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SATURDAY, February 28th, 2004, AT 3:15 PM, PT
QUICK Results
From
Feet and Fists of Fury
IKF Promoter Johnny Davis' events keep getting better and better! With a "Dynamic" venue and exciting entertainment, and oh, of course, GREAT FIGHT to go along with it all, he ups his level one more notch. Here are the quick results for now and look for the full article later Monday!
For more information contact A.K. Promotions at (916) 780-7483 or by e-mail at johnnyd@akpromotions.org.
MORE NEWS OF 2-28-04
East Coast Classic Is
ELECTRIC!
The electricity was toooo much at the East Coast Classic last weekend. The two venues, Tom Poey's and Craig Smith's gyms were STUFFED to the gills with fighters, trainers and spectators that rocked the house from 9 am til 5 pm with non stop ACTION!!! We witnessed beginners, under 4 fights (Exhibitions), and advanced, 4 fights and above, put it all on the line. Also in attendance was "The Legend" and first PKA World Kickboxing Champion Joe Lewis. Joe gave the fighters and trainers a VERY worth while pre-fight strategy clinic on Friday night before the "Classic". Thanks Joe.
IKF # 3 Ranked Pro FCR Heavyweight Ronnie "Kid" Copeland (Also a current World Champion in another organization) was there too with his fighters as well as former IKF US Champion Kevin"Hurricane" Hudson (Also a former World Champion in another organization) who brought his huge team to the Beach to bang it up with the rest of the teams. Current IKF Amateur FCR Light Cruiserweight World Champion Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson (And holder of "COUNTLESS" Titles in the IKF and another organization) as well as his "Hall of Fame" Trainer, Promoter, former fighter and father, Ray Thompson were there to give a hand to Craig by judging fights and supporting all the fighters there. IKF # 7 Pro FCR ranked Dan "Lizard" Lucas (Also a current World Champion in another organization) sent his team down to "throw down" with the rest of the teams and "throw down" they did.
Team Hess headed up by Mike Hess was there to show everyone how they do it in Northern Virginia. That Nicole Hess is The Beauty and The Beast all rolled into one. SHE BE BAAAAAD.
The referees were great with Trey White, Clark Walters and Randy Ballard keeping everyone safe and walking the straight and narrow. IKF Event Representative and World Ambassador "Uncle" Brooks Mason was also in the house doing a zillion jobs and keeping order. Many thanks to these guys for taking on the task. There were toooo many fights at the EC Classic to write about them all but from this writers impression of the athletes you can bet there were stars of the future that came to this event and we can thank Craig Smith, Tom Poey the IKF Team and all the fighters and trainers for making it happen. Good luck and see you at the next one. Craig, we're waiting...............
REVISED AND RE-POSTED FROM 2-26-04
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Results From Craig
Smith's
IKFEast
Coast Classic
Craig Smith's Karate Institute, Inc. Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA
Champions Listed Only
As Reported By Brooks Mason
For more info please contact Mr. Craig Smith at (757) 729-0942 or e-mail him at Kickingboxing@aol.com
FRIDAY, February 27th, 2004, AT 9:00 AM, PT
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"WAR IN WESTPORT"
IKF Kickboxing & ISCF
MMA!
IKF and ISCF Promoter Dan Tharp will host "WAR IN WESTPORT" tonight at the Beaumont Club in Kansas City Missouri, USA. We had no bout info as of press time but for more info please contact Mr. Dan Tharp at (816) 560-1964 or by E-Mail At: Sicarii67@aol.com
THURSDAY, February 26th, 2004, AT 7:35 PM, PT
Former IKF Champion
Trisha "TNT" Hill
Wins A
BIG ONE!
To many of us here at the IKF
she will always be remembered as the sweet little girl that packed a MAJOR PUNCH AND KICK! But to those in Stuttgart,
southwestern Germany, they will only remember her as the Girl with the
BIG PUNCH!
That's because on
Saturday, Feb. 14, 2004 the former multi time IKF
National Amateur Champion Trisha "TNT" Hill defeated
the German World Title Holder Silke Weickenmeier to take her
WIBF (Womens
International Boxing Federation) Featherweight World Title by TKO in the 7th
round!
Hill and
her trainer Kelly Leo (Current IKF
Pro FCR East Coast Champion) had to travel to Hanns-Martin-Schleyer's indoor
arena in Stuttgart, southwestern Germany. Hill was awarded the
WIBF
Belt by WIBF
representative Juergen Lutz from Germany (Right). After the
bout, Hill celebrated her victory as Leo (Left) as he
picked her up for the crowd.
Congratulations TNT!
And to your trainers and fans
too!
You are a much deserving Champion and we are sure you will represent
the title with honor!
Hill has some familiar company now.
That's
becomes she is now the second former IKF
National Amateur Champion to win an WIBF World Title.
2000 IKF
National Amateur MTR Welterweight Champion Sunnshine Fettkether won the
WIBF
World Welterweight Title. The same year (2000)
in Council Bluffs Iowa, Sunshine won her IKF
Title, Hill also won her National title when she landed a spinning
crescent kick at 1:09 of the 3rd round in what was "The Women's
Bout of the Tournament," defeating Katie Ehrhardt of Lake
Zurich, Illinois to win the IKF FCR
Lightweight National Title. Hill was a 3 Time IKF USA National Amateur Champion. Before the IKF Nationals in 2000 she had won the IKF Women's Amateur IR U.S. Featherweight title when
she defeated Jacqueline Chavez of Los Lunas, New Mexico, USA (15-5
with 4 KO's) by unanimous decision on July 29th, 2000 in Merraitt, Georgia,
USA. That same year after the IKF National
Tournament she won the IKF Amateur Woman's
MuayThai Rules U. S. Featherweight title when she defeated Angela Rivera,
of Las Vegas Nevada, USA by split decision, 49-46, 49-47, 50-45. on December
2nd, 2000 in Monterey, CA, USA.
WEDNESDAY, February 25th, 2004, AT 9:30 PM, PT
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Bottom Line...
UTAH
ROCKED!
"Love and War"
Press And More...
Fight Photos by
www.forthewin.net
Those who are familiar
to the IKF News page here are probably
expecting a story here about some great MuayThai fights from last weekends Salt
Lake City Utah event. Well, those stories are coming, but first, we need to tell
you about something else...
As many would know, we have been all over the world and seem a countless number of kickboxing, muay thai, and karate schools and gyms. In this time, we have seen some GREAT Ones! Well, no offense to all you gym owners out there (which we are one of you too), but you all need to go to Salt Lake City, Utah if you want to see what we are calling "THE BEST" Kickboxing Facility in the WORLD! Did we say that out loud? Why yes we did.
Our adventures this last weekend took us to
Salt Lake, Utah. Yes, Utah. Once there we met up with IKF
promoter Craig Lamanna who drove us to the headquarters of
MuayThai
Institute of Kunponli. An impressively massive 20,000 square foot
facility that will make us all jealous! Yes, ALL OF US!
