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TUESDAY, June 29th, 2004, AT 6:00 PM, PT
The Canadian Flag Will Fly
From
Ontario
At The IKF
Classic!
Expanding the IKF USA National Amateur Tournament to a
tournament that accepts fighters from all of North America was a major
step, as well as a risk to the IKF. It was
a "Major step" in the fact that the event was opening up the
opportunity to provide more fighters and
more competition at the event. A "Risk" because if no one
showed up outside of the USA, this event would be like all the other past "North
American" events which only drew fighters from the countries they are
in.
Well, part of that pressure was gone as of yesterday as Number 4 IKF Pro Ranked Fighter and trainer, Abu Zayd Nawaz of Burlington, Ontario, Canada registered 4 of his fighters for the IKF North American Classic yesterday. Nawaz himself knows the fight game well. With a pro fight record of 17 wins, 5 loses with 1 draw (10 wins by KO/TKO) he is in line himself for an IKF Title shot soon. What people don't know though is that he had over 100 kickboxing fights as an amateur fighter. Those coming from Canada as part of Nawaz's team include,
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The question now is "Who else will be showing up from Canada?" Or other countries for that matter. There have been about 5 or 6 other Canadian teams from across Canada that have said they are coming to the Classic but as the first deadline of July 10th nears, we will soon see who has been "Talkin the Talk" and who will actually be "Walkin the Walk!"
There is still question whether or not any fighters and trainers will make the trip from any of the other countries of Mexico, Bermuda, Greenland, Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. Plane tickets are not cheap so such costs may keep them and other fighters home for the event. However, those who know what this event means, will find a way to get there so they can assure that the North American Classic Title Belt is wrapped around "Their" waist and no one else's!
As of yesterdays date last year, June 29th, 2003, there were 6 fighters signed up for the 2003 IKF/TKO USA National Amateur Tournament. As of the end of the day yesterday there were 15 fighters registered to attend the 2004 IKF North American Classic. With that being the number, it appears things are ahead of schedule for the 2004 event. The USA States that are already being represented are Arizona, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Colorado and Minnesota. Here is a list of the other 11 as of this time who have confirmed their spot to "Walk The Walk" at this years 2004 IKF North American Classic.
Ernesto Sierra of Camp Verde,
Arizona, USA (4-0, 117, 16, Richard Williams). He is another Walkover of
the South Mountain region.
Rochelle Williams of Camp
Verde, Arizona, USA (4-1/0, 117, 15, Richard Williams) will be defending
her 2003
IKF Title. She is another
Walkover of the South Mountain region.
Katie Davis of
Warrenton, Virginia, USA (1-1/0, 146, 5'7", 20, Travis Alxander)
contended at the Central East Regional. However she lost to Andrea Zalas
by unanimous decision which placed her as the number 2 seed. However again,
since no one else has registered in her division, she is currently the number 1
seed at the Classic.
Jenna Droluk of Collegeville,
Pennsylvania, USA (10-1/1, 164, 6', 26, Randy Pogue) will defend her
2003 IKF
Title.
Mark Korzenlowski of Colorado
Springs, Colorado, USA (11-5-1/4, 6'1", 178, Chuck Daily) was a
Walkover of the Central Mountain region.
Two time IKF
USA National Champion Peyton Russell of Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA (34-6/9,
178, 5'11", 34, C.B. Bunkholt) will be moving up in weight to shoot for
a new division title. That is provided his arm heals enough by fight time. On
Monday night, June 14th, Russell earned his 2nd degree black belt but as
he told us, "It came at a HEAVY price." Russell broke his ulna
bone in his forearm as he was breaking 8 concrete blocks. Although the break was
successful, the blocks were not the only thing that broke.
Russell has said no matter what, he will be there for the event, but in
a True Warriors passion, Russell also ended saying "You know
there may be a possibility I can still fight - it all depends on my recovery so
leave my name for now." Get Your Hotel Booked!
The
Hotel reported today
that there are over 250 room nights already booked for event weekend so if your
going you may want to get your rooms reserved ASAP to get the discounted rate.
Sources have discovered that it is much easier to book your rooms with the hotel
DIRECTLY rather than use the Wyndham
International reservation service.
MORE
"IKF CLASSIC"
NEWS
DEADLINES &
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
For The 2004
IKF North American Classic
MORE
"IKF CLASSIC"
NEWS
Championship
Finals
REGISTRATION DEADLINES
In order for everything to run smooth, all fighter applications and registration fees must be received here at the IKF Headquarters by July 10th, 2004. Registrations received AFTER July 10th will be charged additional late fees. Any fighter who's Registration form is RECEIVED (Not Postmarked) Here at the IKF Headquarters AFTER JULY 10th, 2004 will be charged a Late Fee of $25.00 to be paid at the Finals Weigh-ins.
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ADDITIONAL LATE FEES REGISTRATIONS Received
After July 16th, 2004 |
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REGISTRATIONS Received
After July 23rd, 2004 |
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REGISTRATIONS Received
After July 30th, 2004 |
Please send all Championship Finals
registration forms and fees to the IKF at:
IKF, 9385 Old
State Highway, P. O. Box 1205, Newcastle, CA, 95658
Please mark your envelope "2004
IKF Amateur North American Classic " on the
lower left side.
MONDAY, June 28th, 2004, AT 12:40 PM, PT
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Rondinelli
Captures
IKF Canadian Title!
IKF Minnesota, USA:
IKF Promoter Mitz Bandiera of
Canada and his promotional staff hosted a great event this last Saturday night,
June 26th at the Grande Portage Lodge And Casino,
in Grande Portage, Minnesota, USA. the Main Event featured 25 year old, 5'9"
pro FCR Fighter Nick Rondinelli (15-3/6) of London, Ontario,
Canada Vs 30 year old 5'8" pro FCR Fighter Jeremy Pearson of
Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada (7-3/-). The bout was for the vacant IKF Pro FCR Canadian Light Heavyweight Title.
The 10 round bout went back and forth. The first 3 round went to Pearson. Rondinelli came back to win the forth but back came Pearson's for the fifth. However, rounds 6, 7 and 8 all went to Rondinelli as he pushed his way back. Pearson won the last two rounds but it was too little too late as Rondinelli pulled out a split decision win to capture the vacant IKF Canadian Title.
For more info on the event please contact IKF Promoter Mr. Mitz Bandiera at (807) 623-5425 or by e-mail at mitz@tbaytel.net
FRIDAY, June 25th, 2004, AT 5:15 PM, PT
THIS WEEKEND IN THE IKF
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IKF
KILININGRAD!
TWO PRO
Woman's MuayThai World Titles!
