Fred Royers

Fred Royers was born on 15 March 1955 in the Netherlands. A pioneer of Dutch kickboxing and one of the key figures in establishing the low kick as a central weapon of the Dutch fighting style. He began in karate at age 16 and became a 9-time Dutch Karate Champion. He competed at the Karate World Championships in 1979, 1980, 1982 and 1984, and at the World Games in 1981—establishing himself as one of the best Dutch karateka of his era. His transition to kickboxing brought his devastating low-kick technique to a wider stage. Royers was trained by Jan Plas at Mejiro Gym and became one of the fighters who helped define the Dutch middleweight kickboxing style—technical, powerful and focused on leg kicks. His influence on the development of Dutch kickboxing technique is lasting, and his legacy lives on in the generations of fighters who adopted and refined the low kick as a primary weapon.