Touted by many as one the greatest kickboxers in the world today, Holzken revealed that his difficult past eventually led his focus on honing his skills in martial arts. The sport, he says, molded him to become a better person through years of training.

“I was a problem child. I got kicked out of school when I was 9. I had to go to another school. I did not enjoy school. I was very smart, but I didn’t want to learn. If I could do it again, I would do it differently,” Holzken shared.

“I trained with Ramon Dekkers, Cor Hemmers, and Sjef Weber. Sjef was very good with my boxing, and Ramon and Cor with kickboxing. It gave me personality, character, and respect,” he added.

Other than refusing to learn in school, “The Natural” also shared that he was raised out of a broken family. He ultimately took something positive out of the situation, and used it to motivate himself to become a good father.

“My parents separated, and I only had contact with my father’s family, and no contact with my mother. It made me very hard, and it helped me along the way,” he revealed.

“I want my children to live with a mom and dad who are together. What I experienced definitely makes me a better dad,” he stressed.

Having learned from his past and with a goal in sight, Holzken is bent on impressing in his ONE Championship debut as he aims to become one of the organization’s world champions in the very near future.

“To win in my debut would be great. I want to become the World Champion in ONE,” he quipped.

The Serbian world number one looked in ominous form at the O2 Arena as he looks to finish his season with a flourish, winning 6-4, 6-3 in a focused and disciplined display.

In stark contrast to second seed Roger Federer, who produced an error-strewn performance in defeat to Kei Nishikori on Sunday, Djokovic hit just six unforced errors and won 86 percent of points on his serve.

He broke the giant Isner in the fifth game of the first set to establish a stranglehold on the match and never looked like allowing the American back into the contest, breaking twice more in the second set to win in 73 minutes.

“The match was great, obviously,” said Djokovic. “I had three breaks of serve of John which is sometimes ‘mission impossible’ but I managed to be at the right place at the right time.

“I held serve well, I backed it up from the baseline, I played very solid and didn’t give him many opportunities.”

Earlier, Zverev kept his nerve at the key moments to beat Marin Cilic 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/1).

In a contest packed with unforced errors, the 21-year-old third seed recovered from a break down in each set to establish an early foothold in the Guga Kuerten group.

The 30-year-old Cilic, who has a reputation for faltering when under intense pressure, broke first but Zverev hit back as he served for the set at 5-3, going on to edge the tie-break.

In the second set, Cilic again drew first blood, breaking Zverev in the seventh game to establish a 4-3 lead but the German responded immediately to level at 4-4.

Cilic, seeded fifth in London, dug deep to save match point when trailing 4-5 but the set went to another tie-break, which Zverev dominated, winning 7/1 to seal the match.

– Error count –

There were a total of 78 unforced errors in the contest — with Cilic hitting 46 of those — as both players struggled to adapt to the court conditions.

“The court is difficult,” said Zverev. “The court is very fast. And it’s very high-bouncing as well. So, it’s more difficult than in other tournaments, so everybody has to kind of find their rhythm in the first match.

“But at the end of the day it was a pretty good match. I’m happy to get the win. That’s the most important thing. It’s important — this tournament is big. It is very important to all of us players.”

Zverev has long been talked about as one of the brightest talents of his generation and will be keen to make a statement in London after again flattering to deceive at Grand Slam level this season.

Federer lost to Nishikori in straight sets in the Lleyton Hewitt group on Sunday, leaving him in grave danger of failing to qualify for the semi-finals for only the second time in his career.

The ATP Finals are contested by the eight players who have accumulated the most ranking points over the season and is in a round-robin format, with the best four players reaching the knockout semi-finals stage.

The FA said the allegations related to events that took place in January of this year.

Sturridge is alleged to have broken rules that prohibit the passing on of information about players, managers, team selection or disciplinary matters not publicly available at the time.

The 29-year-old has until 6:00pm local time (1800 GMT) on November 20 to respond to the charges.

It is alleged he specifically contravened FA Rule E8(1)(a)(ii) and Rule E8(1)(b).

The first says “a participant” must not bet either directly or indirectly, by instructing someone else to bet on any aspect of a football match or competition or “any other matter concerning or related to football anywhere in the world”.

The second of these rules cautions against the passing on of ‘inside information’ for betting purposes.

A Liverpool spokesman, quoted by the BBC, said: “Daniel has given his full and unequivocal co-operation throughout this process and has assured the club he will continue to do so.