We did an article on this gym back in June of 2002, but words and an article alone did not prepare us for what we saw! Lamanna's facility includes a 10,000 square foot Muay Thai training room (Left) equipped with all the necessary equipment from bags to the ring. But wait, lets go back to the front door and tell you about the full lobby with some sit down tables and massive pro shop featuring Lamanna's own equipment line, AirMonkey fight gear and of course, weight lifting accessories, and aerobic gear. Not to mention the coffee machine that makes a fresh brew to wake you up at the 6AM (8AM weekends) opening time and oh, did we mention this place is open "SEVEN" days a week! They have classes scheduled every day of the week except Sunday.
Moving forward into
the club we enter the weightroom with a full Olympic weight center, featuring
Hammer Strength (Right) and Life Fitness equipment and a huge assortment
of free weights.
Lets move on to the full cardio center with Life Fitness and Tectrix equipment.
Keep walking and you find yourself in the aerobics room (Left) where they feature classes like Boot Camp and Jump & Jab along with yoga. Keep in mind MuayThai is not the only thing these guys offer. Lamanna is also an instructor for the local law enforcement and is a specialist in weapons and close quarters combat, "Reality Style!"
Move down the
hallway and you will find several "Live-In" dorm rooms with
bunkbeds to sleep in. Yes, if you come here to train from out of state, you can
save the hotel fee and sleep right in 
the
gym. Just bring bedding and anything else you need. A few more steps down the
hall and you come to the full kitchen for preparing those real Thai meals. And
we mean REAL! Not just because it's Thai recipes, but our cook for the night was
none other than their chief MuayThai trainers wife straight from Thailand. And
who runs the Thai training here? How about multi time World Champion Sakasem
"The Punisher" Kanthawong! But before we brag on Sakasem,
lets finish the tour.
Did we mention the Thai lounge complete with a direct satellite
feed from Thailand to feature Thai TV and live Thai Fights! Don't forget the
full tiled locker rooms with showers and to keep things clean, there is even a
washer and dryer for you. We are not the first to brag about Lamanna's
facility. Grappling Magazine (March 2003) says, "Lamanna
has broken new ground in developing a mixture of muay Thai and
Western fitness in one of the largest
facilities of its kind internationally." Which on that note, lets get
to last Saturday nights fights!
The nights action started with two 65 lb Junior MuayThai fighters. Although J. D. Filiaga and Timothy "Junior" Ruesga were both from the Muay Thai Institute, these two had planned to go at it full power and we had all planned to score the bout. However, a small missing piece of equipment (Cup) brought this bout down to just an exhibition. But this didn't seem to change things in their game plans. These two still put on an action packed MuayThai bout!
Hopefully, these two will make the trip to the IKF Amateur Tournament this year to face off against
some of the other top Junior MuayThai & Leg Kick fighters from gyms like
Dean Lessei's out of Illinois. Oh and Dean, you and Craig need
to Hook UP! You will fall in love with his facility! Craig needs to get
you on one of his cards along with other IKF
MuayThai gyms like Mick Doyles, Ryan
Blackorby's and of course, Uncle Brooks needs to make a road trip to
Utah!
None of these bouts were short of Great MuayThai action so we were fully entertained from the start. Jose Garcia from Master Toddy's Gym in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (2-0/0, 156, 5'6", 36) and Ryan Luper of Salt Lake City, Utah, USA trained by Sakasam (0-1, 156, 6', 25) kept things going! This was Luper's fight debut but with great training from Sakasam, he looked like a seasoned veteran. However, so did Garcia. Coming from Master Toddy's gym in Vegas pretty much speaks for itself and this being his second time in the ring, the one extra bout gave him the composure he needed. Garcia wins this one, by unanimous decision, 29-28, 29-28, 30-28.
The third bout or second real fight of the night (Not that
the Junior boys didn't ROCK!) featured Marcus Kimsey of Salt Lake
City, Utah, USA 
(1-0/0, 160, 6'3",
27) trained 
by Sakasam
against someone we will call "Dr. BLUE", Bruce
Sherrod of San Francisco, California, USA (0-1/0, 163, 5'7", 32)
Why "Dr. Blue"? Well,
Sherrod came to the ring with his hair in locks and BLUE! (Which looked pretty cool actually!)
With that kind of hairdo, you better be able to fight, and Sherrod had
no problem there. Sherrod is trained by yet another legend, Bunkerd
Faphmai (formally Fairtex) who recently announced his
retirement. However, both Boonkerd and Sakasam, both into their
40's looked and moved like they could step into the ring today and give us all a
lesson in Thai! These guys are that good! Kimsey and
Sherrod went toe to toe for all three rounds and in the end, it was Sakasam's
training and Kimsey's talent that pulled out the win over a very
talented Sherrod, 30-27 on all 3 judges cards.
Next up we had a
Woman's MuayThai bout. Polly Harris of Salt Lake City, Utah, USA (2-0/1,
128, 5'6", 37) and trained by Sakasam had some close fans in
the crowd... Some of Utah's finest. Harris is a police officer by trade,
MuayThai Killer by hobby. Daria Roseles of Napma, Idaho, USA (0-1/0,
124, 5'3", 26) gets credit for making her Thai debut but on this night,
Harris was far too much for her. Roseles took a standing 8 count
in round 3 and when she was being given her second one, her trainer Chris
Reyna made the right decision to throw in the towel. Knowing Roseles
is trained by the Reyna camp out of Idaho (Who has brought fighters
to the IKF Nationals and brought home
plenty of IKF Gold), this is just a
warm-up for her. She's sure to be back, and with a different game plan. But on
this night, it was all Harris who took this one by TKO in round 3.
Robby Wyatt of Salt Lake City, Utah, USA (3-0/0, 150, 5'7", 24) and Chris Aldea of San Francisco, California, USA (1-2/0, 149, 5'8", 23) had two things in common Saturday night. First they are both trained by Thai Legends! Wyatt by Sakasam and Aldea by Enn Fairtex. However the best thing they had in common was that these two KNOW HOW TO DO THAI! Unfortunately for Aldea, Wyatt brought a little bit more of his Thai game to the ring on this night as he pulled out a very close unanimous decision 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.
If we were not
there, we may have thought this was reported with a typo but sure enough, this
bout was for the "MAY" title! Matt May of
Napma, Idaho, USA (9-2/5, 144, 5' 10", 20) shared the same name
with his opponent, Marom "Whop" May of Salt Lake City,
Utah, USA (4-4/1, 144, 5'6", 20) but that was about it. OK, well,
their weights were the same too... OK, and their ages... but swear promise, that
is it! These two had no desire to share anything else other than punches, kicks
and knees in this special 4 round MuayThai bout. As if round 1 wasn't enough,
Maron landed a right hand "SHOT" on Matt at
the end of the round which was no flash knockdown. Matt took a moment to
shake off the cob webs and finally stood to take his count. A trip to the corner
for the round break and we saw a revitalized Matt May come out for round
2 which saw plenty of action. Round 3 seemed pretty even until Matt
forced referee Lamanna to step in and make sure Marom was OK.