IKF
Kaliningrad, Russia: This Saturday night, June, 26 IKF Promoter Yuri Belousov and his
promotional team will host fighters from
USA, Turkey, Belarus,
Lithuania, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Russia in his "IKF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MUAYTHAI"
event in the seaside resort town Svetlogorsk Kaliningrad, Russia. This will be a
co-promotion between Yuri Belousov of "Knights of the Ring"
and the Baltic Federation.
The event will feature 2 IKF
Woman's Pro MuayThai Titles. The first will be for the
vacant
IKF Pro Woman's MTR Welterweight World
Title. Matching up will be Mariya Golovan of Russia Vs Mariya
Ostapchuk of Belarus. Golovan has won the IMTF European and World
titles and has been the Champion of Russia in 2001 & 2002. Her coaches are
Alexander Gergert and Alexey Yakimov and her manager is Yury
Bleousov.
The second title up for grabs will be the vacant
IKF Pro Woman's MTR Flyweight Title. The
two contenders in this bout will be IKF
Pro European Woman's MuayThai Champion
Yulia
Khalturina/Julia Halturina (10-0/2) of Kaliningrad,
Russia Vs Feride Tekin of Turkey.
Khalturina/Halturina won her IKF
European Title on July 8th, 2000 in 
Kaliningrad,
Russia when she defeated Anna Yakimova of Lituania by decision. She has
also won the IAMTF European and World titles, Champion of Baltic countries
among professionals in 1996, won the Baltic counties cup in kickboxing in 1998,
the Champion of Russia in 1999 and the winner of the Russian Cup in 2001. Tekin
was a Silver Medalist in the WMF World Championships in Thailand.
Other fighters on the night will include Alexandr Pukhovskiy of Sheriff, Kaliningrad (Trainer and manager Yuri Belousov), Saulis Ferbula of Lithuania (Manager Donatas Simanaitis), Sergey Pavlyuchenko of Pauk (Spider), Gusev (Manager Yuri Belousov), Ruslan Kolodko of Belarus (Trainer and manager Vladimir Kasianov) For more info on this event please contact IKF Promoter Mr. Yuri Belousov at ring_knight@mail.ru
MORE IKF THIS WEEKEND!
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IKF
Canadian Title Featured On
USA Event!
IKF
Minnesota, USA: IKF
Promoter Mitz Bandiera of Canada and his promotional staff will host
" TRIPLE - TROUBLE"
this Saturday night, June 26th at the Grande Portage
Lodge And Casino, in Grande Portage, Minnesota, USA. The night will
give USA Kickboxing Fans a look at Championship Canadian Kickboxers Jeremy
Pearson (Sorry no photo available) and Nick Rondinelli, (Right)
both of Canada as they fight for the vacant IKF
Pro FCR Light Heavyweight Canadian Title.
The 25 year old, 5'9" Rondinelli has a fight record of 14-3 with 6 knockouts. He has won the PKA Northeast Heavyweight title, the WKA North American Light Heavyweight title and the a World Heavyweight Muay Thai Title. After an extensive and very impressive amateur career, the 30 year old 5'8" Pearson's has built a "Pro" record of 7 wins with only 2 loses.
The night will also feature Promoter Mitz Bandiera vs Mark Streater plus a full Amateur Undercard! Here is the last scheduled bout line-up for the night below:
For more info on the event please contact IKF Promoter Mr. Mitz Bandiera at (807) 623-5425 or by e-mail at mitz@tbaytel.net The IKF Representative for the event will be Mr. Bill Lassi while the IKF Referee will be Mr. Jim Peterson.
MORE IKF THIS WEEKEND!
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Doyle Presents
South Sokol Kickboxing Spectacular
IKF Omaha, Nebraska, USA: IKF Promoter Mick Doyle is all set to host this Saturday nights, "South Sokol Kickboxing Spectacular" at the South Sokol Hall, Omaha, Nebraska, USA. The night will feature an all amateur card of IKF Amateur MuayThai. The Main Event will feature 2003 IKF National Amateur Champion Bryan Corley of Nebraska vs Dan Tharp of Kansas. Corley won his 2003 Title when he defeated Steve Rapinski of Wyandotte, Michigan, USA by split decision 30-27, 30-27, 28-29.
Also returning to the ring will 2000 IKF U.S Amateur MuayThai Champion Rob "Diablo" Wiley. Wiley won his 2000 title when he defeated Jason Strout of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA by split decision, 29-28, 28-29, 29-28.
For more info please contact Mr. Mick Doyle at Mick@mickdoyle.com or for more info such as Ticket Purchase go to www.Mickdoyle.com Ticket are All General Admission and are $15.00 until the day of the show, $20.00 at the door. You may pick up your tickets directly from Mick Doyle's Martial Arts Center at 10801 Blondo, Suite B & C, Omaha, Nebraska, (402) 498-9592. The nights IKF Representative will be Mr. Brooks Mason.
MORE NEWS OF 6-25-04
Joe Lewis
Conference
& Special Guests
Parts From Craig
Smith, IKF Virginia, USA: The
Joe Lewis
Conference for all his Black Belts and fighters and guest is
approaching this fall November 5th thru 7th. One of the special guest will be
IKF World Ambassador
Brooks Mason
(Left). Mason
will be giving an hour long seminar on Cornerman
Skills.
In addition to Mason there will be others from the Joe Lewis System that include, Mike Lee Kanarek (Haganah-USA Israeli Commando Instructor), Walt Lysak ( Ground Skills), Danny Dring and Matt Hamilton (Ground), Joe Lewis's First Black Belt ( Roger Greene) and Joe Lewis's first sparring partner Dennis Nackord
Also in attendance will be current IKF North American Champion Mark Selbee, former IKF United States Pro Champion Kevin Hudson who is also a former KICK World Champion and 2 Time KICK World Champion Ronnie Copeland. Of course the main attraction will be the seminars Lewis himself will do teaching his skills. If you are interested in attending this Fall's Joe Lewis Conference in Virginia Beach Virginia, USA e-mail organizer Craig Smith at kickingboxing@aol.com or call him at (757) 491-1733.
THURSDAY, June 24th, 2004, AT 3:15 PM, PT
RESULTS FROM
Team Z's Full Contact Rules
2004
IKF North Central Regional!
Article By IKF
Press Staff - Results By IKF Event Representative
Julie Keppler
IKF Lake In The Hills, Illinois, USA: Last Saturday, June 19th, 2004, Rob Zbilski (Below Left) and his Z's Martial Arts once again hosted the 2004 IKF North Central Regional Tournament, for Full Contact Rules Only - Adult Full Contact & Junior Amateur Full Contact.
Each year some of the well known
trainer and fighters names from past years are often replaced by other names
that step into the spotlight. This year was no different. The steadfast trainers
such as Craig Monyelle, Jim Kalaba, Kyle McElroy, Sean McCarthy, Tommy Bach
and of course Rob and Jimmy Zbilski still brought their teams to
this Regional. Great trainers and trainers of Champions who will probably be
around as long as this Tournament is.
