IT’S SHOWTIME Amsterdam ArenA? IT’S SHOWTIME Amsterdam ArenA? Usually we start our presale for our Amsterdam ArenA event every year on December 1. This year we had postponed our presale to February 1 because we had a business agreement with K-1. This business agreement meant that the 2011 Amsterdam ArenA event would be a joint event between IT’S SHOWTIME and K-1, just like in 2006, 2007 and 2008. The organization of this event would be completely in our hands again, but the fight card was supposed to be arranged by K-1. However, after months of asking questions by email, text messages, personally and by telephone we never got an answer from K-1 regarding the fight card. We had set a deadline for the fight card for January 11, because otherwise there would be too little time for us to organize everything before May 21.

It was January 18 when K-1 finally told me that it isn’t able to put the fight card together, because many fighters who have fought for K-1 still have to get their money, and K-1 can’t negotiate with fighters whom K-1 still owes money to. For a long time it’s not a secret anymore that K-1 is in bad financial problems and that it’s still the question whether they will survive this crisis. FEG (K-1) tries to do everything in its power to get out of this crisis but the negotiations with potential investors are stagnating for a year already.

We from IT’S SHOWTIME have tried to help K-1 in every area the last couple of years and we have been very merciful regarding the payments of our fighters. The debts keep increasing in a very fast pace, though. According to FEG, everything will be alright but everything takes more time than they had expected and FEG asks us for more time regarding the payments of our fighters and the final fight card for the Amsterdam ArenA.

We from IT’S SHOWTIME really hope that K-1 will stay alive and that they will survive these difficult times. However, we don’t believe this will happen anytime soon and therefore we don’t see the Amsterdam ArenA event happen in May.

Also we will not succeed in organizing the Amsterdam ArenA event 100% ourselves because only making and arranging the fight card will take several months. K-1 claims it’s still convinced that it can solve its problems in a short amount of time and still keeps the option for May open. Even if K-1 can solve its problems soon, it will be more realistic for a joint event to take place in September or early October. We from IT’S SHOWTIME keep all options in mind and even the fact that there will be no IT’S SHOWTIME event at all in the Amsterdam ArenA this year. We know we really disappoint a lot of people with this news and we really regret that.

Despite of the bad news regarding the ArenA, IT’S SHOWTIME is doing very well. In 2008 we organized 4 events, last year we organized 7 events and this year we will be organizing 10 IT’S SHOWTIME events in the world for sure.

IT’S SHOWTIME events are already broadcast in 89 countries worldwide.

The IT’S SHOWTIME calendar for this year so far:

March 6: Sporthallen Zuid in Amsterdam, The Netherlands

March 26: Brussels, Belgium

June 11: Warsaw, Poland

July 23: Sochi, Russia

September 18: Sporthallen Zuid, Amsterdam

October 8: Geneva, Switzerland

Further this year, IT’S SHOWTIME events will be organized in England, Spain, Germany and probably Greece.
The successful IT’S SHOWTIME Christmas Edition will also get a sequel in The Sand in Amsterdam.

For the latest news regarding IT’S SHOWTIME events and the fight cards, visit  fight.nl and/or facebook.com/itsshowtimenl.

Simon Rutz
IT'S SHOWTIME