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THURSDAY, February 28th, 2002, AT 8:00 PM, PT
High Profile
Southeastern
MMA Fighters
To Meet In
Kickboxing Match
Two versatile combat athletes are set to clash at Augusta, Georgia's Winter Wars 2002 on March 16, 2002. In what was basically his first year in competition, RINGS veteran Clint "Wildman" Wiggins (Left) stepped out of a traditional martial arts background and fought in MMA, shootfighting, muay thai, international and full contact rules kickboxing matches.
Gauntlet Trials II
Tournament Champion Rory Singer (Right, IKF Super Heavyweight Amateur MuayThai Rules Georgia
Champion - A title that will retire the moment he steps into the ring
in this bout) carries an MMA record of 5-2 (2-1 as a Pro), and is a
state golden gloves and muay thai champion.
For
the rest of this Story
Click
HERE!
WEDNESDAY, February 27th, 2001, AT 6:40 PM, PT
TRAGEDY IN THE RING
Kickboxer Dies Today After Weekend Bout
On September 24, 2000, Derek
Clements (Right, Photo From
USKBA)
defeated Kyle Ferguson by unanimous decision to win the vacant
USKBA
Amateur Full Contact Super Middleweight North American Title. A
title he still held according to the USKBA as of January 7th, 2002. After that fight Clements
celebrated with friends and family, however after his recent Pro World Title
fight last Sunday night against Doug LaFontsee of Wyoming, USA, (Pro
Kickboxer and Pro Boxer) there would be no post fight celebration.
The following news is from
Sportsnet: Posted Feb. 27, 2002, 7:13 PM EST, LONDON, Ontario,
Canada
Kickboxer Derek Clements, a father of two small children, who friends say planned to getting married next year, died today in hospital after being critically injured during a world championship fight at Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. Clements was left comatose and clinging to life following a PRO Karate International Council of Kickboxing (KICK) Super Middleweight "WORLD" Title fight Sunday night. The 30-year-old Clements, who owned a local martial arts club called Derek's Kung Fu Connection, was transferred to the London Health Sciences Centre late Tuesday night after undergoing emergency brain surgery in Grand Rapids. His younger brother, Devin, said Derek was kept on life support so he could be moved to London where he could donate his organs. "Derek wanted to be an organ donor," Devin Clements said Wednesday. "We have a family member who needs kidneys. I'm sitting in the car right now with three people he touched deeply. He touched a lot of people. He was a very loyal friend. He was a father and teacher to all his students. His students were his family. He only smiled about three times a year but it could cut through you. He had a smile which could make a million people smile and he would do anything for you."
Clements, who taught the sport of kung fu for about 10 years, has a 3-year-old son, Derek Jr., and a 6-year-old daughter, Aysia. Funeral arrangements have not been set. Clements, who accepted the 12-round title fight on five days' notice, lost to Doug LaFontsee in an eighth-round technical knockout. He was knocked down three times in the fight, including twice in the eighth round. He appeared to be in satisfactory condition after the fight and gave a post-game interview with a television crew. Clements showed no signs of distress until about 90 minutes after the fight, in his hotel room. His friend and trainer, Brad Fowler of London, said Clement "He got out of the shower and said he couldn't get warm," Fowler said. "He had all the signs of a concussion. But he wanted to go tell Doug that it was a good fight, so we were leaving to go to the postfight party. Then, he got (wobbly), and his eyes rolled back in his head." Clement was barely conscious when he arrived at hospital in Grand Rapids. LaFontsee learned Monday of Clements' condition and joined family and friends of both fighters in a beside prayer. Friends expressed shock at his death, but said kickboxing is a sport not without risks, which at times can be cruel and violent. Danny Galinou of Ottawa, formerly from London, said Clements was planning to get married and his wife-to-be also was a kickboxer. "He's one of the greatest guys you'd ever meet," Galinou said. "He might be tough but you wouldn't know it to meet him. He loved his kids, his family and his soon-to-be wife."
"I found out late (Sunday) night that he had gone to the hospital, but I figured maybe he just had a concussion," LaFontsee said. "When I called first thing (Monday) morning and they said it wasn't good, that they had done emergency surgery and the guy was in a coma, my heart stopped. Everything goes out of you after that." LaFontsee, a two-time champion, said he is inclined not to fight again. Promoter Brian Lentz, who presented several successful kickboxing shows at The Orbit Room during the past decade, also suggested he might not promote another one. "I was already leaning in that direction, because this show was a problem from the beginning. But when something like this happens, that's it," Lentz said.
The biggest prefight
problem, a late opponent switch for LaFontsee, led directly to the
postfight tragedy. Thomas Downing (Right) had to pull
out of the fight last Tuesday night due to an injury suffered in training. It
was only the second time in Downing's 19 year career he had to miss a
fight. Clements was scheduled for a seven-round undercard bout and
agreed Wednesday to replace Downing. "I feel just terrible
about the way the card went," said Downing of Windsor, Ontario,
Canada. "It's so upsetting to me. It's a really terrible circumstance."
LaFontsee, after being knocked down himself, rallied with three
knockdowns, two of them in the eighth round, prompting referee Kerry Roop
(A Very Good Referee and Kickboxing Champion Himself) of Rochester,
Michigan, USA, to stop the scheduled 12-rounder. In the midst of the knockdown
barrage, Clements' right glove was torn, and there was a lengthy delay
while both gloves were replaced. "Maybe after they changed his gloves,
his cornermen felt he had recovered enough to continue," said Bob
Serulla, LaFontsee's trainer. "To slam them would be wrong. I
would've stopped the fight earlier, but his cornermen know their fighter better
than I do. It's a risk everyone takes."