However Marom choose not to pay attention Lamanna so Lamanna
started an 8 count. It was the right call by the way. Marom, you need to
keep your gloves up and look the referee in the eye. If not, the count is
starting, which it did. Going into round 4, all 3 judges had the bout 28-27 for
Matt. Matt kept the pressure on in round 4, forcing Marom
to another legit standing 8 count and finally, the end came at 1:23 when he
overwhelmed Marom to take the TKO win at 1:23 of round 4.
Ever so often a fighter comes along that stands out from the
others. All of the nights fighters had their own magic but in the nights main
event, it was a trimmed up white kid (Please, not being racists here...)
named Dan Green from Provo, Utah, USA that stood out among the others.
It wasn't so much his Thai skill in the clinch or his knee work that made Green
(8-3/4, 180, 6'1", 27) stand out as was his punching and kicking
skills. But there was more. Green's
punches looked as straight, quick and solid as watching Roy Jones. His
kicks were not just hitting the legs, this kid kicked high and did so with
accuracy! Just ask his opponent, Arthur Wong of San Francisco,
California, USA. This did not appear like a traditional Thai fight. There was
little clinching and when there was, the two broke up. This was more of a K-1
style (No clinching) bout. Wong (9-2/1, 180, 5'10", 27)
came into the ring as a favorite against Green with plenty of smoker
bout experience (Which in reality, are real bouts) and trained by one of
the best in the game, Enn Fairtex.
Green is trained by Jason Farrish and together these two put on
a show. Our question is where have they been? Green should be going to
the IKF Nationals with his skill! Only one
flaw came to mind here, if Green would have stuck to his hand
combinations from the start, this could have ended in round 1. Regardless, Wong
took him the distance but there was no questioning who won. This was all Dan
Green by unanimous decision, 48-47, 50-45, 50-45.
Green has a great opportunity having a great promoter
to promote him such as Lamanna. Something few fighters have at their
availability. If the two work together and appreciate each other for what they
can bring to an event, we should hear more great things from Utah, not just from
Green, but from all these fighter named above. The true test for
fighters like Green, and what elevates them to Great will be going to
and winning at the IKF Nationals.
Hopefully we will see him and others we saw Saturday night
there. Nationals is the proving
grounds for all amateur kickboxers. Once there, fighters like Green can
test his skills against the best such as 2003 IKF/TKO
National Champions Tony Stumpf of Omaha, Nebraska, USA or Andy
Hoffman of Hanna City, Illinois, USA.
Before we end, lets not forget who was "In the House" in Utah Saturday night. Check out that photo at the right and you will see 4 Thai LEGENDS! Current IKF Pro Muay Thai World Champion Enn Fairtex of Fairtex San Francisco, Luukchang of Master Toddy's in Las Vegas, Bunkerd Faphimai (formally Fairtex) and of course, Sakasam who has done an Outstanding Job as head/chief Muaythai trainer at the MuayThai Institute of Kunponli. Talk about some talent in the ring!
However we had talent outside the ring too. We had three great judges on this event that we here at the IKF as well as promoter Craig Lamanna were very impressed with. "Griffen Reynaud, Jennifer Howell and Jeremy Horn did an outstanding job!" said promoter Lamanna. We here at the IKF second that! Oh and Craig, you my man did an Outstanding job as event referee too! Great job by our fight doctors too, Pari Mashkuri and Ehsan Hadjbian. And don't forget the rest of the staff at the MuayThai Institute of Kunponli for putting on an outstanding event! A special thanks to Richard Weinsoft, Director of the Utah State Athletic Commission for his work and assistance in making MuayThai legal in Utah. For more event info, please contact Mr. Craig Lamanna at (801) 474-3136 or by e-mail at admin@thaiboxutah.com or go to their web page at www.ThaiBoxUtah.com
Fight Photos by www.forthewin.net
NOTE: The MuayThai Institute of Kunponli is in the process of potentially holding and sponsoring with the IKF North Mountain Regionals if all goes as planned. however, this event may be done at another location since the Utah Commission requires a $25 fee to license all amateur kickboxers in Utah. More on this as we know it.
MORE NEWS OF 2-25-04
'Contender' Finds Match at NBC
A
high-priced "Contender" has landed at NBC.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter: NBC has given a 16 episode order to the boxing-themed reality show "The Contender," which will feature Sylvester Stallone as the on-air frontman. Stallone will also executive produce the DreamWorks TV/Mark Burnett Prods. project with DreamWorks principal Jeffrey Katzenberg and "Survivor" guru Burnett. The series has been described as the "search for the real Rocky," a reference to Stallone's 1976 Oscar-winning film. Each episode of "The Contender" will conclude with a boxing match between two amateur pugilists gleaned from a nationwide search for aspiring boxers, but the show will delve into the personal backgrounds of the dozen or so contenders who make it to the final rounds. It's understood that NBC is eyeing an early 2005 debut date for the show.
The project was shopped to each of the Big Four networks last week. Sources said the producers asked for a hefty license fee of more than $2 million per hour-long episode, and a portion of the advertising time. One source familiar with the deal said NBC wound up meeting the price, which is believed to be a record for a freshman unscripted series. But other knowledgeable sources maintained that because of the interest at ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC and because of the industry heavyweights involved, bidding went well over $2 million per episode.
As for the advertising time, sources said NBC worked out an unusual arrangement with DreamWorks and Burnett Prods. where the producers will buy at least six 30-second spots at NBC's going rate in each episode in order to resell them to advertisers. NBC executives declined to comment on the deal, but sources said the arrangement would likely help facilitate integrated advertising deals with sponsors aiming to get their brands woven into the ring with "The Contender" in addition to buying commercial time on the show. DreamWorks and Burnett are also exploring the possibility of launching a new boxing league in connection with "The Contender," although sources stressed that the ambitious idea was still in the embryonic stage.
Burnett is already in business with NBC as the executive producer of "The Apprentice," as well as last year's limited-run series "The Restaurant." He also has a scripted drama series in development at NBC about a group of people trying to survive on a remote island after a plane crash. It's understood that Jeff Wald, veteran Hollywood talent manager who has also handled such boxers Mike Tyson and George Foreman, played a big part in getting Stallone involved in "The Contender."
Meanwhile, Foreman, a two-time world heavyweight champion, surfaced Friday as the host of a similarly themed show being developed by sportscaster Jim Lampley. The project will bring a group of heavyweights together to live in a house with Foreman while they train with him and practice on one another. The William Morris Agency is shopping the project to network and cable buyers. "Boxers are modern-day gladiators, and this series will challenge these contenders -- physically, mentally and spiritually -- to be the best they can be," Lampley said.
MORE NEWS OF 2-25-04
Craig Smith's IKF East Coast Classic - IKF Virginia
Sorry but we are still awaiting results
from this event.
Be Patient now Boys and Girls...
It's not like there
were just 10 or 20 fighters there...