“Daniel has also stated categorically that he has never gambled on football.”

The spokesman added: “As with any issue of this nature, we will allow the process to be concluded in its entirety before making any further comment.”

Sturridge, who joined Liverpool from Chelsea in 2013, spent the second half of last season at West Bromwich Albion after moving on loan on January 29.

He won the last of his 26 England caps against Lithuania in October 2017.

2018 has broken records, tested limits, reset the boundaries and rewritten some history. We end the season with a seven-time World Champion, some of the closest races and podiums in history, and another incredible highlights reel of this spectacular season. But it’s not over yet – there’s one more weekend to race.

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) likely arrives as the favourite. The reigning Champion took an impressive win at Sepang to bounce back in style, and he arrives as the home hero in form. Marquez also has a good record at Valencia – wrapping up two MotoGP™ crowns there since 2013, and winning from the back in Moto2™ – and he’ll want to win again on home turf to cement his stellar season. This year, however, there may well be more eyes on the other side of the Repsol Honda box at the season finale, with teammate Dani Pedrosa yes, having a great record there and yes, back on song at Sepang, but more importantly the three-time World Champion will be hanging up his leathers at the end of the season – in terms of competition at least. After a career competing with Honda and marking some incredible achievements, Pedrosa retires from active race duty after Valencia and will become a KTM test rider. On Thursday he will also become a MotoGP™ Legend as he’s inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) is another home hero aiming high. After winning in Australia, Sepang was a tougher qualifying in difficult conditions that hampered the Spaniard slightly on race day, but Yamaha seem to be back in the fight at the front. He’ll want another win to end the season and his teammate Valentino Rossi, who came so close at Sepang, will want to win his first race of the year. Rossi’s incredible laptimes in Malaysia only came undone a handful of laps from the end, and although Valencia is traditionally a more difficult track for the ‘Doctor’, he was on fire at Sepang.

For the Ducati Team Valencia has also been a more difficult track at times. Last season didn’t quite put paid to that either as both men crashed out, but Jorge Lorenzo especially has an incredible record at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo. He is determined to make it through the whole weekend this time and make his return from injury, and although he may well not be able to hammer home the kind of pace he’s previously shown at the venue, he can’t be counted out altogether. For teammate Andrea Dovizioso it’s sometimes been a more difficult venue but some incredible battles in the past mean ‘DesmoDovi’ can’t be counted out. On the podium at Phillip Island to underline the incredible progress made by the Borgo Panigale factory at every different type of track, Dovizioso has second in the Championship wrapped up and will have a few points to prove in the last race of the year.

Team Suzuki Ecstar, meanwhile, are on form. Andrea Iannone has been on it despite a twitchy crash behind Marquez in Malaysia, and it’s his last race for the Hamamatsu factory. And Alex Rins showed once again last time out quite how competitive Suzuki now are as he took that stunning second place and equaled his best result in the premier class. Rins is on home turf and on a roll and can’t be counted out.

The man he beat to second at Sepang was Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) as the Frenchman got back on the podium – and from pole after Marquez was penalised. After Zarco and Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) were both given the opportunity to make big gains on the injured Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) in Australia in the fight for top Independent Team rider and neither could, Malaysia was Zarco staking a serious claim on that title. The 16 points for third put him one point above Crutchlow and five clear of Petrucci – with his form last season at Valencia marking him as the favourite to outrace the rest. Rookie of the Year is also on the line, with Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) looking to wrap that up.

At Aprilia Racing Team Gresini, Aleix Espargaro races at home and they bid goodbye to Scott Redding after the race weekend, with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing aiming to stay ahead of the Noale factory. KTM are two points clear as a constructor and a handful more as a team so there’s everything to race for – before they also begin a new era.

The 2018 chapter of the incredible story of the MotoGP™ World Championship draws to a close at Valencia, but the final race weekend of the season is far from an epilogue. The unique atmosphere of the amphitheater setting always makes it a race weekend to remember – and this time, that’s even more true than ever. Goodbyes and new beginnings start here – from the 16th to 18th November.

Championship Standings

1 – Marc Marquez (SPA) HONDA 321 points

2 – Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) DUCATI 220

3 – Valentino Rossi (ITA) YAMAHA 195

4 – Maverick Viñales (SPA) YAMAHA 193

5 – Alex Rins (SPA) SUZUKI 149

The two-day event features seven categories – 62km Master, 62km Open and 46.5km Classic on November 24, followed by the 31km Pattaya Sprint, 40km Off Road Challenge, 12km Charity Fun Ride and 46.5km Team Time Trial on November 25.