Clements' trainer, Brad Fowler, said his stricken fighter was, "talkative and coherent" during their communications. "There was no way he would have let me stop the fight," Fowler said. "It was for a world title. And he was always fighting back, never defenseless."
Clements gave a postfight interview to a local public-access television station, returned to his dressing room, then spoke with several well-wishers. Anthony Quintana conducted mid-ring interviews for WKTV. When the TV crew voiced concerns about tape quality, Quintana recreated the interviews in the fighters' respective dressing rooms about 20 minutes later. Quintana said Clements was "very alert and his eyes were clear" on both occasions. A WKTV programming official said the fight is scheduled for a noon Sunday rebroadcast but would not speculate how postfight developments might affect that plan. Clements showed no significant signs of distress until about 90 minutes after the fight, in his hotel room.
Dave Packer participated 31 years ago in the only documented ring fatality involving a fighter from Grand Rapids. Packer lost an amateur boxing match in Hastings to a fellow Grand Rapids welterweight, Nick Spruit, who complained afterward of a broken nose. Spruit, a 22-year-old decorated Vietnam veteran, sought medical attention six days later. He was hospitalized, lapsed into a coma, and died June 22, 1971, from a sinus cavity blood clot, 18 days after defeating Packer. Packer watched Sunday's fight from ringside. "It took me a long, long time to get over that. Really, I never got over it. I boxed again for a little while after that, but I shouldn't have. I never had the same drive." Packer, as president of Michigan USA Boxing, is the state's highest-ranking amateur boxing official. He also served as director of the popular Michigan Golden Gloves tournament for 20 years. "I'm not involved in kickboxing, but it is a rugged, contact sport," Packer said. "It's a much rougher sport than boxing, and there's not a lot of regulation. Still, it is a sport, and you know what you're getting into when you get in there. It was a tough fight. There were a lot of punches thrown. At times, I wondered what was keeping (Clements) up. Why doesn't he quit? He was really taking some shots. But so was Doug."
TUESDAY, February 26th, 2001, AT 7:40 AM, PT
NEW DAILY
HIT RECORD OF
72,281
It appears the IKF Web Site is becoming more and more popular after some marketing and promotional work done over the last few weeks. Yesterday, Monday, February 25th the site set yet another new "Daily Hit Count" record of 72,281 Hits which destroyed the old "Daily Hit Count Record of 56,425 Hits on Monday, February 11th.
"The increase in traffic has been due to several
things." says IKF President
Steve Fossum (Right)."Our
February goal was to introduce the site to new readers as well as refresh and
reintroduce it to current and past readers and the work has paid off
dramatically." These things include getting linked up on some other top
Martial Arts/Kickboxing sites, being placed on several more search engines on
the world wide web, more mailouts to media publications around the world,
mail-outs about Johnny Davis' new
Kickboxing Training Manual, "The Art Of
Kickboxing" and many other things. "We're still not where
I think we could or should be." Says Fossum. "Our goal
is to have a minimum one million hits a month, all year long and that's just a
start. We'd like to see our daily traffic increase as well. 100,000 Hits a day
isn't that unrealistic of a goal to us. Remember, as an organization, it's our
job and our duty like any other sports organization (NFL, NBA etc. ) to bring
exposure to those in our organization, and it appears we're doing it right."
All of the IKF Site
Introduction e-mails have been a part of the recent site traffic increase which
means more exposure to not just the IKF,
but to those associated with the IKF. From
fighters and their trainers to the event promoters, exposure is the number one
thing the sport needs. 
The best thing
about this exposure is what it tells potential Sponsors though about the IKF and Kickboxing. "We're on the move and
moving aggressively towards the next level for the sport." Says IKF Marketing director Johnny Davis (Right).
"The sport itself is bigger then it's ever been, but exposure to the
sport and those involved is still very little. For example, the IKF website is the only 'Active' and 'Current' news
site on the internet. No one else is covering the sport like we are."
A clear example of this would be the lack of TV coverage for the sport in the USA for example. Since another organization lost their ESPN contract over a year and a half ago, Kickboxing has been non existent on American TV. "We've been told the ESPN viewers numbers dropped because of what they were getting for their money." says Fossum. "Board breaking and karate demos are not kickboxing and that's all we want to offer TV and the fans of the sport. They want to see FIGHTS and fighter profiles. Like in any sport, fans want to know more about those involved so they know who they're watching."
The IKF started doing traffic hit counts on the IKF site in May of 2001. Since no Hit count has ever been done during the Springtime for the IKF site, it will be interested to see what happens as far as site traffic for the Spring of 2002. Especially since springtime is the busy time of year for kickboxing events around the world. "We still have some other new site exposure ideas coming up to expose the site in the weeks and months to come." Says Fossum "So don't be surprised if we reach that 100,000 hits a 1 day mark very soon." All this traffic is helpful to everyone in the sport, not just the IKF. The more proven exposure of the sport, the better for everyone around the globe. The total hit count for February as of end of day yesterday, Monday, February 25th was 1,120,456 Hits. The average daily Hit count for February 2002 has so far been 44,818 Hits.