Try around
100!
MONDAY, February 23rd, 2004, AT 5:20 PM, PT
Matches for
February 27th
Feet and Fists of Fury
Announced
Roseville, CA: A full evening of exciting IKF kickboxing and world class martial arts demonstrations is ready to go for this Friday, February 27th at Lord's Arena in Roseville, California, USA. The line-up below includes some up and comers from across the state of California. Several will get their first feel for full contact Kickboxing. Here are the match-ups as of press time today:
For more information contact A.K. Promotions at (916) 780-7483 or by e-mail at johnnyd@akpromotions.org. Order tickets at www.highsierratickets.com or at the door. Please note this is a non- alcoholic, non smoking venue.
MORE NEWS OF 2-23-04
IKF & ISCF Warriors
Are Set To Battle
As Winter Wars 2004
Approaches
Noted IKF and
ISCF event Expected to Draw Fire on Saturday,
March 13
One of the most identifiable and long standing IKF and ISCF events is Augusta, Georgia's Winter Wars. In 2002, Kevin "Hurricane" Hudson won his IKF professional U.S. title there. ISCF Superstars Cam McHargue and Steve Headden won their first ISCF titles at previous Winter Wars cards. Clearly, the event ranks as a highly prestigious one for fighters, particularly those in the Southeast to be a part of as a resume builder, if nothing else.
On Saturday,
March 13, 2004, Winter Wars will
return to the Garden City and Southern fight fans can expect great IKF and ISCF
action. IKF and ISCF
World President, Steve Fossum, adds: "This year's Winter Wars will be yet another addition in a long
line of great events. Mike and Elizabeth Carlson (Right) have together
represented true driving forces for IKF
and ISCF for nearly a decade. Anyone
wanting to see a truly great event should come to Augusta on March 13."
Winter Wars 2004 will host IKF sanctioned kickboxing bouts under the American/Full Contact Rules and ISCF sanctioned mixed martial arts contests on Saturday, March 13, 2004. It will be held at Gym 5 on Augusta's Fort Gordon. For additional information, or for fighters wishing to compete on the card, contact Augusta Martial Arts Academy at (706) 855-5269 or by e-mail at: augustamaa@earthlink.net
MORE NEWS OF 2-23-04
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Rumble at The Marriott
IKF
Representative Julie Keppler
IKF Illinois, USA, Friday Night, February 20th, 2004: Fans received non-stop action at the Marriott in Schaumburg, Illinois. Once again, Rob Zbilski hosted a great show. The house was packed and the show was sold out. With the Illinois Department of Regulation there to witness, everything ran extremely smooth. Before we get to the undercard here's how the main event went.
MAIN EVENT: PRO FCR: Tommy "Little Dragon" Bach of Buffalo Grove, Illinois 10/1-3 , 134, 5'9" 30, defeated Keith "The Hammer" Nesbitt of New York 29/9-12, 134, 5'11", 26 (Nesbitt Sr.) by TKO in 1:17 in the 2nd Round.
Here are the official results of the remainder of the nights bouts:
For more info on this event please contact TEAM Z at (847) 458-8333 or by e-mail at info@teamzs.com or go to www.teamzs.com
SATURDAY, February 21st, 2004, AT 11:55 PM, PT
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Quick Results From
IKF UTAH!
It's going to take awhile to write the story about how impressed we were with not just tonights IKF Sanctioned event at the MuayThai Institute of Kunponli, not just the night officials, the nights crowd, but also the incredible team headed up by club owner Craig Lamanna. Oh and did we mention that without a doubt, Lamanna's 20,000 square foot MuayThai Institute of Kunponli, is without a doubt, the finest training facility we have "EVER" seen in the world! More on that in the full article coming this week, but for now, here are the quick results below.
MORE NEWS OF 2-21-04
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Quick Results From
IKF Illinois
For now, lets just let Sky Drysdale's words explain Friday's IKF Event promoted by IKF Promoter Rob Zbilski: "Just returned from another great card by Rob Zbilski and company. Standing room only! The fights were great and Team Z kept 'em coming! As for Tommy Bach, . . what can you say?! He is bound for big things in this sport! Nice job, Rob. Thanks! " A Complete article will be coming next week from TEAM Z, but for those not wanting to wait, here are the quick results from Austin Baitman below.
MORE NEWS OF 2-21-04
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IKF
VIRGINIA
Word from IKF Promoter Craig Smith is that the East Coast Classic was a MAJOR SUCCESS! Although we don't have all the results in yet from the 100 fighters who fought on the event, some of the reported winners were Nicole Hess, Dallas Crowe and Shannon Hudson. Look for the full story and bout results coming from Brooks Mason later this week.
THURSDAY, February 19th, 2004, AT 9:15 PM, PT
This Weeks IKF Events
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IKF Illinois
Marriott Hotel in
Schaumburg, Illinois, USA
This Friday night, February 20th, IKF
Promoter Rob Zbilski
(Right) and his TEAM
Z Promotions will host Pro and
Amateur Kickboxing at the Marriott
Hotel in Schaumburg, Illinois, USA. The nights main event will feature IKF Pro FCR Lightweight World Champion Tommy
Bach (Left, PK: 10-1-1/3, AKB: 8-3/3) in a non title bout against
Keith Nesbitt (PRO KB: 27-9/5, AM KB: 28-5/12) of Rochester, New
York, USA.
Two of the Amateur
bouts will feature 3 high profile IKF
fighters. Undefeated (7-0) and 2 time IKF
USA National Amateur Champion Sarah Ross (Right) will take on
Julia Harvey of Robbins Illinois in a 3 round bout. This will be the
first time Harvey has fought on an IKF
sanctioned bout and hopes to make big news against Ross, but than again,
7 other fighters had the same thing in mind. Amateur Full Contact Rule adult men
Sheldon Barnes (8-3/2) of Lake Zurich, Illinois and Neil
Halmstad of Wrenshall, Minnesota, USA (13-7) are scheduled for 3
rounds too. The card will have 5 other to add to yet another night of exciting
IKF Kickboxing in Illinois by
TEAM Z!
For more info on this event please contact TEAM Z at (847) 458-8333 or by e-mail at info@teamzs.com or go to www.teamzs.com
MORE IKF ACTION...
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Craig Smith's IKF East Coast Classic
IKF
Virginia
Craig Smith's Karate Institute, Inc. Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA
From reading the
Message Board,
this event needs no introduction. Although this will be Promoter
Craig
Smith's first IKF
Sanctioned event it isn't his first time in the promoters seat. Smith (Right)
and the IKF hooked up late last year for
what we all thought was going to be a small 30-40 fighter in gym smoker style
event. However as of press time today, the registered fighter count is at 106
amateur full contact rules fighters. (A total of 134 total registered but
there were 26 drop outs for various reasons)
Entitled the
IKF East Coast Classic, from what the numbers say,
Smith will have a very large percentage of the Amateur East Coast Full
Contact Rule fighters in the House this weekend. The event will feature Junior
Boys and Girls & Adult Men & Women.