However there were the missing, as there were in Regionals and the Finals every year. some of these other trainers/camps changed to other rule styles or just did not participate due to no fighters in their camps or other reasons. Some of the missing teams at Zbilski's Regional were Iowa's Russ O'Connell, who's actual Team status is unknown. Russ was at IKF Amateur World Champion Trent Thompson's wedding on this event date so we hope Russ will be seen at the Finals in Orlando. Another trainer not seen from Iowa was Jerome Owens. Michigan's Elliot Cooper had fighters attend the Illinois International and MuayThai Rules regionals. The status and whereabouts of trainers such as Wisconsin's Mike Lind, Minnesota's C. B. Bunkholt's and Bill Lassi, Indiana's Ray Barkine's and Illinois' Glenn Hudson and Shishan Gangi though were still unknown.
The impressive surprise for Zbilski this year was the new comers to the Regional Tournament. Through the help of Rob Zbilski new comer Bob Shirmer was introduced to the IKF earlier this year and sanctioned his last event with the IKF. Shirmer registered 13 fighters at this regional to "Walk The Walk!" Lets hope he brings a strong team to Orlando to finish the Journey of becoming IKF North American Amateur Champions.
Regardless who wasn't there, the fact was, 50 fighters registered to "Walk The Walk!" The event location was Jimmy Z's Ringside Fitness, and of the 50 registered there were 15 Finals Bouts, which the results of are listed below:
For more information on this event please contact Regional director, Rob Zbilski at Z's Martial Arts Academy, (847) 458-8333.
MORE NEWS OF 6-24-04
Now
The Question Is...
Who from these regional events and non region areas will go the extra step and register to "Walk The Walk" at this years 2004 IKF North American Classic in Orlando, August 13th, 14th and 15th?
Over the last 2 weeks we heard from camps in Georgia, California, Texas, Ohio, Idaho, Michigan, Illinois, New Mexico, Kansas, Utah, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Alabama, Missouri and the list goes on and on. We also heard from several camps in Canada, all with fighters who plan to be there. Like in years past, between now and July 10th we will see who will register to "Walk The Walk" and seek the ultimate Amateur Title in Kickboxing from this Tournament. However, instead of being crowned IKF USA National Champions, this years winners will be crowned IKF North American Amateur Champions! We hope to see you all in Orlando to "Walk The Walk!"
To see the past IKF Tournament Champions CLICK HERE.
WEDNESDAY, June 23rd, 2004, AT 7:10 PM, PT
FOR
THOSE WHO MISSED THIS INFO...
DEADLINES & REGISTRATION
INFORMATION & DIRECTIONS
For The
2004
IKF
North American Classic
The DEADLINE is July 10th. To see all the Deadlines and Late fees CLICK HERE!
MORE NEWS OF 6-23-04
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RESULTS FROM
Rumble In The Jungle IV
St.
Louis, Missouri, USA - By Robert Donaker of Shamrock Promotions
IKF St. Louis, Missouri, USA: Last Saturday night in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, Shamrock Promotions in affiliation with Finney's Championship Kickboxing and Martial Arts once again provided St. Louis Missouri with another "Rockin" night with The Rumble in the Jungle IV!
When the sun went down on Saturday night, the famous St. Louis humidity was no where to be found. The sky was clear and the air was cool, but inside The Rum Jungle the action was HOT! In front of a packed house Shamrock Promotions had set the stage for an exciting night of action packed fights. Here are the nights results as reported by Robert Donaker of Shamrock Promotions
The other boxing match was cancelled due to Eric Watson not showing for weigh ins. Next fight will be held on September 18th. People seeing action will include: Jesse Finney, Kevin Engel, and Dustin Severs. For additional information please call (314) 608-3104.
MORE NEWS OF 6-23-04
Congratulations...
The IKF would like to say "Congratulations" to last weekends champions from the Virginia Tournament.
We hope to see you and all the other great competitors at this years 2004 IKF North American Classic in August in Orlando, Florida, USA!
FRIDAY, June 18th, 2004, AT 1:40 PM, PT
THIS WEEKEND IN THE IKF
Team Z Set For This Weekends
2004
IKF North Central Regional!
- Full Contact Rules -
Lake in the
Hills, Illinois, USA
IKF Lake In The Hills, Illinois, USA: Z's Martial Arts Presents, the 2004 IKF North Central Regional Tournament, "Full Contact Rules Only - Adult Full Contact & Junior Amateur Full Contact" this Saturday, June 19th, 2004. Fighters in this regional will be coming from Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, Indiana, North Dakota and South Dakota.
The event location is Jimmy Z's Ringside Fitness, 410 E. Main St., Lake
Zurich, Illinois. The weigh-ins will begin at 4:PM on Saturday at Jimmy Z's and the fights will begin at 7:PM. Come
see the fighters who hope to continue on to the 2004
IKF North American Classic in
Orlando, August 13th, 14th and 15th.
For event tickets and additional information please contact Regional director, Rob Zbilski (L) at Z's Martial Arts Academy, 166 N. Randle Road, Lake in the Hills, Illinois, (847) 458-8333, Fax: (847) 458-8180.
MORE IKF THIS WEEKEND
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Rumble In The
Jungle IV
Set To Take Stage In St. Louis!
IKF St. Louis, Missouri, USA: This Saturday night in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, Shamrock Promotions in affiliation with Finney's Championship Kickboxing and Martial Arts brings to the St. Louis fight scene The Rumble in the Jungle IV. The fights are held at Rum Jungle on historic LaCledes Landing. The night is packed full of action. Shamrock Promotions is once again bringing variety to the card. The fight card is set with 5 NHB/MMA, 1 Kickboxing, and 2 Boxing. The kickboxing fight is sanctioned by the IKF and all NHB/MMA bouts are sanctioned by the ISCF ( International Sports Combat Federation.)
Shamrock Promotions has
been getting involved with USA Boxing, and has started to put some great amateur
fights on their cards. The main part of the fight card, is made up of 5 NHB
fights. NHB has surpassed Kickboxing in the St. Louis area over this past year.
The main reason is two top-notch gyms, Team Vaghi Submission Jiu Jitsu
and Finney's
Championship Kickboxing and Martial Arts. Vaghi's has
put out such fighters as KOC veteran Mike Rodgers, and
UFC Veteran Steve Berger. As
well as numerous great Jiu Jitsu Champions. Where Finney's
has put out some great kickboxers. These two gyms have been cross training with
each other to put out some great fighters.
It seems that more and more fighters are changing over to MMA/NHB. This holds true with Saturday night's card. The main event will showcase Promoter Jesse Finney (Right) against Shawn Polaney. Finney made a name for himself in kickboxing winning numerous Titles. This is his first MMA fight. Polaney is a college wrestler from Iowa, and is trained by Travis Fulton. This fight looks to be the typical wrestler verse striker.
