the other way he is not so tall and big for a heavyweight. I don't think he
will make it with the big boys.
FIGHTNEWZ.NET: Have you always been a fighter?
MES: I started fighting when I was 17 and I fought my first A-class fight in England against Winston Frazer.
The first time was in Gravesend, he gave up after two rounds, and the second time was in a nightclub in
London and I won by three eight counts in the first round.
I've been A-class now for eight or nine years. After school I worked in the gym for two or three days, the
gym was connected to the school, it was fitness for the students.
Maybe in the future I will fight in England again. The people are really into it and they are really sporting.
Not like in Holland, they jeer you out. If I fight in Holland against a foreigner like Pajunsuk they can all go for Pajunsuk.
In England they go for both fighters, but that's Holland. I lost to Pajunsuk but the decision was correct
I think.
He had his hands really high and was waiting and only kicking and when I came close he was grabbing me and
trying to throw me.
FIGHTNEWZ.NET: Speaking of Pajunsuk, haven't you trained in Thailand before?
MES: I've trained two or three times in Thailand. In Ko Samui there is a gym from my manager Simon Rutz
and Edwin Van Os from Gym Alkmaar.
FIGHTNEWZ.NET: So we are going to see the best of you against Souwer, Joerie?
MES: I will be in top shape for April 26. My power will be better, the first time I had to lose weight and
I was afraid of making it.
I dropped too much power but that will be better now so I will have more power and I think that will
make a big difference. I'm around 74kg at the moment.