The top page for this 25 day time period was as
always, the
OPENING HOME PAGE.
The next 10 most popular pages during this time period are as follows;
MONDAY, February 25th, 2002, AT 2:00 PM, PT
Two
U.S. Title Bouts To Headline
WINTER WARS 2002
In
Augusta, Georgia, USA
United States Title bouts in mixed martial arts and in kickboxing will be on the line in Augusta, Georgia on March 16, 2002, as Augusta Martial Arts Academy presents Winter Wars 2002. Southern sensation Cam McHargue will lock horns with veteran Todd "Crazy T" Carney for the vacated International Sport Combat Federation (ISCF) United States Light Middleweight title.
In the co-main event,
Heavyweights "Lightning" Lane Collyer (Left)
and Kevin "Hurricane" Hudson (Below Left) will
square off for the vacant IKF Pro United
States Heavyweight Title in the full contact (kicks above the waist only)
rules division.
In the ISCF Bout, McHargue is known for pulling from his gymnastics background and exciting yet effective use of "flashy," athletic, and "high-risk" maneuvers in the ring. Carney has a reputation for always being willing to take bouts against anyone, at the "drop of a hat." This time, however, Carney has had ample time to prepare for a known opponent.
The number 8 IKF Ranked Full Contact
Rules Heavyweight Hudson, a former world kickboxing champion, is
known for being able to "kick like a lightweight," and is making a
long awaited return to the ring. His opponent, Collyer, is ranked #2 in
the IKF Full
Contact Heavyweight Rankings, #3 in the IKF
International Rules Heavyweight Rankings and number
2 in the IKF MuayThai
Heavyweight Rankings. Collyer has as aggressive streak which has
laid many opponents low.
In other MMA title action, Steve Headden will face Shaun Gay for the ISCF East Coast United States Middleweight title. Headden, who sports a background in judo and Brazilian jiu jitsu, will face journeyman Gay, who has years of training in kickboxing and jujitsu, and is one of the Southeast's most active competitors.
Winter
Wars 2002 will be a daylong event at the Augusta State University
Athletic Complex. At 9:30 AM, the daytime martial tournament will get underway,
including continuous point sparring, kata, weapons kata, grappling and shoot
sparring divisions. From 2:00 PM until 4:00 PM, Dan "The Beast"
Severn (Right) will hold an "Ultimate Grappling"
seminar. At 6:00 PM the doors will open for the night fights, which will begin
at 7:00 PM.
The after fight party
will be held at the event hotel, The Partridge Inn. Those interested in
staying at the Partridge Inn, please request the "Winter Wars 2002" rate. Please go to
www.partridgeinn.com for
hotel information. All of Winter Wars 2002's
mixed martial arts bouts will be sanctioned by the
ISCF - International Sports Combat
Federation. All kickboxing bouts will be sanctioned by the IKF - International Kickboxing Federation and the
Professional Karate Commission. The day tournament will also be sanctioned by
the Professional Karate Commission.
Winter Wars 2002 will be the culmination of a week's worth of martial sports events in Augusta, Georgia. On Thursday, March 14, 2002, Augusta Martial Arts Academy will host two-time world kickboxing champion, Johnny "Superfoot" Davis (Left) for a two hour kickboxing seminar scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM at Augusta Martial Arts Academy. Each seminar participant will receive a copy of Mr.Davis' newly published kickboxing training manual, "The Art Of Kickboxing."
A press conference and "meet
and greet" with the fighters, Mr. Severn and Mr. Davis
is scheduled for Friday, March 15, 2002, at the Penthouse Suite at the Partridge
Inn, from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM. It is set to be aired live and hosted by Ashley
Brown, on Augusta's sports-talk radio station WRDW, AM 1480.
For more information on Winter
Wars 2002, please E-mail Mike or Elizabeth Carlson at
the Augusta Martial Arts Academy at
amaa@prodigy.net, or call at (706)
855-5269, or fax at (706) 855-7119.
For Fight Poster,
Click HERE!
WINTER WARS 2002 FIGHT CARD
RED CORNER - BLUE CORNER
Kevin
Hudson Vs Lane Collyer:IKF
Professional Heavyweight FCR US Title
Cam McHargue Vs
Todd Carney: Professional Light Middleweight MMA -
ISCF US Title
Clint
Wiggins Vs Rory Singer: Professional
Heavyweight Kickboxing
Shaun Gay Vs Steve Headden: Professional Middleweight MMA - ISCF
South East US Title
Stephen Thompson (Right) Vs
Ruben Lopez: IKF
Amateur FCR Light Heavyweight South East Title
Summer
Miller Vs Penny DeGraw: Amateur Featherweight
Kickboxing
Shannon Hudson Vs Phillip Botha:
Amateur Middleweight Kickboxing
Emmanuel
Vero Vs Mike Grivas: Amateur Light Heavyweight
Kickboxing
Terrie Hicks Vs Andrea Grishman: Amateur Light Welterweight Kickboxing
Joe Jobes
Vs Brendan Dumont: Amateur Middleweight MMA
Gene
Silas Vs Tony Rhinehart: Amateur Super
Heavyweight MMA
Ashley Cross Vs Jake Pruitt: Amateur Light Middleweight MMA
Fight card subject to change - Fight card potentially not in
final order
MORE NEWS OF 2-25-02
AFTER
SHOCK 2
Quick Results From Saturday Nights IKF
Event In England!
