THURSDAY, March 31st, 2016, AT 8:40 AM/ PST
Martial Arts Has
Lost A Great Man...
Grand Master Bob Chaney
February 2nd, 1943 / March 27th, 2016
Steve
Fossum
All of us here at the IKF, as many of you found out earlier this week, that the Martial Arts world lost a great individual. All of us will be gone someday, and with that being said, it's sad that so few people know what many in the Martial Arts world have accomplished in their lives until moments like this, when we all read about them. It's unfortunate that so many never knew of Grand Master Bob Chaney's accomplishments when he was with us, but at least you will know of them now. Below is an article posted on muaythaimes.com which is actually a lot of what was on Mr. Chaney's Martial Arts school website. (masterchaney.com) We've added some additional photos at the end and welcome any others sent in to us that we will be glad to post up.
Bob Chaney was a leader among the Martial Arts. As a martial artists, he was also a fight trainer and so much more to many others. One thing I always admired about him was that he was soft spoken and "NEVER" felt the need or desire to talk about himself... (Something I hear almost too much of in my line of work.) I've always felt and said that if you have to tell someone who you are, what you accomplished or how great your doing, chances are, your not as great as you think you are. Bob left us in the morning of March 27th in Temecula, CA. Through his years he inspired so many to become more and had major influence on us all. His passion for the Martial Arts and fight sports was a love of his life, second only to his wife and family.
Our deepest condolences go out to his wife Sarinda
and his family as well as his martial arts family.
Bob, your smile and soft spoken voice of wisdom and
praise to many will be missed but never forgotten.
Rest In Peace Grand Master Chaney, You're one of Gods Champions now...
______________________________________
Mourning the Death of
Grand Master Bob Chaney
February 2nd, 1943 / March 27th, 2016
By Robert Reiter Of muaythaimes.com.
Grand Master Bob Chaney will almost certainly be remembered by those who knew him personally for his essential human warmth and dignity. At a basic gut level, some losses are irreplaceable. This is one of them.
Bob Chaney trained in the Martial Arts for over 50 years. He was promoted, with Chuck Norris and Bob Wall, to Eighth (8) Dan Grand Master Black Belt with the International Tae Kwon Do Federation (ITF) personally by Tae Kwon Do founder, General Choi in April 2002 at a ceremony in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, (just shortly before the General's death).
Bob Chaney started his original training in Issinryu in 1962 then switched to Tae Kwon Do in 1964 under Korean Grand Master Ill Joo Kim. Bob was the former player coach of the United States Karate team with the World Union of Karate Organization (WUKO) in 1975/76. A 1975 Gold Medalist, Bob Chaney also won 6 Grand Championships and garnered over 300 national and international trophies and awards in both Tae Kwon Do and Karate competitions over a span of 12 years. Bob Chaney and former World Champion Al Gene Caraulia were the first Americans to earn Class-A international referee licenses. Bob Chaney was the first chairmen of the appeals committee and first vice chairmen of the AAU National Certification program, the United States governing body for the World Union of Karate Organizations in the mid 1970's. Bob Chaney and Al Gene Caraulia were the pioneers that appointed most of the original referees and (WUKO) judges. Bob Chaney was currently licensed, at the time of his death, by the Nevada State Athletic commission as a professional Kickboxing and MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) judge.
Boxing Background and
Experience
Bob Chaney originally trained in boxing as an
eight year old under his father, retired Pro Boxer Bob Chaney Senior.
He began kickboxing in 1973. Then in 1989 he became the student and God Son of
legendary boxing trainer Johnny Tocco of Johnny Tocco's Ringside Gym
in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bob Chaney started training in Muay Thai with
former Thai fighter Comb Sasatan in 1988 in Las Vegas, Nevada before
moving to Bangkok, Thailand in November of 1993 to train at "Osothapha
camp" in Bangkok, Thailand. The Gym was owned by Chanai Pongsupha.
It was renamed after Army General Sasipaprapa to Sasipaprapa Gym
in the mid 1990's. He continued training under and working with formerly #1
rated Super Middle Weight boxing champion Chuck "Hurricane Kid"
Siminnoni in 1997.
Promotional Back Ground
Bob
Chaney began promoting Kickboxing with his first event at the Canton
Memorial Auditorium in Canton, Ohio on December the 17th 1975. Bob
Chaney has personally promoted or been intricately involved in promoting
over 25 Full Contact, Kickboxing or Muay Thai events. Some of the major events
were "Europe vs. Thailand", a live event via satellite feed
from the Irgiff Palace in Rome, Italy back to Channel Three (3) in Bangkok,
Thailand; "Las Vegas vs. Japan", taped from the Union Plaza in
Las Vegas, Nevada; "Thailand vs. USA", a national pay-per-view
event from the Thomas and Mack Center, in Las Vegas, Nevada; live
pay-per-view events from the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas,
Nevada, the Santa Anna Star Casino in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the Hollywood
Park Casino in Los Angeles, California and the Fairgrounds in
Victorville, California. Most recently Bob Chaney partnered up with
Dennis Warner, Mike Rush and Val Leedy with plans to promote
quarterly Muay Thai and Mixed Martial Arts Events at the Hollywood Park Casino
in Los Angeles, California.
Bob personally selected and was instrumental in hiring super models Sonia Couling and Louket Matinee (Former Miss Thailand) for color commentary at Omnoi Stadium on the outskirts of Bangkok. Bob can be seen commentating some of those fights from Omnoi Stadium with Sonia and Louket. Bob Chaney was a regular bi-monthly traveler to Thailand for over 9 years. He was a business associate with many of the promoters and stadium owners in and around Bangkok, as well as friends and associates with the owners and promoters at "Chaweng Stadium" in Koh Samui, Thailand.
