Defend the GLORY Middleweight Championship or die trying – that’s what Artem ‘The Lion’ Levin (50-4-1, 33 KO’s) says his mission is ahead of this Friday’s showdown with middleweight contender Simon ‘Bad Bwoy’ Marcus (42-2-1, 24 KO’s) at GLORY 21 SAN DIEGO.
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Levin, originally from Siberia but recently relocated to San Diego to take up a coaching role at The Boxing Club, claimed the belt by winning the LAST MAN STANDING tournament in Los Angeles, California last year. This will be his first defense.

“This is my life. I built my career, I built my life. This is my first defense of the GLORY belt and of course it is a very important fight,” he says.

“I am ready to win or die trying, this is what is in my heart. I am getting ready to win or to die.”

Marcus holds a previous win over Levin from a 2013 fight, but the bout took place under Muay Thai rules. That allowed Marcus to use his clinching skills extensively; Levin has derisively dismissed their previous encounter as “a clinch-fight, not even a real fight” and says that this Friday’s rematch will be a faster-paced and more full-blooded affair.

“You will see what I will do in this next fight with him. GLORY rules make everything [favorable] for me. His main weapon is his clinch and his elbows. Now, without clinch…?” he shrugs.

“I respect Muay Thai, it is my favorite sport, but for my skills [GLORY] is much better. GLORY rules make everything better for a fight [to be exciting].”

Marcus has gone 2-1 in GLORY. He debuted with a quarter-final fight against Joe Schilling in the LAST MAN STANDING tournament and lost the close encounter by way of stoppage in the extra fourth round.

At GLORY 20 DUBAI he rebounded in style by beating Wayne Barrett and Jason Wilnis in back-to-back fights to claim victory in the Middleweight Contender Tournament and place himself in this weekend’s title fight against his Russian rival.

The performance impressed almost everybody who watched it. Levin, who has previously called Marcus’ kickboxing efforts “terrible” still harbors some doubts. He also thinks that Marcus has received favorable treatment from the referee in at least one instance.

“Sometimes a referee can help Simon Marcus. I watched his fight against Joe Schilling and there was a lot of clinching [by the standards of] GLORY rules, I don’t understand why the referee allowed it,” he says.

“I think the rules must be for everybody and everybody must use the same rules and must respect the rules.”

Marcus, who was also docked a point by that same referee (’Big’ John McCarthy) begs to differ. He hasn’t taken kindly to Levin’s various comments about him and has promised to silence him by taking the belt on Friday.

“To take this belt he would have to destroy me, really. It will not happen. It cannot happen. This is my belt and it stays with me for a long time. Simon Marcus cannot have this belt,” is Levin’s reply.

This Friday May 8, the question will be settled definitively. The two headline GLORY 21 SAN DIEGO, which airs across the US on Spike TV at 11pm ET/10pm CT.

Also on the card is a four-man Heavyweight Qualification Tournament and a co-main event featuring Los Angeles man Raymond ‘Real Deal’ Daniels looking to get back on the title trail as he encounters Bellator veteran Justin Baesman.