Full report coming later this week here on this news page.
For info, contact IKF Europe by phone/ Fax at 44 174 473 9043, or by E-Mail by clicking HERE!
MORE NEWS OF 2-25-02
IKF
Mexico Champ
Opens
New Gym!
IKF Pro Mexico National MuayThai
Champion Adolfo Lozano has just opened his new MuayThai Gym in Puerto
Vallarta, Mexico. 
The inauguracion was the 11th of Febuary and as you can see from the pictures (L & R) they have a large area for classes, Pro Shop/Store, Plenty of Punching Bags, and soon a new Boxing Ring and Weight Equipment.
The new facility also included men & women's bathrooms with showers, and soon a small soda fountain.
For more info you can e-mail Mr. Lozano at
reyrama@yahoo.com
SATURDAY, February 23rd, 2002, AT 1:25 PM, PT
The
Upcoming North America
K-1 Middleweight Tournament
Has Plenty Of
IKF Talent...
There's no question the upcoming K-1 Middleweight North
American qualifying tournament has some top talent in it. All 4 of the fighters
in it have either won or hold top titles in the IKF.
The Tournament will 
be a part of IKF. Promoter Sven Bean's (Left) "Ring
Of Fire 4" on Friday, March 15, 2002 at the Radisson Graystone Castle in
Denver Colorado, USA.
Here's a look at the challengers for the K-1 North America Middleweight crown.
The Middleweight tournament will include Ole Laursen (Right)
of San Diago, CA, USA via Copenhagen, Denmark. Laursen is currently
ranked number 1 in the IKF Pro MuayThai
Rules Middleweight division. His Pro record is 7 wins, 4
loses with 3 wins by KO. He is the
current IKF Pro MuayThai Rules European
Middleweight Champion. He's been fighting professionally for only three years
but has quickly moved to the top. He's traveled, trained, and fought all over
the world refining and perfecting his unmatchable technique and power. He was
born in 1977 in the Philippines to a Danish father and Filipino mother, and
raised in Denmark by his mother. His brother Christian Laursen was a
Danish and Scandinavian professional MuayThai champion.
Christian encouraged him at the age of 15 to begin
training in MuayThai but Ole didn't study it seriously until joining the
army at the age of 18. The turning point for him came when he defeated the
Danish amateur champ by knockout. This event caused him to devote himself to
MuayThai in hopes of becoming the best fighter in the
world. Ole continued fighting as
an amateur along with his brother for only one year, both brothers winning all
fights by knockouts.
He then moved to Thailand to train and turn professional. As a professional, he trained under Sam Lung who Ole credits with giving him the tools to be a disciplined MuayThai fighter. In 2000, he won the IKF Pro European Middleweight title over Eval Denton (Pictured above left, L-R: Eval, IKF European Director Alby Bimpson & Ole) from England, in England by split decision.
Next in the mix is Duane "BANG" Ludwig
(Left) of Aurora, Colorado, USA. Ludwig has been known to the
IKF for quite sometime now. As a Pro, he's
currently ranked number 2 behind Laursen in the
IKF
Middleweight MuayThai Division. He has a Pro record of 7 wins with only 1 loss
and an amateur record of 12 wins, 2 loses with 8 wins coming by KO or TKO.
Our first view of Ludwig was on June 5th, 1999 in Orlando Florida, USA when he suffered 1 of his only 3 career loses in kickboxing/MuayThai. In Orlando, Ludwig met Tony Haddockof Orlando Florida to fight for the International Rules (Leg kicks, no knees) Light Middleweight U. S. Amateur Title. In round 2 of that bout, Haddock unloaded a blistering left hook that quickly dropped Ludwig to the canvas. Ludwig stood up as IKF Referee Dan Stell started the count but once up, he fell back into the ropes and it was obvious he was not able to continue. Stell stopped the championship bout at :51 seconds into the second round. At the time, Ludwig made it clear he only wanted to fight MuayThai Rules bouts. Why? The "ONLY" 2 bouts Ludwig lost as an Amateur were International Rules bouts. (Leg kicks, no knees) Ludwig's only other loss came in Calgary Alberta Canada to Trevor Desjarlais. Proving this in true form, in August of 1999 he redeemed himself as expected in a MuayThai Rules Championship bout when he captured the vacant IKF United States Super Middleweight Amateur Muay Thai Title with a unanimous decision win over Terrace James of Albq. New Mexico, 50-46, 50-46 & 50-45. He went on a month later to be one of the first ever IKF USA National Amateur "Tournament" Champions at the very first IKF USA National Championships in September of 1999 where he won the Light Middleweight MuayThai Rules U.S. Title.
Ludwig's only other loss in his Kickboxing career was
against
seasoned Pro MuayThai fighter and ISKA
World Champion, Alex Gong (Right) as an undercard on the K-1
Event in Las Vegas last year. The bout was for
Gong's Title and if not for the half point scoring system, Ludwig
may have pulled off a major upset. 
Ludwig
has since made it clear he wanted a rematch with Gong for his World
Title, but from what we've been told, no rematch has been offered.
Befor Gong Ludwig had pro wins over Terrace James again, Steven Berkolyko, Sean Himes, then Bryan Poejoy, another fighter then Gong. After gong he defeated a fighter from France, on the Warriors Cup 3 show. As of today, his pro record stands at 8 wins and 1 loss. Ludwig also has a lot of experience in MMA/NHB with a record of 11 wins and 2 loses. He turned down an offer from the UFC to take the K-1 fight as well since it is his DREAM.