IKF World Ambassador "Uncle" Brooks Mason
(Right of Omaha, Nebraska, USA) will be in the house too assisting in
the events success as the official IKF
Representative along with some others well known to the IKF such as Ray Thompson, Kevin Hudson, The Hess
Team, Ronnie Copeland and many more. A total of 21 Gyms from throughout the
East coast, all coming together for a weekend of great kickboxing action!
As if all these great trainers and fighters were not enough, Smith is bringing in one of the greatest karate fighters of all time, Joe Lewis.
Portions below taken from From
www.joelewiskarate.com:
Martial Artist Joe Lewis was
a World Champion in both Karate and Full Contact style Kickboxing (Heavyweight
World Champion) who's fighting career
spanned
17 years. He won in his era more titles, set more records and
instituted more innovations than anyone in the history of Sport Karate. Lewis
began his training in Okinawa studying with three instructors, Eizo
Shimabuku, Kinjo Chinsaku and Seiyu Oyata and he also studied with
the Bruce Lee. He received his Black Belt in Shorin Ryu and studied
several different styles. He never believed in "style" to him
they were all the same..."punching and kicking." Lewis
was a member of the first combat unit in Vietnam, 8th Marine Brigade, 1965. One
of the first Americans to teach Hand to Hand Combat in Vietnam working with
Division Recon.
Lewis has been inducted into 13 various Halls of Fame
to include the Black Belt Hall of Fame as "Fighter of the year"
and "Instructor of the year, 1986". His
greatest accolade, however, came in 1983 when in a Karate Illustrated
survey of America's top fighters,
he was chosen by his peers as "The Greatest Karate Fighter of All Time."
In 1984 he turned his talents and energies to a professional teaching career
where he has taught as many as 140 seminars in 80 cities in 8 countries (1987)
in addition to making personal appearances at tournaments and other martial arts
functions and charity benefits. In 1985 American Karate considered Joe Lewis
"a Living Legend."
He began studying for an acting career in 1970 and went on to star in 4 action-adventure films, "Jaguar Lives," "Force Five," "Death Cage" and "Mr. X." He has appeared in several T.V. series and was the guest on numerous talk shows, such as Joey Bishop, Johnny Carson, Dinah Shore and the Merv Griffin Show. We could write more on Lewis, but the page just isn't big enough.
If your on the East Coast this weekend the place to be is Craig Smith's Karate Institute, Inc. at 1581 General Booth Blvd. in Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA. There will be 2 separate weigh-ins, Friday evening & Saturday morning from 8:AM - 11:AM. For more info please contact Mr. Craig Smith at (757) 729-0942 or e-mail him at Kickingboxing@aol.com
MORE IKF ACTION...
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"Love &
War"
IKF Utah
MuayThai
Institute of Kunponli, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
IKF
Promoter Craig Lamanna (Right) is all set to host yet another
edition of IKF MuayThai action at his
gym, the MuayThai
Institute of Kunponli this Saturday night. The facility is
located at 650 E. Wilmington (2180 S.) in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. The
event will feature fighters from Fairtex
out of San Francisco, California, Master Toddy's
out of Las Vegas Nevada, Sidekicks Gym out
of Nampa, Idaho and several others along with
fighters
from the MuayThai Institute of Kunponli.
IKF President Steve
Fossum will be on hand as the IKF
Representative and to have some positive discussion with Utah Athletic
Commission member 
Richard Weinsoft
about IKF rules, regulations and safety
issues along with those of the IKF's
sister sanctioning body for mixed martial arts, the
ISCF (International Sport Combat Federation).
After last years toughman deaths, many states across the nation have been
tightening the ropes on combat style events (Boxing, kickboxing and MMA/NHB)
due to non sanctioned events that have lacked safety regulations as well as
qualified officials. Many events have been policing themselves
(Kickboxing,
MMA/NHB and of course Toughman) without strict safety regulations or
sanctioning guidelines.
Although it has been a Utah State Law for over 3 years, (HIV) Blood Testing for amateur kickboxers has never been required or enforced. However, due to the crackdown, such rules and regulations are now being strongly enforced and for Lamanna, the timing of the stronger enforcement surly wasn't a blessing. Only two weeks ago Lamanna was informed that all amateur fighters (Kickboxing & MMA/NHB) are now required to have the blood test done, which meant all his fighters booked on his event. Such a test can take up to 3-4 weeks before attaining results which has changed the fight card quite a bit since some of the fighters were not able to get the tests done in time. Because of this, there are sure to be some changes to the proposed fight card.
Regardless of the changes he is facing, as always, Lamanna is sure to have a great night of exciting IKF Muay Thai Action! For more event info, please contact Mr. Craig Lamanna at (801) 474-3136 or by e-mail at admin@thaiboxutah.com or go to their web page at www.ThaiBoxUtah.com
MONDAY, February 16th, 2004, AT 6:50 PM, PT
2003
IKF Nationals & North American Tournaments
Video Information
There seems to be a lot of confusion in regards to the attaining of fight footage via video tape from the 2003 IKF USA Nationals and IKF MTR & FCR North American Tournaments. Despite posting a detailed explanation as to the issues involved, still some seem to think we are hiding behind some hidden agenda or hidden issues. To better understand all the issues involved, we will address them in a time line here for everyone.
THURSDAY, February 12th, 2004, AT 5:20 PM, PT
The Middleweights!
Known To Be One Of The Most Exciting Weights For
Boxing...
What About In Kickboxing? And What Rule Style?
Recently there has been a lot of talk on the Kickboxing Message Board about Pro Full Contact Rule Middleweight division fighters. Anyone can see that the talent runs deep in this division but who is the best is the real question. A couple of years back, K-1 saw the excitement potential in the Middleweight class and started the K-1 Max for fighters no more than 160 lbs. under the popular K-1 Rules. Although not as successful as the Heavyweight K-1 Tournament Style events "Yet", the K-1 Max Tournaments are growing every year. K-1 USA Super Promoter Scott Coker is scheduled to do a K-1 Max event this coming October in Las Vegas, Nevada to add to his already successful K-1 USA Events in the Spring and late Summer in Las Vegas.
So while K-1 has provided "The Next Level" for Pro fighters who do styles like leg kicks and MuayThai, what about those fighters who don't do leg kicks and or knees? What about the original form of kickboxing here in America, American Full Contact Style (Above the waist)? Other than the very first year, the number of Full Contact Rule style participants at the IKF USA National Amateur Tournament has been more than the number of International Leg Kick & MuayThai style fighters combined. Here are the numbers on this:
From year 1 of this event American Full Contact Style Kickboxing has been the more popular of all 3 styles, all 5 years in a row. So what does this tell us? Is MuayThai and International Rules not as popular as some may want us all to believe?
