Kickboxer sheds weight, gains passion
In his growth in the sport, Deon soon tethered into different styles of fighting including, kickboxing, K1 and mixed martial arts.
WHAT started out as a healthy lifestyle choice, sparked a talent and passion in local kickboxer, Deon Lottering.
The 27-year-old started boxing as a child in 2008 as a way to lose weight. He first started his training at the World of Martial Arts in Johannesburg.
“Two years later after getting into the sport, I came back down to the Bluff, to stay with my mother. I soon met my current trainer Benny du Plessis, who was training at Bluff Boxing Academy. I continued to train with him until he decided to open up his own gym, Team Undisputed Elite, which I joined. I’ve competed in shows, competitions and tournaments all over South Africa.”
In his growth in the sport, Deon soon tethered into different styles of fighting including, kickboxing, K1 and mixed martial arts. It wasn’t long until he found his niche in kickboxing. He has broken a few bones in his 13-year fighting career, including both thumbs, his wrists and suffered a hairline fracture. He has currently re-focused his attention to training younger aspiring fighters at Team Undisputed MMA Academy which is based at Harlequins Gym.
Asked what he loves about the sport he said: “I love how family oriented this sport is. Once you’re in, you’re in. It’s not just about fighting or hitting someone. We draw so much inspiration and motivation from one another. Training is about four to five hours a day if you actually want to compete, so you’re in the gym for hours throughout the week, it becomes your second home. Kickboxing has also really taught me to respect others and never judge a book by its cover.
“To be your best in this sport, requires a dedication to training and putting in the hours in the gym everyday. If it was easy, anyone would do it. I’ve grown a lot since I first started out in kickboxing. It was when Benny took me under his wing, that I really started to stand out from the rest and continuously progressed from there,” said the Bushlands Primary School old boy. His fighting highlight has been competing at the Elite Amateur Championship (EAC) when he was 18-years-old.
“That was one of my best tournaments because I got the opportunity to fight an Extreme Fighting Champion (EFC) champion and I felt like I performed really well.”
“The only regret I have is that I wish I had started fighting when I was much younger because I would have been competing overseas by now. This used to be one of my goals but it’s not so much anymore. My goal at the moment is to join the British Army. It’s always been an interest of mine and I believe that’s where I’ll get the hardest training,” he said.
