Marc de Bonte (27 February 1990 – 5 November 2016) was a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

kickboxer Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general ...

who competed in the

light heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruise ...

and cruiserweight divisions. He won bronze at the IFMA World Championships in 2010 and silver in 2012 as an amateur, and debuted with the Glory promotion in October 2012. De Bonte went missing on the night/early morning 4 and 5 November 2016.

Career

De Bonte began practicing

kickboxing Kickboxing is a combat sports, combat sport focused on kicking and punch (strike), punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is pract ...

and

Muay Thai Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...

at six years old. As an amateur, he took a bronze medal at the 2010 IFMA World Championships in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. He followed this up with a silver at the 2012 games in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

where he lost to

Artem Levin Artem Valeryevich Levin (russian: Артё́м Вале́рьевич Ле́вин; born December 8, 1986), also known as Artem "The Lion" Levin, is a Russian middleweight Muay Thai kickboxer fighting out of Prokopyevsk. He is the former Glory ...

in the final. In 2011, he signed with the Muaythai Premier League but was able to fight just once in the short-lived promotion, a

split decision A split decision (SD) is a winning criterion in boxing, most commonly in full-contact combat sports, in which two of the three judges score one particular competitor as the winner, while the third judge scores for the other competitor. A split dec ...

win over Jiri Zak at ''Muaythai Premier League: Strength and Honor'' in

Padova Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

on 8 October 2011. He knocked out Michael Buxant via a fifth round knee at ''MaxPain'' in Genk, Belgium on 10 February 2012 to win the Belgian −81 kg/181 lb Championship. The following year, de Bonte was recruited by Glory, the world's premier kickboxing organization, and he made his promotional debut at '' Glory 2: Brussels'' on 6 October 2012 in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

where he lost to

Murthel Groenhart Murthel Cyrill Dwyth Groenhart (born October 10, 1986) is a Dutch-Surinamese mixed martial artist and former kickboxer. Groenhart is the 2012 K-1 World MAX World Championship Tournament Champion and former Glory Welterweight Champion. Career ...

knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

from a

knee In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the hu ...

in round two of their 79 kg/175 lb bout. He returned at '' Glory 6: Istanbul'' in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

on 6 April 2013, moving up to the 85 kg/187 lb division to face L'houcine "Aussie" Ouzgni. He won via a knee KO early in round one to move up to the #3 spot in Glory's middleweight rankings. He was set to fight

Nieky Holzken Nicolaas Hubertus Holzken (born December 16, 1983) is a Dutch super middleweight kickboxer and professional boxer currently signed to ONE Championship, where he competes in the Lightweight division. He is the former Glory Welterweight Champion. ...

in the '' Glory 13: Tokyo - Welterweight World Championship Tournament'' semi-finals in Tokyo, Japan on 21 December 2013. However, he was then replaced by Raymond Daniels in the tournament for undisclosed reasons. He was set to fight against

for the inaugural Glory Welterweight (-77.1 kg/170 lb) Championship at '' Glory 14: Zagreb'' in Zagreb, Croatia on 8 March 2014 but the fight was cancelled when Holzken suffered a shoulder injury in a car accident. The match was rescheduled for '' Glory 16: Denver'' in Broomfield, Colorado, US on 3 May 2014 but Holzken withdrew once again due to his recurring shoulder injury and was replaced by

Karapet Karapetyan Karapet Karapetyan ( hy, Կարապետ Կարապետյան; born 28 November 1982), also known as Karapet Papijan is an Armenian-Dutch kickboxer who competes in the super middleweight and light heavyweight divisions. A professional since 200 ...

. De Bonte defeated Karapetyan via a split decision to take the title. He lost his title against

Joseph Valtellini Joseph John Valtellini (born May 3, 1985) is a Canadian retired Muay Thai kickboxer who competed in the super middleweight division. Nicknamed "Bazooka Joe", Valtellini is a strong and explosive fighter possessing considerable punching power and ...

at '' Glory 17: Los Angeles'' in Inglewood, California, US on 21 June 2014 when he dropped a unanimous decision. Both fighters scored knockdowns in the fight; Valtellini dropped de Bonte with a high kick in round three, while de Bonte floored Valtellini with a

flying knee A knee strike (commonly referred to simply as a knee) is a strike with the knee, either with the kneecap or the surrounding area. Kneeing is a disallowed practice in many combat sports, especially to the head of a downed opponent. Styles such as ...

in round four.

Missing person case and death

On the night of 4 November 2016 De Bonte attended a party organized by the gym he worked at in

Bladel Bladel () is a municipality and town in the province of North Brabant, Southern Netherlands. In 2019, it had a population of 20,175. Population centres Topography ''Dutch Topographic map of the municipality of Bladel, 2013.'' Notable residen ...