As we took note of this, we realized there was a large missing void in kickboxing today. Pro opportunities is of course something that needs improvement but opportunities for the majority, the Full Contact Rule Style Fighters, are far less today than say 15 years ago. The question is WHY? The facts speak for themselves as noted above on this one so no sense in trying to argue it on the message board. Try as you may, the numbers speak for themselves. Yet the opinion of the fans watching our sport along with our potential sponsors are what we really need to know. What we can add to all this is that the spectator numbers on "Full Contact Rule" shows vs shows with "MuayThai and Leg Kicks" in 2003 were almost twice as large. Promoters such as Rob Zbilski, Ray Thompson, Jesse Finney, Russ O'Connell, Sky Drysdale, Tom Sullivan, Mike Carlson, Craig Smith and others can verify this. So does this mean the fans of "THIS" sport (Kickboxing) prefer to watch "Full contact style Fighting" over Leg Kicks and Knees? Maybe so. However, the vote is still out on this one because no matter who you talk to you will get a different answer.
We here at the IKF can name many exciting and well talked about fighters between the weight range of 153 (Light Middleweight) to 172 (Super Middleweight). Since K-1 has provided a venue for the leg kick fighters, what if the IKF started a venue for the Full Contact Rule fighters? A Series for the Full Contact Rule Middleweight fighters like the K-1 Max and a Full Contact Rule Heavyweight series like the Heavyweight K-1 Tournaments.
The question is though, "Should they be tournaments, or a series of regular 7-12 round fights?"
This is the question many are asking too. Some have said the K-1 "Tournaments" have destroyed the classic 10-12 round "World Title Kickboxing Bout". And in reality, it has. Not to slam K-1 here, it's just that K-1 has the money to pay these fighters well and you can't blame any fighter for going where the money is and you can't blame K-1 for offering it. Now if someone could offer a fighter a good purse for a 12 round title fight, thats another story. However, if such a fighter is under a K-1 contract, we won't see them in this mix at all. Again, you can't blame them for signing on the dotted line for the "Big Show" and you can't blame K-1 for paying the big bucks to get them there.
No doubt there is plenty of talent in the style of Full Contact Rules Single title fights would be great, if the money were there to have a mass amount of 12 Round World Title Fights. But for a moment, lets take a look at who all is out there in the Full Contact Rule division in the popular weight divisions, such as middleweights or heavyweights. Wouldn't it be great to see a Middleweight or Heavyweight Full Contact Rule tournament with a major purse at the end for the winner? The only question now would be, who would promote it?
Since K-1 is already providing a venue for those in Leg Kick & MuayThai, maybe someone can look into providing a venue for the Full Contact Rule Fighters. Maybe there needs to be a Pro FCR Heavyweight Tournament and a Pro FCR Middleweight tournament. Lets take a look at the 2 main rule styles and who would be considered as top contenders in these divisions. We have listed them below in no particular order.
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MIDDLEWEIGHT | ||
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Full Contact Rules
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MuayThai Rules - Potentials For K-1 Max
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HEAVYWEIGHT
FULL CONTACT RULE FIGHTERS
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TUESDAY, February 10th, 2004, AT 10:30 AM, PT
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"Rumble In The
Jungle"
Results
From St Louis, Missouri, USA!
Full Story Later This Week
For information please contact the Finney Gym at (314) 351-5226, or email them at finneys@finneyskickboxing.com
MORE NEWS OF 2-10-04
From The Associated Press, February 10, 2004
Lewis' Retirement Has
Shook Things Up In Boxing...
To Begin
With, Now...
George Foreman
Wants To
Fight Again
Former heavyweight champion George Foreman (www.biggeorge.com & www.georgeforeman.com) whose last fight was seven years ago, said he is in training for a one-fight comeback. Foreman told Houston television station KRIV on Monday that he began training on Jan. 10, his 55th birthday. "I've been training and working out to get down to 225 pounds,'' he said. "If I do, I'm going to have one more boxing match.'' He said he has already lost 25 pounds.
Foreman has not fought since losing to Shannon Briggs in 1997. He said he knows people will make fun of him, but said he is used to it. "A lot of people say, `Boy, you must be out of your mind. Don't even try it," he said. "But I've heard that since I was 19 years old.'' Foreman career record is 76-5 with 68 knockouts.
And Sundays News Of...
From
The Associated Press , Feb. 08, 2004:
Tyson Nearing Return To Boxing
Ex-manager
returns, says fighter looking at May or June bout
Former heavyweight boxing
champ Mike Tyson is mired in debt.
Mike Tyson may be getting ready to get back in the ring for the first time in more than a year. The manager Tyson fired just a few months ago says he is exploring a possible fight for May or June for the former heavyweight champion, who is mired in debt and in bankruptcy proceedings. Shelly Finkel said he and Tyson have reunited and that Tyson wants to fight again. Tyson hasn't fought since last February, when he stopped Clifford Etienne in 49 seconds. Showtime network executive Jay Larkin said he is in talks with Finkel for a Tyson fight on June 5. Tyson has fought mainly on Showtime in recent years. The June 5 date is the same one Oscar De La Hoya (www.oscardelahoya.com) said he will fight on in his next bout. De La Hoya fights on HBO. Finkel said the 37-year-old Tyson has been working out with a bodyguard, but does not have a trainer yet.
Sooooo...
Does this mean
Tyson will not be fighting in a K-1 Bout?
Many believed it was only a publicity stunt and was never going to happen
anyway. But who will
Tyson fight? Who will
Foreman fight? Each other? Who knows.
It seems as of the last few years with some of these fight groups like K-1's promotion with Bob Sapp (Right), Toughman's "Anyone Can be a fighter" attitude, WWE's cursing to the crowd and flipping the finger on Christmas day at Prime Time on UPN, to all the TV Reality show craze, too many are now thinking...
"It's all about the $$ and the HYPE Baby! Not the Fight!"
Lets hope BOXING doesn't turn into a "Circus Act Joke" with so many options of big potential financial opportunitis facing them. Or has it already... Please... Someone give us some "REAL FIGHTERS and REAL FIGHTS!" And lets all hope it's KICKBOXING that will!
MONDAY, February 9th, 2004, AT 5:05 PM, PT
IKF Point Kickboxing
It's About Style
Results
From Last Weekend's Event - Reported by PKB Director - Johnny Davis
Roseville, CA, USA: It is apparent to many who attend the IKF Point Kickboxing tournaments that these events are vital to the growth of the sport of Kickboxing. Unfortunately, more trainers and instructors have not caught on to the idea and are simply missing out on great opportunities to nurture and grow their fighters. Every event, I see a potential star in the making and get chills sometimes as I witness the enthusiasm from the onlookers. One thing that I'm noticing as I mention in a previous article is that more point karate practitioners are finding their way to the Point Kickboxing arena. Some are transitioning well while others come with the idea that the same point fighting style with hands to side will work in a point kickboxing tournament. Well, be warned, it won't!