All riders will receive a free race pack containing a waterproof bag, exclusive cycling jersey, cap, bib and timing chip worth over Bt2,000.

Additionally, the Bangkok Bank CycleFest has launched a mobile application enhance the racing experience, featuring real-time tracking and recording information for all cyclists.

Ride categories:

Saturday 24^th November 2018

07.00AM CycleFest Master                            62 kilometers (4 laps)

10.30AM CycleFest Open                              62 kilometers (4 laps)

02.00PM CycleFest Classic                           46.5 kilometers (3 laps)

Sunday 25^th November 2018

07.00AM Pattaya Sprint                                 31 kilometers (2 laps)

07.15AM Off Road Challenge                        40 kilometers (2 laps)

10.30AM “Charity” Fun Ride                          12 kilometers (2 laps)

01.00PM CycleFest Team Time Trial             46.5 kilometers (3 laps)

For more information, visit http://www.bangkokbankcyclefest.com.

The 31-year-old Police Tero forward has always been first choice for the national coach, earning the Serbian’s favour by scoring in two of Thailand’s biggest games last year – in Fifa World Cup Qualification against the UAE and in the King’s Cup against North Korea.

Thailand demolished Timor Leste 7-0 in the Asean football competition last Friday at home. Mongkol assisted Adisak Kraisorn in scoring the fifth goal of his double hat-trick against the Timorese – a Suzuki Cup record for a Thai.

“I feel so grateful to be selected for the first line-up again by the coach,” said Mongkol. “My selection is always criticised, but the coach has faith in me. He told me I should make the most of the opportunity by giving my all and enjoying the games. His inspirational messages mean a lot to me as a player.”

Mongkol was humble, saying that though he was not a talented player, he believed it was his willingness to follow the coach’s instructions strictly that had earned him the Serbian’s admiration.

“If we follow his game plan, we stand a good shot at winning,” said Mongkol, one of six players over 30 in the 23-strong squad.

Mongkol was part of the national squad that won back-to-back Cup titles in 2014 and 2016. He is still hungry for another victory as the team head into their second Group B game against Indonesia on Saturday at Rajamangala National Stadium. “I always want to win every time I play for the country. Whenever I’m sent onto the pitch, I will keep running to help the team every possible way I can.”

After a break on Sunday, the national team resumed training yesterday. The game against Indonesia will be televised live on Channel 7 from 6.30pm.

Meanwhile, according to Indonesian FA, around 4,000 Indonesian fans, known as the “Garudas” will come to support their team at the stadium on Saturday.

Roger Federer suffered a shock straight-sets defeat to Kei Nishikori at the ATP Finals on Sunday, severely denting his bid for the 100th title of his illustrious career.

The Swiss, who has won the season-ending event a record six times, produced an uncharacteristically error-prone and fractious display as the Japanese seventh seed prevailed 7-6 (7/4), 6-3.

The result means Federer is now in danger of failing to qualify for the semi-finals for just the second time in his career.

Federer, 37, has beaten Nishikori in Paris and Shanghai in recent weeks but despite having the backing of a full house at the O2 Arena, he never really settled into a groove.

The normally cool Swiss was warned by the umpire for ball abuse in the 12th game after Nishikori produced a staggering backhand winner down the line.

The Swiss great made 20 unforced errors in the first set and Nishikori capitalised, forcing a tie-break in which he raced to a 6/1 lead before sealing it 7/4.

Federer, showing real urgency, broke Nishikori immediately at the start of the second set but it proved a false dawn as he lost his own serve as his frustrations mounted.

Nishikori broke again in the sixth game and served out for victory.

– Anderson win –

The title is contested by the eight players who have accumulated the most ranking points over the season and is in a round-robin format, with the best four players reaching the knockout semi-finals stage.

Earlier, Kevin Anderson made an impressive ATP Finals debut in the same Lleyton Hewitt group, beating Dominic Thiem 6-3, 7-6 (12/10).

South African giant Anderson came into the match with a healthy 6-2 lead over Thiem in head-to-heads but had lost their two most recent meetings, including a straight-sets defeat at the US Open.

The Wimbledon finalist, who stands at 2.03 metres (six feet eight inches) tall, established an early grip, dominating the early exchanges and securing the crucial break in the fourth game.

