Exclusive: Gradus Kraus Believes He Can Lead Boxing’s Rise to Rival Football and Darts in the Netherlands

Gradus Kraus believes boxing’s profile in the Netherlands could rival football and darts if he successfully completes his mission to become the country’s first recognised world champion since the late Nineties.

The light-heavyweight, who faces Boris Crighton at London’s Copper Box Arena this weekend, is already viewed as one of the most exciting prospects on the English circuit having teamed-up with trainer Peter Fury and Boxxer’s Ben Shalom.

The latter’s agreement with the BBC represents a huge opportunity for Kraus to become a household name on both sides of the North Sea, thanks to his explosive power and memorable ringwalks with his young daughter. 

Knowing that a win over Crighton would edge him a step closer towards eventually challenging for one of the division’s major belts, the 24-year-old is already noticing an upsurge in interest in the Noble Art back home where kickboxing was previously the only sport capable of rivalling the ‘Big Two’ in the battle for hearts and minds.

“There’s been a huge increase in how much people watch boxing in the Netherlands of late,” Kraus, speaking exclusively to SportsBoom, said. 

“You see it absolutely everywhere now. Everywhere. That definitely wasn’t the case before."

“The big thing, for me, is that it’s not just people wanting to watch it. It’s people wanting to take part in it, to actually box, as well. Before it used to really be kickboxing when it came to fighting. You used to see a lot of kickboxing gyms but not many actual boxing ones."

“Now, there’s boxing gyms, pure boxing gyms, all over the place and that’s good to see. It shows something is happening and I want to play a part in that.”

KO Merchant

Kraus’ clash against the vastly experienced Crighton, who has previously faced the likes of Lyndon Arthur, Callum Simpson and Steed Woodall, will be the 10th of a professional career many seasoned observers believe is destined to deliver major honours. 

Eight of his nine victories so far have come inside the distance, including November’s second round knockout over German Rostam Ibrahim in Rotterdam. That triumph, which delivered the IBF European title, prompted Shalom, already aware of Kraus’ surging popularity, to strike up a relationship and showcase his latest client on free-to-air national television.

Shalom’s investment confirms what many in the business have long suspected, that Kraus has what it takes to become one of the few boxers to become genuinely recognised not only among dedicated fans but casual ones as well.

Although Kraus’ father Albert is a former world champion in both kickboxing and Muay Thai, his son has focused exclusively on boxing as he attempts to follow in the footsteps of Regilio Tuur and Lucia Rijker, who reached the pinnacle of their chosen profession in 1994 and 1997 respectively.

“It was always boxing for me, watching fights and reading books on it,” Kraus said. 

“That’s why I’m so excited about what’s ahead and the backing behind me, because I can see the way things are going in the Netherlands."

“Football and darts are massive, as everyone knows. But I even had a footballer [Gustavo Hamer] come to my last show, over from Sheffield, who is Dutch and so that was brilliant to see.”