Yorky Pud

Back in November 2009, during EPT Barcelona an argument in jest between friends Lex Veldhius and Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier took place. Veldhuis was grinding online and ElkY was nearby drinking with friends and being quite rowdy so Veldhuis asked him to keep the noise down to which ElkY told him to go forth and multiply. Jokingly they both said if the other did not calm down they would beat each other up and a prop bet was born!

The pair agreed to have a kickboxing match during the 2011 World Series of Poker but Veldhuis badly bruised four ribs so they agreed to postpone the fight. Then they ran into some legal matters due to wanting to fight without headguards and then just hiring a proper venue was going to cost them €30,000 so the fight looked dead in the water. That was until they discovered there is going to be a TV show being filmed in Marbella, Spain and they agreed to film the battle for them so the fight will take take place in a week's time on November 22!

ElkY and Veldhuis, the latter better known as Raszi in online poker circles, will enter the ring and fight for five three-minute rounds with the only way to win being by knockout, a technical knockout or if one of them gives up. If this does not happen then the match is deemed as a draw.

Both fighters are allowed to kick anywhere except to the groin, as are spin kicks and sweeps but headbutts and elbows are banned. They will not be wearing helmets or shinpads and will be using 10oz gloves so this is very much a serious kickboxing match between the to poker pros and I would not like to put money on either side. My initial reaction would be to bet on Veldhuis, mainly because he is taller, more experienced and Dutch, which anyone who likes kickboxing will tell you is a huge advantage but he has also suffered really badly with injuries over the past couple of years, especially ribs, shins and feet, which are major parts of the sport. It should be very interesting regardless.

Of course away from the ring these two men are very talented poker players. ElkY is one of the biggest tournament winners of all time, having amassed winnings totalling more than $8,500,000, including winning the coveted Triple Crown over the summer.

Veldhuis may be a little more unknown to those who do not follow the European tournament circuit but he is a very good player, one who is famous for his extremely loose-aggressive style. It is not uncommon to see him bust out before the end of the first level but when he does have chips he is a major threat, but none of that counts when he steps into the ring!