58-year-old kickboxer Ernesto Hoost from Hoorn is preparing for a comeback. Not in the Netherlands, but in Japan. Hoost is an absolute legend there, after his four world titles in K1. Almost 10 years after his last match, he has been asked to fight another match. “Not in the very short term, but it will happen.”
And so it says ‘Mr. Perfect’ again in the ring of Sokudo Gym in Hoorn. There where he already has a lot of sweat drops and where his photo and name are displayed large on the wall. Around the turn of the century, Hoost was world champion four times and his popularity – especially in Japan – rose to great heights. He ended his career in 2006 and in 2014 he fought two more matches, including against Peter Aerts.
Now he has been asked to step back into the ring in Japan. “Not to fight against the top of the world, because that’s not me anymore. But I think it would be fun to do.”
A month or two
The drive is still there at Hoost. “When you step into the ring, you just want to win,” he says. ”I assume I enjoy it. If I lose the fun will be a lot less, but I don’t think about that. Kickboxing is the most fun thing to do. It was offered to me. I will take enough time to prepare. I think I need a month or two to get back up to standard.”
There is no date for the fight yet. “It won’t be in the very short term, but it will happen.”