Kevin Engel
will be back in the ring continuing to make his change from Kickboxing to MMA.
Engel won his first MMA fight by discussion in RITJ III back in
February. His opponent will be Dustin Roberts. Roberts also won
his previous fight at RITJ II back in February.
Two other great matches
will feature two fighters From Team Vaghi Submission Jiu Jitsu.
Tyler Cregger will face Andrew Rippley, and Dustin Severs
will face Mark Long. Cregger and Severs have been
students with Vaghi for a couple of years. Rippley is
trained by his brother Derrick Rippley. Cunningham is from Cedar Rapids,
Iowa. 
Mike Green will be
back in the ring, taking on one of
Travis Fulton. fighters from Iowa.
The fight card is rounded out with a Kickboxing fight, between
Josh Fischer and Jon Antigliano. Fischer is on of Finney's
top students, and former world champion Zenny Reynolds trains Antigliano.
The two boxing matches are worth the price of the tickets themselves. The first
one will put Aldo and Eric Watson up against each other. Aldo
is trained by Finney's and is from Durango, Mexico. Watson
is trained by Jimmy Howell out of St. Louis, Missouri.
The final
Boxing match is between Rush Remmington and Mike Gladney. Remmington
is trained by Kevin Bozada. Gladney is trained by Jimmy Howell.
The fights start at 7:30, doors open at 6:30. For ticket information call (314)
608-3104.
MORE NEWS OF 6-18
Addition to The
IKF
Central East FCR
Regional Tournament
By IKF Representative
Ray Thompson (Right)
Ok, Ok already. I must apologize AGAIN to you fans, this time for not posting about all the other great fighters that did not make it to the championship round of the IKF Central East FCR Regional Tournament. I thought I was supposed to report about the championship fights ONLY. Remember I am just a rookie at the IKF Representative thing so that means I am learning all the duties of the position. I was informed by "the man" that I need to do a write up on all the other great fights at that made this regional a great, record setting regional. So here goes.
Mens 215.1 & up
Well those were the preliminary bouts of the Central East Regional in Virginia Beach. Just to give a little color to the event, hats off to Adrian Turpin for returning after taking a powerful, illegal kick to the leg. He could have easily set the rest of the tournament out and no one would have faulted him for it but instead he continued on in the tournament and won. What an inspiration.
Next, what appeared to be the "young lion" against the "old warrior" turned out to be just the opposite. Craig Rice (24 yr old young lion) stepped in against Brendan Carpenter (37 yr old warrior) in there prelim bout. Rice looked confident with what appeared to be his "stare down glare" at Carpenter as referee Tray Wyatt gave last minute instructions before the opening bell of round one while Carpenter looked down at the canvas. After that the rolls quickly changed when Carpenter attacked Rice so strongly from the opening bell with head and body attacks using both kicks and punches that the referee had to issue two standing 8's to Rice. The second round didn't last long when Carpenter attacked the body of Rice and took the wind out of his sails. Carpenter stopped Rice at 1 minute of the 2nd round. In Rice's defense he did have a bout earlier in the tournament before his bout with Carpenter. It just goes to show you that you can never under estimate those "old warriors".
Another GREAT fight was between veteran fighter Kevin Nedley and relative rookie Bahseem Peterson. This was another one of those fights that looked clear and easy to predict. In Kevin Nedley's first bout against Adam Jones, Nedley dismantled Jones in such grand fashion that he, in my book, was going to take all the marbles home that day. Bahseem clearly did not seem to have the skills to handle Nedley.........but..........fights are not won by skills alone. Bahseem displayed such heart and determination in this bout that he was able to withstand all of Nedley's skills and after FOUR rounds (The two were even after 3) of BANGIN it up Peterson got the nod by all the judges after scoring several knock downs against Nedley. Nedley was clearly the most skilled and experienced but Peterson had some extra SPIRIT on his side that day. A lot can be said for the human spirit.
Well that about does it for this LAST post on this
regional.
Again, See you in Orlando for the 2004
IKF North American Classic!
Sincerely,
Ray Thompson
For more info on this event please contact Mr. Craig Smith at
(757) 491-1733 or by e-mail at
Kickingboxing@aol.com
MORE NEWS OF 6-18
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IKF Europe
Addresses
Past Article Notes To The SENI04
By Alby Bimpson (R) - IKF European Director
IKF Europe would like to apologize for a
misunderstanding on the SENI04 report
(Previously posted on the
May, 2004 News Page - Now corrected) as we do not wish to tarnish
a great martial arts weekend.
Point 1: It was pointed out to us that
some of our report was incorrect. People that paid for the evening event could
also gain entry to the SENI04 with
the same ticket, so there was never an entrance fee.
Point 2: In an
e mail IKF
Europe received it was also pointed out to us that the Seni has
run evening events since Seni01, not 2003 as previously stated.
Point 3:
The sanction fee. IKF Europe had previously reported that
the IKF waived the sanction fee. This is
true, Thank you to Mr. Steve Fossum, World President. The £500 we (IKF
Europe) gratefully received from the organizer was divided
between the Norwegian team that travelled over, the Doctor and the Title belt.
Once again we would like to apologize for any misunderstanding
and incorrect reporting in our previous article (which has now been corrected) to the event
organizer Mr. Paul Alderson as the Seni has got to be the best
in Europe. We look forward to continuing work with the Seni in the future, as we
have for the past 3 years.
Regards
Alby Bimpson
IKF European
Director
THURSDAY, June 17th, 2004, AT 11:40 AM, PT
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Results From Bob &
Jill Leikers 23rd Annual
"Tornado
Internationals!"
June 4, 2004, Kansas City, Missouri, USA - Reported By
IKF Representative
Chuck Wolfe
IKF Kansas City, Missouri, USA June 4, 2004 Bob & Jill Leiker again put on a class act. Held in a five-star Hyatt hotel, the crowd of 400+ was in a spacious, well-equipped Martial Arts arena. From the moment you entered the Competition Ballroom, the atmosphere was electric.
The Leikers are seasoned tournament/kickboxing promoters. They have a flair for entertainment, and proved it once again by mingling tough, international martial arts tournament competition with the onset of the actual kickboxing fights. The competition areas were set up side-by-side to add to the atmosphere! As the crowd awaited the start of the Kickboxing Event, they were treated to the worlds finest elite Martial Arts competitors, ranging from weapons competition to point sparring. This only lent to the excitement to come.
The Kickboxing Card held
a variety of competition. Scheduled on the card were two Full Contact FCR Bouts,
along with four International Rules (leg kicks) Kickboxing Bouts.