You must be prepared to fight the "style" of the kickboxer. Guard up like a boxer and before and after the kicks. Its true… styles make fights. This weekend I saw those that have potential to be very good kickboxers but will have to make the adjustment for the fighting style in the gym first. They came out with good kicks but with guard down. Those that had competed in past Point Kickboxing tournaments simply wore the storm, kept the pressure on and later picked them apart with kickboxing techniques.
My advice for those that are thinking about the transition from point karate to Point Kickboxing should jump in now. The difference is becoming obvious from those that have competed in the initial event from one just joining. Those who started with Point Kickboxing trained for them and understand what it takes to win and are doing so consistently.
IKF Point Kickboxing celebrates its two-year anniversary in March and is catching on. The tournaments remain small and quaint with as little as 30 competitors and as many as 80 for a single event. This past weekend's event was again up against four point karate tournaments in the area and this had an effect on the size of the event but not on the action. I remain confident that IKF Point Kickboxing style tournaments will eventually stand strong to the traditional point karate tournament! Thanks to all the schools and Instructors who came out to support the event. Your vision is sincerely appreciated. We hope to see YOU at the next event in late April or May of this year. Please find below the result from this past weekend's event held at the Lord's Gym in Roseville, CA-USA (only division winners listed)
For more information see contact Johnny Davis at (916) 780-7483 or go to www.AKPromotions.org
SATURDAY, February 7th, 2004, AT 3:30 PM, PT
IKF Pro MTR World Champion
Matt Skelton
Wins In Boxing!
It seems like IKF Pro MTR Super Heavyweight World Champion Matt Skelton's pre fight prediction came true, "I'm 110% confident that I will win this fight." said Skelton. We just heard that Skelton (Right) defeated Julius Francis. by unanimous decision, 98-92 on all 3 judges cards in his 12th Pro Boxing bout. Reports have told us that Francis acted as though he didn't want to stand in and fight with Skelton and spent nearly all the bout with his head down with his hands and arms covering up.
This was Skelton's first win by decision since starting his career in Pro boxing only some 18 months ago. His record now improves to 12 and 0 with 11 KO's. Congratulations Matt! This is just another step to becoming a top 10 contender in Professional Boxings Super Heavyweight Crown!
FRIDAY, February 6th, 2004, AT 8:25 AM, PT
Heavyweight Boxing Champ
Lennox
Lewis
Retires
By ROBERT MILLWARD, AP Sports Writer February 6, 2004 LONDON (AP): Lennox Lewis retired today after a professional career of more than 14 years, the first active heavyweight champion to quit in nearly 50 years. The 38-year-old boxer said that after months of deliberation he decided to leave the ring rather than defend his WBC title in a rematch against Vitali Klitschko. ``It's a special day in my life,'' Lewis said at a news conference. ``I'd like to announce that June 21, 2003, was my last fight as a professional boxer.''
Lewis has a record of 41 wins, 2 loses and 2 draw (Amateur Record: 94-11) and is the first reigning world heavyweight champion to quit since Rocky Marciano in 1956. The only other to do so was Gene Tunney, who retired in 1928. Muhammad Ali retired with the WBA title in 1978 but came back to lose fights to Larry Holmes and Trevor Berbick. ``I will definitely be the third boxer to retire as heavyweight champion, I promise you that,'' Lewis said in ruling out a comeback.
Lewis
fought just twice in the last 26 months. He knocked out former undisputed
champion Mike Tyson in eight rounds in Memphis,
Tenn., in June 2002, 
the defining
fight of his career. He also defeated
Klitschko
in Los Angeles last June (Left).
Lewis
was behind on points when the fight was stopped in the sixth round because
Klitschko
was cut.
The WBC mandated a rematch and ordered Lewis to agree to the fight by March 1 or risk being stripped of the title. Lewis hadn't even told HBO what he planned to do. The television network paid him millions to fight and had been waiting for months for him to commit to a second Klitschko fight. ``It has been a great honor to be the standard bearer of boxing for the last decade,'' Lewis said. ``Let the next era begin.''
Lewis leaves a legacy of big wins over Tyson and Evander Holyfield, (Right) but also a reputation for aloofness that never allowed him to connect with boxing fans outside Britain and Canada, where he grew up. A heavyweight who stood 6-foot-5 but had the boxing skills of a smaller man, Lewis won an Olympic gold medal for Canada in Seoul, South Korea, in 1988 and went on to win the heavyweight title three times.
With
Lewis
retired, Klitschko is expected to meet No. 2
contender Corrie
Sanders (Right) for the WBC title. Despite his impressive
record, Lewis'
performances tended to be plodding rather than inspiring. His two knockout
losses to Oliver McCall and
Hasim Rahman were major upsets, but he went
on to beat both in rematches. His one draw came against
Holyfield
in a fight most observers felt Lewis won. He later beat
Holyfield
on points to become undisputed champion.
Lewis
reportedly has plans to pursue his interest in hip-hop and rap music by
promoting bands and producing records and concerts. He said he has accepted a
position at a sports management agency.
Lewis became Britain's first major world heavyweight champion since the 1880s when Riddick Bowe relinquished the WBC crown in 1992, dumping the belt in a trash can. Lewis retained the title in the ring a year later by beating Tony Tucker and became undisputed champion in 1999 when he won a rematch with Holyfield.
To view Lewis' complete fighting record CLICK HERE!
POSTED AT 12:15 PM, PT
MORE NEWS OF 2-6-04
Vitali Klitschko
Reacts To Announcement That
Heavyweight Champ
Lennox Lewis
Is Retiring
Vitali Klitschko (Right hitting
Lewis)
had mixed emotions upon hearing the announcement today in London that
heavyweight 
champion
Lennox
Lewis was retiring.
"I am sad to hear that Lennox Lewis has decided to retire, but I respect him for his decision," Klitschko's the WBC's No. 1 ranked contender, said. "Lennox was one of the greatest heavyweight champions of all time and I am very proud and honored to say that I was able to fight him. I know I had him on the ropes and almost beat him, but my cuts stopped me. On a personal level, I am disappointed, like the millions of boxing fans, that there will not be a rematch between Lennox and myself. I wish him all the best, however, in whatever he decides to do in the future. Lennox was a credit to the sport for many, many years and his presence will be missed. My goal now is to win the WBC heavyweight championship against whoever they want me to fight. The only other important thing is for me and my brother, Wladimir, to reach our goal of being heavyweight champions at the same time.''
Wladimir Klitschko is the WBO's Number 1 contender.
MORE NEWS OF 2-6-04
MORE BOXING...
IKF
Pro MTR Super Heavyweight World Champion
Matt
Skelton:
Faces His Toughest BOXING
Test This Saturday Night!
IKF Pro MTR Super Heavyweight World Champion Matt Skelton (Right) has been a professional boxer for just over 18 months. During that time he has swept through the British heavyweight rankings leaving a trail of destruction in formulating a perfect 11-0 (11 KO's) record. On Saturday night, Skelton faces the toughest test when he defends his English heavyweight title against former British and Commonwealth champion, Julius Francis. The winner looks set to challenge the newly crowned British champion, Michael Sprott.