So what's stopping Ludwig from fighting for the IKF MuayThai Rules Middleweight World Title? The same thing that's stopping everyone else... A fighter by the name of Kongnapa, (Left) who was not allowed to compete in the North American K-1 Middleweight event because he's a Thai. Kind of a shame he and others aren't allowed to compete. Ludwig would have been happy to meet Gong in the tournament, but he didn't want to be in it. So instead of a Ludwig Vs Gong fight or Ludwig Vs Kongnapa possibility, Ludwig will make the better financial decision in his career, to put aside a shot at a "World" title and go for the money in the Tournament. Not just any tournament though, he hopes to make it all the way to Japan for the Big Show! If he wins it all in, he gets a check for $100,000, and we all know, it would take a lot of World Title bouts to come anywhere close to that kind of cash.
Next in line is
IKF number 3 ranked Pro MuayThai
Middleweight fighter and former IKF Pro MuayThai Middleweight World Champion,
Robert Coquette (Right) of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Coquete
and Laursen (Above) have something in common, they have both
beaten Eval Denton of England for an IKF
title.
Coquete won his IKF
Title by unanimous decision over Eval Denton of England, 48-47, 49-46 &
48-47 in Winnipeg, Matitoba Canada on February 12th, 2000. There's a little
confusion as to why he no longer holds his IKF
World Title though. Coquete was challenged in the Spring of 2000 to
re-match Denton in England but his trainer, Arthur Pereira,
wanted too high of a purse (Wanted $6,000 when first time defenders can only
demand $2,500 or the average of their last 3 fights, which was less) and the
bout offer was dropped. Coquete was later challenged by
former IKF Pro
MuayThai North American Light Heavyweight Champion Chad Sawyer (Left)
of Alberta, Canada. Since there were negotiation problems with the last
challenge for his title, this time the IKF
stepped in to require Coquete accept the challenge for the minimum "First
Challenge Purse" of $2,500.00. His trainer, Pereira came in
with several other issues why he didn't want Coquete to fight Sawyer
along with being verbally abusive to everyone involved.
After a long process of trying to make the match work, Coquete
himself choose to vacate the title and move up in weight. However, if you ask
us, it was his trainer, Pereira who really lost Coquete his
title. With the title sitting vacant, it was eventually won by Kongnapa.
"We feel it was just bad management that led to Coquete
vacating his title." Says IKF
President Steve Fossum. "There was no
question he wanted to fight Denton or
Sawyer, or whoever we wanted him to. But there were just too many issues
between his trainer/manager Pereira and Sawyer's trainer/manager
Mike Miles (Left). Not with Miles, but with Pereira. It
was another case where a great fighter becomes the victim of bad management."
Coquete has an overall fight record of 21 wins, 2 loses and 1 draw.
Last but certainly not
least we have the currently number 1 IKF
Ranked Junior Middleweight and current IKF
Pro MuayThai Rules North American Junior Middleweight Champion Jason Jillain
(Right) out of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Jillain is trained
by Mike Miles (Above right) and has an overall fight record of
28 wins, 8 loses, 1 draw with 14 wins coming by KO or TKO. He is also a former (1997)
IKF Canadian Amateur MuayThai Rules
Welterweight Champion. Jillian won his IKF
Amateur Title on June 14th, 1997 by unanimous decision over Dave Zuniga,
of Winnipeg, Manitoba, 
Canada, 48-47, 48-47
49-46 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. turning Pro in 2000, he won his IKF Pro North American MuayThai Rules Title against
James Cook (Left) in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. For 5 full 3 minute
rounds these two went at it toe to toe. In the end, Jillain took the
advantage by a unanimous decision victory, 49-46, 48-47 and 50-46.
Advanced Tickets for this event are, Reserved $40.00, General Admission $25.00 and all $5.00 more at the door. The doors will open at 6:30 PM with the first bout (Undercard to the Middleweight Tournament) starting at 7:30 PM. Only 18 and Over are allowed at this event. Ticket Locations for this event include the Radisson Graystone Castle (303) 451-1002, Freedom Fighters (720) 275-7972, America's Best M.A. (303) 431-6507, Tigron Supply (303) 937-7771, Stars Training Center (303) 589-3394, Brazilain Jiu Jitsu Boulder (303) 938-1275, Max Muscle Littleton (720) 922-3279, Flaming Yang Fight Productions (303) 667-8612 and 3-D Martial Arts Academy (303) 333-0014. Additional info for this event contact Promoter Sven Bean by e-mail at beanz4@msn.com.
MORE NEWS OF 2-23-02
Check
To See What
IKF Stands For!
This message is to reply to
quite a few of you IKF Web page readers
living in Ireland and surrounding areas that have e-mailed us here at the IKF "INTERNATIONAL" Kickboxing Federation"
in regards to some events being advertised in Ireland as "IKF" Events. The problems here are first
of all, we, the "INTERNATIONAL" Kickboxing Federation did not
sanction an event in the town of Tramore, Ireland on January 27th, 2002 at the
South's Club promoted by Mr. Billy O'Sullivan. As well, we are not
sanctioning an event at the Ringside Club in Dublin Ireland today, February
23rd, 2002, promoted by Mr. Joe Canning either. These events have been
brought to our attention by quite a few readers (Fighters & Trainers)
as being advertised on the internet and other places as being "IKF"
Sanctioned events. The main problem here is that they are sanctioned by what is
called either the
"IRELAND" Kickboxing Federation
or the "IRISH" Kickboxing
Federation. So in a way, they are "IKF" Events, just not our IKF.