Representing the IKF was Chuck Wolfe
and Paula Wolfe from Chuck Wolfes
Martial Arts & Kickboxing in Liberty, Missouri. Chuck
also refereed the fights. The esteemed Judging Panel was Larry Tankson (Tankson's Academy Chicago Karate), David
Clifton (Clifton's Martial Arts, Shawnee, KS),
and Dane Jenkins (Bob Leiker's World
Champion Karate).
The first spirited Bout was between Super Welterweights, Chris Sublette (0-2, Trainer, Bud Johnson at Chuck Wolfe's Kickboxing, Liberty, MO) and Mario Valles (0-0, Trainer, Bob Leiker's World Champion Karate, Kansas City, KS). Sublette came out fast and furious, with strong kicks and a wicked right hand, knocking down Valles 20 seconds into the first round. A tremendous punching and kicking flurry warranted a standing 8-count. After receiving the standing 8 count via Sublette's fierce, straight right hand, Valles was stopped after taking yet a third straight right, that left him staggering. Sublette won by TKO at 1:15 of the first round. Sublette improved his record to 1-2-0, with one KO.
The second Full Contact Bout featured two young Lightweight
warriors, Geno Hartley (1-0, Trainer, Bud Johnson of Chuck Wolfe's
Kickboxing, Liberty, MO) vs Ryan Arnold (0-0, Trainer, Rudy
Bears, AKKA, Kansas City, MO)
At the first of round one, Hartley
was challenged by Arnold's height and reach advantage, giving Arnold
the clear edge. But toward the end of the round, Hartley came back with
very effective left-right combinations. After a close first round, all three
Judges gave the round to Arnold (10-9).
Moving into the
second round, both fighters started strong. After a flurry of exchanges, Arnold
began to tire, and Hartley took full advantage, scoring with stunning
left-right flush shots, causing Arnold a standing 8-count at the close
of round two. Judge Clifton scored 10-9, Hartley, Judge Tankson
scored 10-9, Hartley, and Judge Jenkins scored 10-8, Hartley,
giving Hartley the round.
Both fighters moved fiercely into round
three. Hartley took advantage and moved in aggressively with a series of
well-connected punches and kicks. All three judges gave Hartley the
third and final round. Hartley gained his second win by unanimous
decision, moving his amateur record to 2-0-0.
Next up were the International Rules Bouts. The first fight was
between Super Middleweights Henry Delgado (Trainer unknown) and
Shamus Cooley (Trainer, Steve Katzer, Katzers Bushidokan, Raytown,
MO).
Shamus started the round with a flurry of front kicks,
scoring big. Delgado answered with bombing rights and lefts! One Judge
scored 10-9 Cooley, with the other two Judges scoring 10-9 Delgado.
The second round was much of the same, with Cooley landing front kicks
and right hands. Delgado quickly answered with looping left & rights
that were scoring. All Judges determined the second round belonged decisively
to Delgado, 10-9.
The final round started with Cooley
hitting Delgado with a nice spinning backfist, but to no avail, as Delgado
continued to land solid left & rights, intermingled with effective leg
kicks. Again, Delgado took the third round, with all Judges scoring 10-9
in his favor. Judging determined Delgado the unanimous winner!
Next up was a battle between two undefeated fighters, Super
Middleweights. Wisconsin's John Paul (3-0) and Missouri's
Rudy Bears (5-0).
This was an entertaining bout, with both
fighters coming out strong in the first round. Bears effective use of
low leg kicks, combined with straight left-right punches earned him a round win,
all Judges scoring 10-9, Bears.
The next round proved even more
entertaining as Bears drew blood with a fierce left hook, right straight
combination, breaking Paul's nose in the process, forcing Referee
Chuck Wolfe to apply a standing 8 count to Paul! Again, Bears
was victorious, with two 10-8 scores and one Judge scoring 10-9, all for Bears.
The
third and final round brought out the warriors for final vengeance. Bears
scored with a jump, spinning kick and a spin backfist, followed by a quick
right-left combination causing, yet again, Referee Wolfe to give Paul
yet another standing 8-count.
The last round's scores mirrored the previous
round, with two 10-8 scores, and the third being 10-9. Bears was awarded
a much-deserved unanimous decision over Paul, maintaining his perfect
win record, now 6-0.
Up next was Cruiserweights Eric Fernandez and Damiyhan
Smith.
Smith started out strong, controlling the first round
with quick hands, rights-lefts and a strong right leg left hand combination,
earning him a 10-9 score from all three Judges.
Fernandez' corner
gave excellent instruction and Fernandez came back with a flurry,
flinging powerful left-right leg kick combinations, effectively stopping Smith
time and again. Fernandez' superior techniques earned him two standing
8-counts in the first 30 seconds of round two. Then Fernandez put
together a barrage of right-left punches combined with strong leg kicks to bring
Smith to the canvas, forcing Referee Chuck Wolfe to stop the
bout. This earned Fernandez a victory by TKO at 1:15 of the second
round!
The Main Event, a
three-round action packed fight was between Cruiserweights Leo Pla and
Taiwan Howard.
These gentlemen knew how to put power behind every
punch! Their focus on kicking was tremendous. Pla threw a barrage of
effective right leg kicks.
Howard answered back with hard back leg round kicks of his own, and
moved effectively through the entire round. This earned Howard the first
round by all Judges 10-9.
The next round was even more exciting. Howard
held his own by scoring with an excellent face kick and straight right hands,
causing the crowd to gasp in excitement. Howard then went on to throw
numerous effective spin back fists. However, Pla opened up with a flurry
of leg kick/punch combinations, staying busy chopping Howard with very
effective right leg kicks. Two Judges scored this round 10-9 for Pla,
one Judge giving the round to Howard 10-9.
The last round was the
most exciting. The round started with both circling like hungry tigers, both
fighters hungry for the win. Pla was a head-hunter at the start of the
round, kicking Howard in the head. Pla tried again, but Howard
answered with his own left leg kicks, fighting very aggressively. The fighters
strength in kicking reflected one another fiercely. This round ended in Pla's
favor 10-9 on all 3 judges cards. Judge Clifton scored the bout 29-28
for Pla, Judge Jenkins scored the fight 29-28 for Howard
and Judge Tankson scored the fight 29-28 for Pla, earning Pla
the Majority Split Decision.
What an excellent ending to an exciting evening! The fights
were a tremendous success, based on the crowd that loudly voiced its
appreciation! Much thanks to the Leikers for keeping Amateur Kickboxing
Alive & Kickin' in Kansas City!