Skelton decided to switch to professional boxing as he entered his mid-thirties. He has defeated every opponent so far. In only his fourth contest, Skelton battered former world amateur silver medallist Jacklord Jacobs in four one sided rounds. Next up was former Russian champion Alexei Varakin, he was disposed of in two. Last September, Skelton captured the inaugural English heavyweight title with an impressive sixth round stoppage over former British champion Mike Holden. If they didn't already know it, this fight saw Skelton deliver a chilling reminder to his domestic rivals that he is for real.
Francis is a former British and Commonwealth
heavyweight title holder. At age 39 he has lost his previous 5 fights which
includes a 2nd round loss to Oleg Maskaev last time out. In 1999,
Francis
shocked British boxing by recording back-to-back wins over the then unbeaten
prospects Pele Reid and Danny Williams.
Francis'
reward was a fight against Mike Tyson in Manchester in January 2000, but
Tyson stopped him in two. In addition to Tyson, he has also
shared a ring with John Ruiz and Vitali Klitschko amongst
others. In more recent times,
Francis
stopped the unbeaten 17 fight record of Denmark's Steffen Nielsen in 6
rounds. Having being given plenty of time to prepare for this fight,
Francis
is adamant that Skelton will not put a stop to his career.
Unsurprisingly, Skelton had other ideas. "I'm 110% confident
that I will win this fight." said Skelton.
SKY
Sports 1 will televise this Sports Network promoted show in Britain at 8pm
(local time) on Saturday,
THURSDAY, February 5th, 2004, AT 5:10 PM, PT
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Roseville's
Lord's Gym
To Host First
Kickboxing Event
Who:
Lord's Gym a recreation and outreach facility located at 702 Atlantic
Street in Roseville, CA joins A.K.
Promotions (a company dedicated to promoting the sport of
Kickboxing) to host an exciting evening of Kickboxing and Martial Arts
entertainment! The fund-raiser event will be sponsored by Starstream
Communications a Rocklin, CA, based Cable Company and Robeks
Smoothies and Healthy Eats of Roseville and Rocklin.
What: IKF Amateur Kickboxing featuring Feet and Fists of Fury. It's an evening of full contact Amateur kickboxing that will showcase local competitors against opponents from across California. The event will also feature world-class martial arts demonstrations!
Where: The fights will be held in the Lord's Gym Arena at 712 Atlantic Street in Roseville, CA. The beautiful facility seats more than 1,000 spectators and is equipped with theatrical lighting and sound!
When: Friday,
February 27th, 2004. Doors open at 7:PM - fights start at 8:PM, Tickets on sale
now at
www.highsierratickets.com
or by calling (866) 463-8659 or pickup tickets at Postnet mail center at Sunset
and Park in Rocklin 772-7766.
The event is under the authority of the
California Athletic Commission and sanctioned by the International Kickboxing
Federation, IKF. For more info contact
Johnny Davis, President, AKPromotions "Dedicated to preserving
the longevity of the sport" at (916) 780-7483 or go to
www.AKPromotions.org
MORE NEWS OF 2-5-04
Fighter
Insurance!
F. L. DEAN has informed us today that they will re-start coverage for all IKF & ISCF Sanctioned Promoters and their events at the end of this month. Since we have such an excellent "Safety" track record with NO CLAIMS, all IKF & ISCF Sanctioned Promoters will not have to pay a LARGE UP FRONT FEE of something like $2,500.00 for coverage. However, all other non IKF & ISCF sanctioned events WILL.
As far as the rates, we have been informed they will be "VERY" close to those "GREAT" rates we have been paying in the past. Yes, they will be a little higher, but very close to the fees noted on our Fighter Insurance which can be seen by clicking HERE. We here at the IKF & ISCF along with the staff at F. L. Dean Thank you for your patients and understanding during this time.
MORE NEWS OF 2-5-04
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
MADE TODAY
Regarding
IKF WORLD Title Sanction Fees
We hope these savings
will Greatly Assist All Promoters
In making their events a Financial
Success.
(*) These
discounts are to all regions in the World except for the countries in the United
Kingdom.
WEDNESDAY, February 4th, 2004, AT 8:40 PM, PT
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"Rumble
In The Jungle"
Still Headlining Fights 30 Years Later.
St. Louis, MO, USA: On Tuesday
October 29th, 1974 two great champions met in the 15 round fight in Zaire. The
first fighter was Muhammad Ali. Ali was on his path back
to regaining his World Title that he was stripped of when he refused to go to
war. His opponent was the current World Champion
George
Foreman. Foreman had won the title by demolishing Joe
Frazier in 2 rounds. The Ali-Foreman event was marketed as "Rumble in the Jungle" (Right).
Over the past 30 years many promoters have revisited the names of historic fights, and using the headlines for their events. This holds true this Saturday night in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Shamrock Promotions LLC has teamed up with Rum Jungle to bring a tremendous night of action to the St. Louis fight fans.
Rumble Jungle is the biggest night club in St. Louis, with over 40,000sq/ft. The fight atmosphere has been said to the most energetic, by past fighters. The high energy level is joined with an amazing sound system and a 30x30 Video screen, that the fights are projected on. This way there is not a bad seat in the house. The event is headlined as "The Rumble in the Jungle".
This fight won't have World Titles on it but will showcase some
of the best fighters in the US. Shamrock Promotions
LLC has moved away from the
traditional 
fight card, and have
put numerous different types of fights all on the same card. This Saturday's
fight card will have 4 NHB/MMA, 3 FCR Kickboxing, 1 submission, and 1 boxing.
When asked why the change Shamrock Promotions
President Jesse Finney (Left) answered; "It widens our
spectator base, with NHB really getting big, allot of people like seeing it.
This way we can give people that might not have scene the different fight styles
the opportunity to get interested in something new."
The main event will
give fans a new look at number 2 World Ranked IKF
Amateur FCR Fighter Kevin "The Hitman" Engel (Right).
Engel will be facing Henry Ikebuwa from Kansas City, KS. This
will be Engel's first NHB fight. There will be 3 other NHB fights on the
card. Nick Zona, from St. Louis will be facing Colin Botbrick.
Botbrick is from Tulsa, OK and is trained by Mikey Burnetts out of
the Lion's Den. The 3rd NHB fight will be between Todd Fager from St.
Louis vs Leo Pla of Kansas City, KS. Pla is no stranger to the
St. Louis fights. He posted a win at the same location back in December. The
last NHB fight will be between Dustin Severs of St. Louis vs Damion
Smith of Kansas City, KS.
The three Full Contact Rules kickboxing fights will be just as
exciting. "Little" Matt Taff (Left) of St.
Louis will be facing John Antigliado
from Columbia, MO. Josh Fischer of St. Louis will met Cory Cortrell
also from Columbia, MO. Cortell and Antigliado are both trained
by Former World Champion Zenny Reynolds. The final kickboxing match will
be Rob Rickerman of St. Louis against Matt Mabula from Detroit,
MI. Mabula is trained by North American Champion <