This post was not to downgrade the "Irish" Kickboxing Federation. It was just necessary since several individuals have e-mailed us here and asked why they have not been ranked into our World Rankings after fighting on an IKF event. In addition, some of these individuals have expected us here at the INTERNATIONAL Kickboxing Federation to send them things they paid for but had not received. To assure the events you fight on or are a part of are truly sanctioned by us here at the INTERNATIONAL Kickboxing Federation, please make sure you see the Official Sanctioning Logo of the International Kickboxing Federation (Right) on EVERYTHING related to the event which includes but are not limited to, Event Posters, Event Fliers, Event Programs, Event Newspaper Ads, etc. etc.. If you do not see this logo, the event is NOT Sanctioned by the INTERNATIONAL Kickboxing Federation.
FRIDAY, February 22nd, 2002, AT 12:30 PM, PT
A Champions Next Move...
A Look At What's Next For Kickboxing's True Heavyweight
Gladiator!
Jason "Gladiator" Johnson
By Steve Fossum
If you've ever been to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA in December, you need to make sure you go to the East side of town and stand on the shore of Lake Michigan. To say it's a lake is deceiving because when you look out at the endless body of deep blue water, you don't see the other side. From this view, you might think your standing somewhere on a Northern coastline facing the Pacific or Atlantic Ocean. The only thing that's missing is the giant waves breaking on the beach. What you will find though is a cold northern wind blowing in your face and maybe a little ice on the lake to add to its beauty. There is something about Wisconsin that has a certain mystic about it. High up in Central America it gets plenty of northern winds from Canada. Over the years it's been recognized as being the home of great American things like Harley Davidson, Miller Beer and of course don't forget, this IS Packer Country! Wisconsin is the home of The NFL Football team, the Green Bay Packers. A team filled with a strong tradition of winning behind great stars such as Bart Starr or Brett Favre lead by great leaders such as Vince Lombardi and Mike Holmgren. However to us here at the IKF and many in the world of kickboxing, Wisconsin is known for another Great American venture and it can be summed up in 2 words, "Gladiator Kickboxing!"
On Sunday night September 6th, 1998 in Beloit Wisconsin, there was a Gladiator in the making. It was the first time a fighter by the name of Jason stepped into a kickboxing ring for his first real fight. It was bout 7 and when the fight was over, Jason had recorded his first of many wins over a fighter named Jack Lagrange of Dubuque Iowa by split decision.
It was on a cold December weekend in Milwaukee Wisconsin when I first met this young Gladiator. It would be on a Saturday night, December 5th, 1998 where I would see him fight for the first time. His bout was overshadowed by other seasoned Gladiators of the sport who would take the spotlight on this night, but Jason's night would come... On the night, IKF Promoter Duke Roufus won the vacant IKF Pro MuayThai Rules Super Heavyweight World Title over Hirawa TeRangi of Auckland, New Zealand. Before his win, Richard Kostuck had successfully defended his IKF Pro MuayThai Rules Junior Welterweight Intercontinental Title by defeating Sakasem for the second time in his career. On the undercard was once again Jason, a Heavyweight Muay Thai fighter who had been paired up against Mark Vinesbright of Indianapolis Indiana, USA. Vinesbright entered the ring chiselled like a video game warrior fighter showing more muscle rips and curves than The Hulk. However, it would be on this night that "The Hulk" would face "The Gladiator" and Vinesbright's perfect 6-0 record was on the line against Jason with a record of only 1 win and no loses. During the bout, Jason lasted Vinesbright's strong round 1 attack with Vinesbright taking round 1 on all 3 judges cards 10-9. However in round 2, "The Gladiator", Jason pressed the fight scoring with several "STRONG" knees to Vinesbright's face and chest. His attack forced a standing 8 count to Vinesbright who seemed winded from the attack. Jason moved ahead on the score cards from the 8 count as he won round 2. Still taken back from "The Gladiator" attack in round 2, "The Hulk" lost his wind early in round 3 and eventually, referee Al Wickers made the right decision and stopped the bout at 1:11 of round 3. It would be Jason's first TKO/KO win and he improved to 2-0 while Vinesbright lost for the first time in 7 bouts.
By the time the first IKF North Central Regional was promoted, Jason's trainers had already given him his first nickname, "The Roadblock!" At the Regional on April 17th, 1999 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Jason had registered to fight in the Heavyweight MuayThai class. He was 24 years old, 6' tall and 212 lbs with a fight record of 2 wins and no loses. However no one else entered at the weight so he was left without a fight. However, so was Light Cruiserweight MuayThai fighter Christian Toleque of Ohio. Both wanted some ring time and agreed to do an exhibition for the crowd. But hey...These 2 were BANGIN! What an EXHIBITION! Both fighters were undefeated, and neither wanted to give up any ground, even in an "Exhibition" bout where the fight wasn't judged. Instead, pride was on the line instead. Jason and Christian began working knee attacks like seasoned MuayThai warriors. Both fighters were big, ripped, and in great shape! In round 2, Jason caught a kick thrown by Christian and then went to work on his supporting leg. The crowd was really fired up, and so were the fighters! Jason unloaded a solid low kick followed by a well-timed right hand. Both these guys dug in deeply! By the time round 3 came around these two were into the battle. Jason was throwing some great punch-low kick combinations and followed up with knee attacks while Christian peppered back with swift jabs. Considering how hard both worked, one would never have guessed that this was an "exhibition, but now it was time for the Next Level for both to "Walk The Walk" at the first annual IKF USA National Championship Tournament in Council Bluffs Iowa.