Sincerely,
Chuck
Wolfe
Chuck Wolfe's Martial
Arts & Kickboxing
342A South 291 Highway
Liberty, MO 64068
(816) 407-1000
CWolfe3866@sbcglobal.net
For more info please contact Bob or Jill Leiker at (913) 432-2787 or by e-mail at wchampkarate@kc.rr.com. or you can visit their event website at: www.tornadointernationals.com
MORE NEWS OF 6-17-04
POSTED AT 1:00 AM, PT
RESULTS FROM THE
IKF
Central East FCR
Regional Tournament
By IKF Representative
Ray Thompson (Below Right)
IKF Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA: Well, first, I must apologize for not getting this info out to you kickboxing fans sooner. To give you some quick background on this write up first, and not to make excuses, but to explain why it wasn't done quicker. This is my first crack at the job of IKF Event Representative and a job it is!!! It is the Representative responsibility to see that the event runs according to the rules and regulations set forth by the IKF and to see that all competitors are treated fairly as well as see that the promoter represents the IKF in the BEST possible light. That in itself is a very big task.
After the event is over and all the fighters, trainers and fans have gone home and the only thing left of the event are the memories and the discussions of all the great fights our job as an IKF Representative isn't over. It is our duty to see that the information and paper work gets from the promoter to us, which is where we get the info for the write up, and then get the info to California in the hands of the IKF. Not to mention that we Representative's have our own jobs and businesses to run when we return home which I must admit does kinda get in the way of my duties as IKF Representative. So, anyway, there are my excuses for not getting this info to you sooner. Hope I am forgiven.
The information written here is not in any particular order but I will try to put the info in order of gender and age .
There appears to not have been very many fights at this regional and you'd be right IF you only counted the title fights. In reality there were non stop fights from 9:15 AM til 6:30 PM. What took place was promoters Craig Smith and Tom Poey's matching of the walkover fighters in two round exhibition matches that weren't like any exhibition fights I'd ever seen. Usually when two fighters agree to do an exhibition they get in the ring and spar around to give the crowd the chance to see there favorite fighters in the ring even though the fight is not real. Well the way those boys do it in Virginia Beach isn't like your typical exhibition card. They had those fighters rockin in those exhibition fights. It was great to see all those fighters bangin it up in the ring even though they were only doing exhibitions.
After the tournament was
over the talk immediately turned to Orlando
and the 2004
IKF North American Classic It was
clear to see how excited the fighters were that they were going there to fight
for the coveted IKF North American Title.
I think this years 2004
IKF North American Classic will be
the largest one yet so "Look out Mickey, here we come!"
Sincerely,
Ray Thompson
For
more info please contact Mr. Craig Smith at (757) 491-1733 or by e-mail
at
Kickingboxing@aol.com
WEDNESDAY, June 16th, 2004, AT 8:20 PM, PT
LEGAL Headgear For Competition
It has been brought to our attention that we need to watch the "Style" of headgear some fighters have been wearing in Amateur competition. As many here know, it is illegal for an IKF Amateur fighter to use any "Training" style headgear. This has always been described as headgear with a jaw bar across the front of the jaw. However, there are other headgears that are NOT allowed in IKF Amateur competition.
Headgear that are sold with the word "Training"
in there title are not legal "Competition" headgear for IKF Amateur Kickboxing. (Just like they are not
allowed in USA Amateur Boxing) The issue with "TRAINING"
Headgears is that they usually have the large ear padding or the jaw bars. When
you look at the LEGAL Competition Headgear you will notice there is no Jaw Bar
and the Ears are far less padded. Training Headgear range between 16 - 18
ounces depending on the size while Competition headgear is 10 ounces.
Here
are some photos of both styles.
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MORE NEWS OF 6-16-04
POSTED AT 5:25 PM, PT
IKF North American Classic
NEWS
Where Are We Now?
If
you are wondering how things are looking for fighter registration for this years
2004
IKF North American Classic, as of
7:30 PM, PT, June 2nd, 2003 (Last year) we had "1" Fighter
Registered for the 2003 IKF/TKO USA National Amateur Tournament.
as of this time last year, June 16th, 2003 we had "2" Fighters
Registered. By June 24th we only had 8 adult men fighters registered (4 in
Full Contact Rules, 3 in International and 1 in MuayThai), 0 adult women and
3 juniors.
Simply put, about 90% of the registrations for this event come between June 24th and August 1st. However, don't wait till then because your Late fees will cost you. To see the deadlines and late fees CLICK HERE. In the end we had a total of 242 Registered Fighters of which 200 fought on fight weekend at last years 2003 IKF/TKO USA National Amateur Tournament.
As of today we have 3 registered fighters for this years
2004
IKF North American Classic.
However before we jump to saying
we are ahead of the game, we should fill you in on an injury that occurred two
days ago. Last week, 2 time IKF USA
National Amateur Tournament Champion Peyton Russell (Right)
registered to "Walk The Walk" for the 2004
IKF North American Classic. Funny
how things can change in just a few days. On Monday night Russell earned
his 2nd degree black belt but as he told us, "It came at a HEAVY price."
Russell broke his ulna bone in his forearm as he was breaking 8 concrete
blocks. Although the break was successful, the blocks were not the only thing
that broke.
Russell has done many demonstration like this but this was the first one that went bad. He is now in a full arm cast for the next 3 weeks which will be changed to a forearm cast after that which will be removed in another 3 weeks. Doctors say his expected recovery time is 8 to 12 weeks total. Russell has said no matter what he will be there for the event, but in a True Warriors passion, Russell also ended saying "You know there may be a possibility I can still fight - it all depends on my recovery so leave my name for now." Take it slow and do it right Champ, we will be here when you are ready, whether for this event or another...
Fighters & Brackets
TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT
Some have asked
about a phrase we previously noted on one of the IKF
tournament pages that reads something like:
"There will be no
brackets of only 2 fighters for a title."
To add to this, it
should read,
"We would like to have 'AT LEAST' 4 fighters
in each bracket for a title."
AS WE HAVE DONE EVERY
YEAR...
Dealing with 1 or 2 fighter's in a bracket each year for
the Tournament mainly happens in the Junior Divisions where there are only 5lb
weight spreads but they do happen in the Adult Divisions too. Here are some, and
we stress, these are only "SOME", Scenarios and what we try to
do to not only assure everyone has a fight at the tournament but also, to make
each bracket stronger, especially when a bracket may have two fighters with 0-0
or even 0-1 records and fighting for a North American Title.
SCENARIO 1:
If you
register to fight and there is only 1 other fighter in your weight division by
registration deadline and NO OTHER fighters in the weight divisions above or
below you, your division will still take place between you and the other
fighter for the IKF North American Title.
SCENARIO 2:
If you
register to fight and there is NO ONE ELSE in your weight division and NO OTHER
fighters in the division above or below you your division could be cancelled
because there are no walkover champions, UNLESS you elect to move to the
closest WEIGHT DIVISION above or below you 'OR' over to another RULE
STYLE DIVISION of your same weight or a weight close to you to fight for the
IKF North American Title.
