After an unforgettable night on October 19th, the King of Kings (KOK) World Series ‘125 is set to rock us out of our seats yet again on February 8th, 2025, at “Xiaomi Arēna” in Latvia, featuring Zaurs Džavadovs, Kristaps Zutis, Juris Zundovskis, Rāgners Džigurs, Artjoms Ramlavs, Reinis Porozovs, Igors Trošins and others.
The headline fight — and main event, very much so — will feature a welterweight championship title fight between Zaurs Džavadovs and Hendrik Themas. Both are KOK K-1 veterans, bringing along a weight of experience and absolutely undeniable charisma to the ring; and they’ve already fought each other before, with Džavadovs coining the win.
Known by his moniker “Shere Khan”, which loosely translates to “Tiger King”, Džavadovs holds a professional kickboxing record of 43 wins that include notable victories and championship titles. His accolades encompass 10 wins in the King of Kings organization, the WKN 2022 World Championship, WKN 2020 International Kickboxing Championship, WKN 2019 European Kickboxing Championship, and the KOK 2017 World Kickboxing Championship as well. Džavadovs’ style is true technical precision and sincerely strategic execution. He has a propensity for delivering powerful strikes, as evidenced by his multiple knockout victories.
Representing Estonia, Hendrik Themas holds 18 wins, 11 by KO, and 18 losses. 16 of his losses have been by judges’ decision, and only two by KO.
In the co-main event, which is certainly just as awaited, Latvian boxers Juris Zundovskis and Kristaps Zutis will face off for the KOK Latvian Champion belt and title. This one’s been hot in the media — an early press conference alluded to a bit more than just a fight.
Coming from Ventspils, Latvia, Zundovskis holds a professional boxing record of 7 wins and 8 losses, with a knockout ratio of 83.33%, having secured 5 of his victories via KO. Zundovskis made his professional debut in 2019, and despite four recent setbacks, including a unanimous decision loss to Milans Volkovs in October of 2023, Zundovskis has shown a capacity to rebound, as evidenced by his unanimous decision victory over Maksymilian Kacprzyk in KOK ‘122.
Previously known as Zutis from Sabile but now re-knighted as “Lielais Kristaps”, Kristaps Zutis is one of the biggest and loudest names in Latvian combat sports, carrying on his shoulders a lot of the hype that often surrounds his fight nights.
Zutis has competed across cruiserweight and light heavyweight classes. His professional boxing record includes 7 wins, 4 losses, and 3 draws, with all 7 victories coming by way of knockout. This means a 100% KO rate.
With two somewhat recent draws against Jan Pelak (who appears on the KOK ‘125 card as well) and Jiri Svacina, Kristaps’ last losses came in 2023 — one against the same Pelak, and one in a WBF Intercontinental Heavy title fight — Zutis remains an opponent who is capable of ending fights very decisively. In an interview with SlotsFighter, Kristaps praised his current training routine for this upcoming fight and appears to be in great shape.
The fight card also includes a heavyweight kickboxing match between Reinis “Iceman” Porozovs and Jan Pelak, a middleweight fight will go down between veteran Staņislavs Makarenko and Leon Kermas, Ričards Zariņš will face Nikolai Shaskin, and many more.
KOK ‘125 is scheduled for February 8th, 2025, at “Xiaomi Arena” in Riga, Latvia. Tickets are available for purchase, but for those unable to attend in person, the PPV event will be broadcast live on DAZN.
Our Fighters’ Predictions
In the lead-up to fight night, SlotsFighter reached out to some of the top fighters locally to get their take on both main events — Zutis vs. Zundovskis, and Džavadovs vs. Themas.
Daņiks Vesņenoks
- Džavadovs vs. Themas:
“Zaurs will knock him out. I’ve seen them fight before. Temas brawls — Zaurs has the hardest punch I’ve ever felt in their weight class. I’m pretty sure Zaurs will catch him at some point and the Estonian will go to sleep.”
- Zutis vs. Zundovskis:
“I’m sure the fight will go the distance. You can get some good boxing in here. Who’s gonna win, though? I don’t know. The chances are equal. Purely by bookmaker odds, Zundovskis is the underdog, so I’d bet on him. It would simply be more profitable. But Zutis has every chance to win.”
Aleksandrs Čižovs
- Džavadovs vs. Themas:
“Both are kickboxers who fight without a compromise. However, given that Zaurs will fight at home and he’s our guy, we’ll all support him. I think Zaurs will win this fight on points in a convincing and dominant manner.”
- Zutis vs. Zundovskis:
“Neither are professional boxers, but both know how to fight and punch, which makes this fight just as intriguing. The bookmakers’ favourite is Zutis, but I think Zundovskis will win because of endurance and it will be his functional fitness that will make the difference in this fight.”
Milans Volkovs
- Džavadovs vs. Themas:
“Zaurs will win by points or knockout.”
- Zutis vs. Zundovskis:
“I don’t think we’ll see a knockout because there will only be three rounds. I think Juris Zundovskis is more technical and more durable. If he works with his head and technique, he can definitely win. Kristaps is not as durable.”
Artūrs Skabarnieks
- Džavadovs vs. Themas:
“Team Zaurs, all day!”
- Zutis vs. Zundovskis:
“This is an excellent matchup. Zundovskis is a tough nut, but not as technical. If Zutis can go the mile, he’ll take the win, but tables can definitely turn.”
Here’s a look back at King of Kings 122 on October 19th, 2024 –
Photo by Adam Blake