Bob Chaney arranged the Omnoi Stadium title fight held at the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada in December 2002. This was the first time that a stadium title fight was held outside of Thailand and the first time ever that the Nevada State Athletic Commission sanctioned full rules Muay Thai. Bob Chaney brought over his friends Thong Tai the Lumpini Stadium champion to fight Tae Wa Rit Noi for the Omnoi Stadium title. Additionally, Bob Chaney arranged and brought over the Thai officials and referees to instruct and gain the confidence of the Nevada State Athletic Commissioners, which opened up the door for full rules Muay Thai rules that's now used in Nevada.
Bob Chaney used his Thailand connections to arrange and bring over 11 top Thai Fighters including, BM Sasiprapa, Malaipet, Lumpini Stadium champion, Thong Tai, Tae Wa Rit Noi, Nong Tom "The Lady Boy" Parinya, the legendary Samart, Gunnsak, Charoentong, Lumpini champion and Wusu gold medalist Pajonsuk, and Wonchana. Bob was affiliated with the Pitnoi, Sangmorakot, Chaweng Stadium and Asawayotin Camps in Thailand.
Bob Chaney had eight affiliated studies in the United States besides his self-owned studio in Upland, California, with an active enrollment of over 400 students. All of Bob's affiliated studios credit much of their high enrollments and huge successes largely to the inclusion of Muay Thai programs that account for approximately 50% of total enrollments.
Bob Chaney trained over 200 national and world champions in Karate and Tae Kwon Do, seven world Kickboxing champions and five World Muay Thai Champions.
Bob secured the rights and arranged for the airing of some of the greatest Muay Thai fights and fight footage for Muay Thai fans in America.
Bob was on the cover of several martial arts magazines and highlighted in over 25 feature articles in many Martial Arts publications such as "Black Belt", "Inside Kung Fu", "Fighting Stars" "Tommy Mc Kay's 'Big Book of Karate'", "Secrets of the Masters", "Tae Kwon Do Times", "Combat", and "Grappling Magazine".
- Former World Karate Champion
- Won Five Grand Championships and over 40 First place trophy's and awards
- ITF 8th Degree Black Belt personally promoted in 2000 by General Choi Hong Hi Founder of Tae Kwon Do
- Song Moo Kwan (Kuk Ki Ryu) 8th degree Black Belt promoted by instructor Kim Ill Joo in 2011
- Song Moo Kwan (Kuk Ki Ryu) 7th degree Black belt by President Ro Byung Jick
- 1975-1976 Former US International player and team coach of the United States National Karate team.
- 2010 Team Coach for Mexico in "Mexico vs China" in Zhengzhou, China
- International class A Judge and referee
- National and International Promoter and Co-Promoter of over 35 televised Muay Thai and Kickboxing events
- Hall of Fame Inductions
- 1976 International Karate Hall of Fame
- 1978 International Kick Boxing Hall of Fame
- 1987 Martial Arts Museum of America Hall of Fame
- 1989 United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame
L-R: Ajarn Rex, Bob Sarinda
Chaney, Unknown, Dennis Warner, Paulo Tocha and Troy Fisher.
Bob Chaney, Sarinda Chaney and Nick Blomgren 
L-R: Phil Stone, Blinky
Rodriegez, Bob Chaney, Chris Gregory and Gary Berk.
February 2nd,
1943 / March 27th, 2016
RUMBLE IN THAILAND
American
Kickboxers Train Muay Thai in Thailand
Dana Stamos
Bob Chaney is one of the best, if not THE BEST Muay
Thai trainers in the world. Over the years I've written numerous articles on him
for a variety of martial art publications, a few years ago I traveled to
Thailand with Bob, and a handful of his students to document their
experience while training Thailand. A Hollywood-casting agent couldn't have put
together a better mix of personalities for this trip. Each fighter came from a
different background, and before the trip was over they would run a myriad of
emotions and physical challenges that would eventually define their character
and put to task their will to overcome a number of adversities. There were two
professional fighters in the mix; one was Thomas "Wild Man" Denny,
who at the time was the reigning King of the Cage champion. He was akin
to an unlit fuse on a stick of dynamite in search of a match. I covered the guys
as they trained in a variety of gyms throughout Thailand. From a nasty beyond
description sewer strewn grimy gym in Samui, to a state of the art Olympic
training center outside of Bangkok to a rainforest in the mountains where we
trained under a pounding waterfall - this excursion had it all. I had no idea
that the trip would end up in a near full scale riot with Chaney and
Denny in the middle of the action. The back story is about a handful of
American amateur fighters that wanted to experience what it was like to train in
a real Thai gym and to actually be on the fight card in one of Thailand's larger
arenas the real story is how we all got out with all of our vital organs in
tact. At that time the Americans were not trained in the use of elbows so a "friendly"
agreement was reached between Bob and the owner of the stadium that
elbows would not be used against the US fighters. However the Thais were unable
to effectively answer the Americans strong boxing skills and unknown to us the
stadium owner had bet heavily on his Thai fighters. So when it looked as if they
could lose, he told his guys to start tossing elbows -- that's when the Muay
Thai hit the fan.
RUMBLE IN THAILAND
American Kickboxers Train Muay Thai in
Thailand