SCENARIO 3:
If you
register to fight and there is only 1 other fighter in your weight division and
other fighters in the division above or below you, you will be asked if you can
move up or down to fill a bracket to make it stronger (More competition)
for the IKF North American Title.
SCENARIO 4:
If you
register to fight and there is only 1 other fighter in your weight division and
no other fighters in the division above or below you, you will be asked if you
can move over to another rule style to fill a bracket to make it stronger (More
competition) for the IKF North American
Title. IF this is requested of you, fighters will only be asked to move what
we call, to "Less Weapon" divisions. For example, a full Contact rules
fighter would not be asked to move to MuayThai. However, a MuayThai fighter
could be asked to move to International Rules or Full Contact Rules and an
International Rules fighter may be asked to move to Full Contact unless they
have MuayThai skills. HOWEVER, you will not be FORCED to make such a move if
there is another fighter in your bracket. It's just that a competition of 4 is
far better than a competition of 2. Fighters and their trainers will of course
make this final decision.
Simply put, as we do every year, "We will find a way to assure you will not only have a fight, but of course, be fighting for the IKF North American Title."
This is why we have the registration
deadline almost a month prior to the event, so that we can do all the
required matchmaking for the Tournament BEFORE you arrive at the event.
This also 
assures you will have a fight
since you will be able to see who you are fighting on the
Finalists registration pages. To assure your
opponents are for real, we even provide you with their trainers contact number
so that you can contact them to assure they will be at the Tournament.
We
hope this helps everyone understand how we work with the Finals Matchmaking.
Hotel Rooms Booking
FAST!
Although we don't have a lot
of registered fighters, hotel rooms under our event code have been booking fast
at the host hotel, the Wyndham Palace Resort and Spa and we are
very near our assigned room block for all the nights reserved under our
$89/night rate which is a GREAT RATE
at this resort hotel. If you have not already booked your room we suggest you do
so ASAP. For this information go to this
page HERE.
To go to the actual Hotel booking page
CLICK
HERE
SUNDAY, June 13th, 2004, AT 10:20 AM, PT
Results Of The
IKF
South Central Regional
Tournament
Results Reported By IKF
Representative
Jeff Mullen
IKF Regional Director Jeff Mullen has reported a successful IKF South Central Regional Tournament to us with around 30 fighters registered and nearly all getting in the ring to gain their top seeded position for the 2004 IKF North American Classic as well as gain ring experience. Here are the Regional Tournament results:
"Everyone was very excited about the 2004 IKF North American Classic being in Orlando." Said Regional Director Jeff Mullen. "I think we will have a large group from the South Central!" For more info please contact Mr. Jeff Mullen at (901) 406-2460 or by e-mail at jmullen@memphis.edu
POSTED AT 12:35 AM, PT
Preliminary Write Up For The
IKF
Central
East FCR Regional Tournament
FULL RESULTS TO COME THIS WEEK!
By IKF Representative
Ray Thompson (Below Right)
The IKF Central East - Mid Atlantic FCR tournament is in the books. IKF Promoters Craig Smith and Tom Poey and there staff were fantastic promoting there first regional together. The event was held at Poey's School of Martial Arts in Virginia Beach, Virginia. This regional set a new record for number of registered fighters for any past IKF regional tournament. The previous record for the most registered fighters in "One Rule Style" in a regional tournament was set in on June 22nd, 2002 (Results & NEW RECORD From IKF North Central FCR Regional Tournament) by IKF North Central Promoter Rob Zbilski when he registered 72 Full Contact Rules Fighters. I am not 100% on these numbers yet (waiting on the confirmed info from Craig and Tom) but I believe this regional registration topped out at 74 fighters. A more complete write up is to come early next week after receiving the info on the event.
The fighters were fantastic! The venue was compact and
VERY crowded and the fighters were confined in a very small space which made
for some very nervous situations which is why I made the comment on how the
fighters were fantastic. Not one negative fighter situation in the whole
tournament. It was great. You see this was my first crack at representing the
IKF at a regional event and I couldn't
have a better regional to get my feet wet at. There were a few glitches, which
is common on every show but there wasn't a single glitch that wasn't taken care
of immediately. Thanks to this website and its information content we were able
to take care of 95% percent of the problems by a few clicks of the mouse and the
other 5% were taken care of by the touch of the key pad on my mobile phone. This
website and IKF President Steve Fossum
were on hand to see that all regionals had the information and support that was
needed to make them run as smooth as possible. This rookie IKF Representative would like to thank Steve
Fossum and his web staff for being there this weekend even on your day off,
if there is such a thing. I would also like to thank personally all the IKF Officials for taking there time this weekend to
assure that this regional was run smoothly and efficiently. The referees, Tray
Wyatt, Clark Walters and Ronnie Copeland worked hard to see that the
fighters were kept safe and the fights ran smooth. The judges, Jim West,
Randy Pogue, Kevin Hudson, Shannon Hudson, Ronnie Copeland and several
others that I must apologize for not remembering who they are saw to it that the
fights were judged fairly and impartially. The time/score keeper and kick
counters remained on the job until every last bout was
completed. Sorry guys
for not remembering your names either but it has been a long day and it is 2:AM
(East Coast Time) when I wrote this and I can barely remember my name.
None the less you all were FANTASTIC!! As I wrote
earlier there will be a complete write up early next week on the winners of the
various divisions and maybe a little color commentating of a few of the bouts
that rocked the house in Virginia Beach this weekend. Oh, I'd also like the
thank Ms. Stephanie Glasson (July, 04 Playboy Playmate of the Month)
for coming by and supporting all the fighters this weekend. Stephanie
you really brightened up the place. Stephanie also informed me that she
is a true blue kickboxing fan and that she really enjoyed all the great fights
this weekend. She is looking forward to the next event. Who knows she might just
show up at the 2004
IKF North American Classic in
Orlando, Florida this coming August. I know I will see you all there!
Sincerely,
Ray Thompson
For more info please contact Mr. Craig Smith at (757) 491-1733 or by e-mail at Kickingboxing@aol.com
FRIDAY, June 11th, 2004, AT 3:30 PM, PT
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Helpful Info For The
2004 IKF North American Classic
This news post is for those who
have been asking questions such as, "Who is Eligible to compete at the
2004
IKF North American Classic this
August 13th, 14th and 15th in Orlando, Florida?" Or anything else. We
hope it helps.
2004 IKF North American Classic
MORE NEWS OF 6-11-04
POSTED AT 6:40 PM, PT
Boxing Sanctioning Body
WBC Files for Bankruptcy!
SPECIAL SENT TO THE IKF
June 11, 2004, MEXICO CITY: Graciano Rocchigiani may have put the World Boxing Council down for the count. The legendary boxing organization was forced to file for bankruptcy Friday after court proceedings upheld a $31 million award given to Rocchigiani, who claimed he was illegally stripped of the organization's light heavyweight title in March 1998. The WBC was forced into Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation proceedings Friday, a year after it filed for Chapter 11. The WBC had hoped to persuade the court and jury that it was not liable or responsible for "the harm Rocchigiani alleged."