Jason enter the
National tournament as a Heavyweight
with 3 other fighters in his division, Steve Bass, 4-2/2 of
Omaha, Nebraska, Harvey Green of Camp Pendleton, CA and Jermaine
Wilson 6-2/3 of Evansville, Indiana. However, Wilson never showed at
the Nationals and during matchmaking, Jason got the bye in round 1 and
Bass fought Green on Saturday. In their bout, Bass
defeated Green easily by TKO at :51 of round 1 to advance to the final
against Jason on Sunday. It was
Bout 19 on the day
for the USA National Title when Bass and Jason met. In the end,
we would be sure to remember The Gladiator's last name this time more than his
first. He made everyone remember who the new IKF
USA National Amateur MuayThai Rules Heavyweight Champion was, it was Jason
JOHNSON (Right after Nationals Win) as this soon to be Gladiator
currently known as "The Roadblock" stopped traffic on
Bass as he defeated him by TKO at 1:16 of round 3.
National
Article.
Although Johnson was scheduled to fight on Roufus' September 18th, "King Of The Ring" event, he was left without a bout when his opponent dropped out the week of the event. With 2 other fights on other events, Johnson had built a 5-0 record and was selected for the 1999 USA Amateur MuayThai Team to fight in the World Amateur MuayThai Championships in Bangkok, Thailand in December. In Thailand, the top favorites for Team USA were James Downey and Dan Rawlings. However in round 1, Downey lost a close decision in one of the most exciting bouts of the day against a Finland opponent. This was Downey's first loss ever added to his 11-1 record with 5 Knockouts.Rawlings also lost his first round match to an opponent from France by decision. With both out, it was up to Johnson to emerged as the New Star for Team USA instead.
Johnson won his
first round bout by TKO in the second round against an opponent from Iran to
advance to the Championship round to fight for the Gold Medal against an
opponent from the Ukraine. On Saturday, December 11, 1999 in Thailand, Jason
"Roadblock" Johnson won the World International Federation
MuayThai Amateur (IFMA) Super Heavyweight Gold Medal with a second round
TKO over his Ukrainian opponent. The win put Johnson's amateur record at
7 wins with no loses and 4 wins coming by KO/TKO.
Later that month in December, Johnson's trainer, Duke Roufus announced that both Johnson and Downey were turning Pro in 2000. Downey planned to make his Pro debut January 6, 2000 at the famous Rajadamnern Stadium in Bangkok on Phetnoi Promotions vs a Thai opponent. He's the first American fighter to appear at Rajadamnern. Johnson planned to make his Pro debut February 26th on one of Roufus' promotions in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
On Thursday, January 6, 2000, Johnson's team mate in Milwaukee, James "Knock`em Down" Downey did what no other American has ever done. Fighting in his professional debut at Bangkok's famous Rajadamnern Stadium, the 21 year old not only became the first American to ever fight at Rajadamnern, he also became the first American to win at Rajadamnern.Downey stopped Konsan T. Pitakgolghan who had 35 professional fights, midway through round 3.
Back in the states, Johnson would not make his Pro debut in Milwaukee as planned but instead, he would travel north to Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada to meet up with Wade Irwin of Sik Tai Muay Thai, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. (11-5/4) on February 12th, 2000. In the bout Johnson went on to win his first Pro bout with a unanimous decision win, 49-46, 48-47 & 49-46.
Johnson's next entree into the Pro Ring was on April 1st, 2000 in Milwaukee where in bout 11 of the night he defeated Christian "King Cobra" Toleque (Indianapolis Siam) by Split Decision, 48-47, 47-48, 48-47 to improve to 9-0.
His next pro bout was in Milwaukee on May 6th, 2000 as the Main Event of the "MuayThai
Madness" event. It was bout 13 and Johnson made his
fans believe
even more as he defeated Wade Irwin (Sik-Tai
MuayThai) by TKO at 2:36 of Round 1.
With a perfect record, it was time for Johnson to step
up to the next level and the invitation to the K-1 USA event may have been
another level, but maybe too big of a jump at the time. K-1 was no small time
event. It was "The Show!" Johnson may have been ready
for the fight itself, but the outside distractions of Las Vegas and the K-1
Media may have taken a bit of his focus away. It appeared so on Saturday night,
August 5th when Tomasz Kucherzewski (Right, 6', 225 - Ottawa,
Ontario, Canada) quickly stopped Johnson by the hated K-1 2
knockdown rule at 56 seconds of the first round. It was
a wake up call for Johnson who
realized after this bout that there is always more to a fight than the fight in
the ring. 
It would be a small mistake he
would never make again.
Johnson next IKF sanctioned fight would be in February of 2001 when he entered the ring against Jeff Ford (Right). The first round was punctuated by Johnson landing an impressive head kick, which dropped the ever-formidable Ford. Ford beat the standing eight count and continued to fight back, but Johnson's knee attacks and kicks prevented Ford from establishing a consistent offense.