The 32-year-old, making his debut at the season finale, won 84 percent of his points on serve in the first set, compared with just 58 percent for his ragged Austrian opponent.

Thiem tightened up his game in the second set and looked far more aggressive, with his serving numbers rocketing higher but Anderson held firm to take the set into a tie-break.

In a see-saw tie-break, 25-year-old Thiem had two chances to level the match but Anderson kept his cool to seal the victory with an ace on his fourth match point.

“I definitely felt a little bit nervous,” said Anderson. “But I was able to settle very quickly and find a really good rhythm, taking care of my serve games nicely, created quite a few opportunities on his serve.

“He wasn’t serving at, you know, well, a very high first serve percentage… I think overall just getting off to a good start helped me a lot today.”

World number one Novak Djokovic, who heads the Guga Kuerten group, will be in action on Monday against John Isner while Alexander Zverev takes on Marin Cilic.

Djokovic, who replaced Rafael Nadal at the top of the rankings last week, was Sunday presented with the 2018 year-end ATP World Tour number one trophy.

Chelsea, like the top two, remain unbeaten under Maurizio Sarri but lost ground in a goalless draw at home to Everton.

Arsenal also missed the chance to leapfrog North London rivals Spurs into fourth and needed Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s late equaliser to salvage a 1-1 draw with Wolves at the Emirates.

City remain two points clear of Liverpool, but open four-point gap on Chelsea.

A fourth league defeat of the season leaves United languishing in eighth, 12 points off the top.

Goals early in each half from David Silva and Sergio Aguero left City in a commanding position before an Anthony Martial penalty gave United hope of a comeback.

But Ilkay Gundogan put the result beyond doubt four minutes from time with a third goal that crowned a sublime 44-pass move.

“I think Man City right now and Liverpool, Chelsea, and even Arsenal and Tottenham, I think they have numbers to be champion, not just City. We’re just two points in front,” said City boss Pep Guardiola.

“What is important is that we are consistent, that we play most of the time good, and always I see many things that we can improve.”

– ‘Fight for top four’

United manager Jose Mourinho accepted his side are now just fighting to try and make the top four having finished second to City last season.

“Since the beginning of the season, we knew that our second position last season was a fantastic achievement for us, and this season we are going to fight for the top four,” said Mourinho.

“To speak about the title you need to be in the top positions. So let’s fight to close the gap and jump into the top four, if one day we jump into the top four, we’ll see what the difference is.”

United scored twice in the closing five minutes to secure a hard-fought 2-1 win away to Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday, while City thrashed Shakhtar Donetsk 6-0 at the Etihad.

And Mourinho used his side’s tougher preparation to excuse the gulf in class.

“Everybody has to agree, it is one thing to go to Juventus and play against one of the best teams in the world for 90 minutes, another thing to beat Shakhtar Donetsk at home 6-0 and be very relaxed,” said Mourinho. “We arrive in different circumstances.”

Earlier, Liverpool briefly went top by inflicting Fulham’s seventh straight defeat at Anfield.

But they needed a huge slice of luck in 14 seconds that completely changed the game shortly before the break.

Aleksandar Mitrovic headed home for the visitors only to be wrongly ruled offside.

The hosts quickly broke upfield as Alisson and Trent Alexander-Arnold freed Mohamed Salah to score his eighth goal of the season.

“The most important thing is reacting in a situation like that and that was brilliant. Allison, Trent, Mo and done, it was a fantastic situation,” said Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, whose side put the result beyond doubt when Xherdan Shaqiri made it 2-0 in the 53rd minute.

Chelsea dominated possession at Stamford Bridge, but could not find a way past the inspired Jordan Pickford in the Everton goal to leave Sarri frustrated.

“At the beginning we moved the ball too slowly, so it is easy for the opposition to defend and impossible for us to be dangerous,” bemoaned Sarri.

Arsenal were in danger of defeat for the first time since August after falling behind to Ivan Cavaleiro’s 13th-minute goal before Mkhitaryan came off the bench to rescue a point for the Gunners.

The 31-year-old boxer held the wedding in his bride’s hometown after they were secretly engaged in July. Srisaket, who defended his title with a win over Iran Diaz of Mexico last month, gave Bt3 million in cash and gold weighing 20 baht as dowry.

In May, the Thai fighter made headlines after admitting he had broken up with long-time girlfriend Patchareewan Kanha.