"Sadly, and
despite a vigorous defense, the WBC did not prevail,"
WBC
president Jose Sulaiman (Right) said. Sulaiman called it
"impossible" for the not-for-profit WBC to pay the $31 million
verdict awarded in April 2003. He also claimed that the organization has done
everything in its power to comply with the procedures and orders of the Federal
Court in New York and Bankruptcy Court in Puerto Rico. The
WBC also
was ordered to recognize Rocchigiani as champion from 1988-2000. Rocchigiani
beat Michael Nunn for what was supposed to be a title that Roy Jones
Jr. relinquished. But in June, when Jones decided he wanted to keep
the belt, the WBC
opted to retain him as champion.
KICKBOXING CONNECTION...
Feel sorry for Jose Sulaiman kickboxers? If so, maybe you forgot how he
publicly voiced his opinion about K-1 Kickboxing... For those who don't remember
who Jose Sulaiman is, he is the one who verbally attacked K-1 on record
last year when they had announced a signing of Mike Tyson. Sulaiman
said:
"The most astonishing thing is to see how a country of such elevated culture such as Japan, is adopting this criminal practice that literally takes society back to the cave era. The fact that such a brilliant boxer who at age 20 conquered a world heavyweight title with a brilliant victory over Trevor Berbick on November 22, 1986, becoming the youngest world champion in boxing history and holding the enviable record of 24 first-round KOs, close to Jack Dempsey's 25 first-round KOs amazing record, can not be thinking of blemishing such extraordinary career by stooping so low to participate in the denigrating legalized savagery of K-1. We wholeheartedly hope that Tyson forgets his recent past and comes back to the noble sport of boxing that opened the doors of greatness to him, to regain his status of world professional champion simply because K-1 is for those who have nothing left at all or for amateurs or cheap street fighters" - Jose Sulaiman
We liked the part where he referred to the "noble sport of boxing". Ya... Right... What's even funnier is the loving music played when you go to their website... (WBC) For someone in his position to say such a thing about ANY Kickboxing Event, we say, "Karma has a strange way of catching up with you!" As far as we are concerned, Sulaiman can take his "noble sport of boxing" and... Well, You get the idea...
MMA CONNECTION...
Sulaiman's actions brought back
memories of when when the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Challenge - Mixed Martial
Arts) was starting and getting big PPV numbers in the 200,000 to 300,000
range. Back then, those in the world of boxing took notice and got a little
worried. In to save them then was Senator John McCain (Right) or
Arizona. In 1996, McCain and his colleague Colorado Republican Senator
Ben Nighthorse-Campbell wrote to the governors of all 50 states, calling
UFC "a brutal and repugnant blood sport . . . that should not be
allowed to take place anywhere in the U.S." Its pretty obvious knowing
his support of the sport of Boxing that he surly didn't take it upon himself to
go on a personal crusade to crush the UFC because he was 'worried for fighter
safety'. It was MANY Peoples opinion back then that McCain got bought
out by bigger pockets, those with a vested interest in boxing that is, and McCain
used his political sway to pretty much knock Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)
off of InDemand PPV. However, it pretty much backfired on him because his
actions made MMA FAR BIGGER today and look who is getting the last laugh
here...
THANKS JOHN!
SPECIAL OUTSIDE
SOURCE: McCain was put front and center some years back
by known MMA Supporter Eddie Goldman. In Goldman's eyes, MMA
was being harassed. And he says the story behind the harassment is rooted in
McCain's self-interest. It's about a conspiracy involving Senator McCain,
professional boxing and Anheuser-Busch, the brewing company. Back then, here's
how Goldman's theory worked:
McCain opposes MMA because
it threatens the boxing industry's hold on the pay-per-view TV audience;
boxing's largest corporate sponsor is Anheuser-Busch, whose second largest
wholesaler in the country is owned by Jim Hensley, the father-in-law of
Senator John McCain. Theoretically, says Goldman, what's good
for boxing is good for McCain.
On his 1996 financial-disclosure form, McCain acknowledges owning between $1 million and $5 million in Anheuser-Busch Company stock, along with significant interests in Hensley and Company, his father-in-law's Anheuser-Busch distributorship.
Again and again, in interviews, McCain has played loose with the facts. He has vastly exaggerated the extent of the violence associated with MMA, and has refused to acknowledge rule changes and safety precautions that make MMA far less dangerous than it was when he first logged his complaints. McCain is no stranger himself when it comes to other contact sports. He was a boxer in the Navy, he's a follower of professional boxing and, in fact, no stranger to pugilistic violence. McCain was ringside at the 1995 boxing death of boxer Jimmy Garcia, he has seen the ultimate brutality of boxing and, yet, remains a fan.
THURSDAY, June 10th, 2004, AT 2:55 PM, PT
THIS WEEKEND IN THE IKF
IKF
CENTRAL EAST - MID ATLANTIC
Full
Contact Rules Regional Seeding Tournament
This Saturday, June 12th, IKF Promoters Craig Smith and Tom Poey will host the IKF CENTRAL EAST Full Contact Rules Regional Seeding Tournament in Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA. The Regional Tournament will host over 70 fighters coming from 8 states, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and South Carolina. The tournament is the Seeding Tournament for the 2004 IKF North American Classic coming August 13th, 14th and 15th in Orlando, Florida, USA.
The action this weekend will take place at Poey's Martial Arts Studio at 945 Chimney Hill Shopping Center, Virginia Beach, Virginia, 23452. For more info please contact Mr. Craig Smith at (757) 491-1733 or by e-mail at Kickingboxing@aol.com to see who all is fighting on this event and for more information (Hotel, schedule etc.) CLICK HERE. The IKF Event Representative for this event will be Mr. Ray Thompson of Simpsonville, South Carolina.
MORE IKF THIS WEEKEND!
IKF
South Central
Regional
Seeding Tournament
This Saturday, June 12th, IKF Promoter Jeff Mullen will host the IKF South Central Regional Seeding Tournament in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. The Regional Tournament will host over 35 fighters coming from 5 states, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Missouri. The tournament is the Seeding Tournament for the 2004 IKF North American Classic coming August 13th, 14th and 15th in Orlando, Florida, USA.
The action this weekend will take place at the New Daisy Theatre on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. For more info please contact Mr. Jeff Mullen at (901) 406-2460 or by e-mail at jmullen@memphis.edu For more information CLICK HERE. The IKF Event Representatives for this event will be Mr. Ken Blann and Mr. Jon Munz.
MORE NEWS OF 6-10-04
Blackorby & All
ROC