, Netherlands. He left the party and texted his girlfriend, telling her he would stop by a friend for a drink in Turnhout, Belgium, before going to her place in Best, the Netherlands. De Bonte never arrived at his girlfriend's place and he was reported missing by his family. His car was found next to the

Wilhelmina Canal The Wilhelmina Canal is a canal in North-Brabant, Netherlands. It connects Tilburg to the Meuse, and continues to the east to connect to the Zuid-Willemsvaart north of Helmond. Characteristics The Wilhelmina Canal runs from the Zuid-Willemsva ...

, a canal which runs through

Best, Netherlands Best () is a municipality and a village in the southern Netherlands. It is situated northwest of the city Eindhoven, and is also part of the agglomeration of this city. The headquarters of Europe's largest meat processor Vion NV are located in Be ...

. Extensive police searches in the Netherlands and Belgium did not lead to any clues on De Bonte's whereabouts. On 24 November De Bonte's body was discovered floating in the Wilhelmina Canal in

Oirschot Oirschot (; ''Orskot'' in the Brabantian dialect, local dialect) is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands. It is situated from the city of Eindhoven and from the city of Tilburg in the provin ...

, not far from the place where his car was discovered. The cause of death has not been determined yet, with the autopsy having taken place on 26 November.

Championships and accomplishments

Kickboxing

* Glory ** Glory Welterweight (-77kg/170lb) Championship (one time; first) *Belgian Kickboxing **Belgian −81 kg/181 lb Championship *International Federation of Muaythai Amateur **2010 IFMA World Championships −81 kg/178 lb Bronze Medalist Med 3

**2012 IFMA World Championships −81 kg/178 lb Silver Medalist Med 2

Boxing record

, - style="background:#cfc;" , 2011-11-11 , , Win , , align=left, Antonio Manuel , , Sporthal Arena, Deurne , , Antwerp, Belgium , , Decision (unanimous) , , 4 , , 3:00 , , 1-0 , - , colspan=9 , ''Legend'':

Kickboxing record

, - style="background:#cfc;" , 2016-09-10, , Win , , align=left, Artur Gorlov, , Kunlun Fight 51 - 80 kg 2016 Tournament Quarter-Finals , ,

Fuzhou, China Fuzhou (; , Fuzhounese: Hokchew, ''Hók-ciŭ''), alternately romanized as Foochow, is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian province, China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute t ...

, , TKO , , 3 , , , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - , - style="background:#fbb;" , 2014-06-21 , , Loss , , align=left,

, , Glory 17: Los Angeles , ,

Inglewood, California, USA Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...

, , Decision (unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2014-05-03 , , Win , , align=left,

, , Glory 16: Denver , , Broomfield, Colorado, USA , , Decision (split) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2013-04-06 , , Win , , align=left,

L'houcine Ouzgni L'houcine "Aussie" Ouzgni (born 10 March 1983) is a Dutch-Moroccan Light Heavyweight/Middleweight Muay Thai kickboxing, kickboxer fighting out of Amsterdam, Netherlands for Top Team Beverwijk. Aussie is a firm fan favorite in the Netherlands due ...

, , Glory 6: Istanbul , , Istanbul, Turkey , , KO (left knee) , , 1 , , 1:16 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 2012-10-06 , , Loss , , align=left,

, , Glory 2: Brussels , , Brussels, Belgium , , KO (knee) , , 2 , , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2012-02-10 , , Win , , align=left, Michael Buxant , , MaxPain , , Genk, Belgium , , KO (knee) , , 5 , , , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2011-10-08 , , Win , , align=left, Jiri Zak , , Muaythai Premier League: Strength and Honor , , Padova, Italy , , Decision (split) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2011-04-09 , , Win , , align=left, Fikri Demirci , , A1 World Combat Cup , , Eindhoven, Netherlands , , Decision , , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2010-11-21 , , Win , , align=left, Joep Beerepoot , , , , Zaandam, Netherlands , , , , , , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2010-00-00 , , Win , , align=left, Michael Smit , , , , Belgium , , Decision , , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2008-01-19 , , Win , , align=left, Geronimo de Groot , , Heat FC , , Heesch, Netherlands , , Decision , , 3 , , 2:00 , - , - style="background:#fbb;" , 2012-09-11 , , Loss , , align=left,

, , IFMA 2012 World Championships, Final , , Saint Petersburg, Russia , , Decision , , 4 , , 2:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 2012-09-11 , , Win , , align=left, Kada Bouamama , , 2012 IFMA World Championships, Semi Finals, ,

Saint Petersburg, Russia Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

, , , , , , , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 2012-09-10 , , Win , , align=left, Kim Olsen , , 2012 IFMA World Championships, Quarter Finals, ,

, , , , , , , - , colspan=9 , ''Legend'':

References

External links

Official site

Official MPL profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bonte, Marc de 1990 births 2016 deaths Light-heavyweight boxers Belgian male kickboxers Light heavyweight kickboxers Cruiserweight kickboxers Belgian Muay Thai practitioners Sportspeople from Turnhout Belgian expatriates in the Netherlands Belgian male boxers Glory kickboxers Kunlun Fight kickboxers