Ford was valiant throughout the bout, but Johnson
remained relentless, methodical. The bout was rightfully ended in the
third round by referee Al Wichers when
Johnson was landing numerous kicks, punches, and knees on a seemingly
unresponsive Ford.
Johnson's final
fight in the ring was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA on the "HEAVYWEIGHT
GLADIATORS" event. By now, Johnson had transformed from "The
Roadblock" to "The Gladiator" and he was
everything a Gladiator had to be. He was a fighting machine in a ripped and
chiselled body with a fighting record to prove it of 14 wins, 1 loss and 11 wins
by KO or TKO. He stood 6 feet tall and weighed in at 218 lbs. At the time, Johnson
was ranked 7th in the world and big names ahead of him like IKF World Champion Matt Skelton followed by
ranked fighters, Ernesto Hoost, Jerome LeBanner, Stefan Leko, Mike Bernardo,
Francisco Filho, Peter Aerts, and his own trainer,
Duke Roufus,
there was no shame or embarrassment to be in the 7th spot.
His bout was a Semi Main
Event against Mexico star Raul Romero Gonzalez (Right) of Mexico
City Mexico. In the ring the two looked like 2 chiselled male models ready for
either a bodybuilding contest or a shot in GQ magazine. These two simply spell
out the look of a Gladiator. Gonzalez weighed in at 229 lbs to Johnson's
218 lbs and probably had a combined body fat of 3%... if that. As the two met in
the ring, few women wanted to see these faces get scared, but the truth is,
these two are indeed true Gladiators, which is what they came into the ring on
this night to be... GLADIATORS!
Johnson had the support of America's elite fighting
military, the US Marines. Johnson himself was a Marine and proudly wore
the Semper Fi (Always Faithful) label on his American Red White
and Blue shorts (Right) It was as if Johnson carried America on
his shoulders into this fight, and he had no desire to let America down. As
round 1 got going Gonzalez started to score with knees to the body quite
often but Johnson countered back with knees as well and when on the
outside the two evenly exchanged punches and leg kicks. Then suddenly, like the
dropping of an atomic bomb, Johnson lifted up his powerful right leg and
landed it 
squarely on the side of Gonzalez'
head (Left) dropping the big man to the canvas. The blow sent a
thunderous ringing throughout Gonzalez' head and although he tried to
shake it off he couldn't. He tried to stand but he seemed to be off balance and
as he sat back down to the canvas, referee Al Wichgers waived the end of
the bout. Johnson had scored an American victory at 1:33 of round 1.
Johnson had planned to
fight again in Greece against one of the most famous heavyweights in Europe,
Paris "GOLDEN GREEK" Vasilikos of Greece in December
of 2001. The winner of the bout would get a shot at the World Title against IKF Super Heavyweight MuayThai World Champion Matt
Skelton of England. However the acts of September 11th forced him and his
trainer to re-think their desire to travel abroad and instead cancelled the
bout. It was after this though that "The Gladiator"
had caught the eyes of yet other admirers... The eyes of Hollywood... And with
this calling, it was time for Johnson to move on to the "Next Step"
or the "Next Level" of his life...
After discussing the opportunities he had with his trainer
Duke Roufus,
they both agree he would step down as a fighter to engage in a new career. To
Johnson, Kickboxing is not the end of his story, it was just a part of
this 
Gladiators Life. Johnson moved
to Las Vegas to be closer to those working with him now. In his off time, he
decided to try out as another Gladiator, but this time in full attire working at
Caesars
as a Centurion Guard, also referred to as a "GLADIATOR".
His jobs there are many which include working as a Doorman at their Shadow Bar.
As Johnson put it in his own words, "As a "Gladiator" I have the opportunity to entertain hundreds of people everyday and put a smile on as many faces as I can. We stroll through the Casino and mall and do many special events as well." Along with the fun of working at Caesars he's also doing some modeling to gain more experience and exposure as well as being active in several acting classes a week. He currently has three acting coaches and a very good acting agent who is getting him a lot of castings for television and film. So far he's done one commercial with many more to come. "Kickboxing will always hold a special place in my heart." said Johnson. "I made more friends and got to do more with it than I had ever imagined. But, the book of my life is going to have many exciting chapters and it is time to turn the page onto the next one."
One thing that still
continues today is the strong bond between coach and student. Their relationship
though goes far beyond the coach and student level.
Duke Roufus
and Jason were true friends as well. "I have nothing but love
for Duke Roufus, Scott Joffe and for every member of the team."
Said Johnson,
"They have done a great deal for me and I would do anything for them.
They are a second family to me and we will always have a very close
relationship."
Johnson's decision to leave
Milwaukee had nothing to do with kickboxing at all actually, he just wanted to
pursue a childhood dream which is acting. Johnson continued, "I
have changed careers but my friendships with everyone at the gym will never
change."
With that being said, we are confident that Jason has truly mastered being a Gladiator both in the ring and out and we are proud that we here at the IKF had the opportunity to be a part of his life as well as be able to call him a friend. We wish you the best in your future Champ, and remember, to us, you'll always be a Champion Gladiator! "Semper Fi!"
The following is Jason's bio from the Milwaukee Kickboxing website;
Jason Scott Johnson,
nicknamed "Gladiator," was born in Janesville,
Wisconsin on November 30, 1974. Johnson, 6' 0" and 212 lbs/95.4
kgs, is the 1999 World MuayThai Council ("W.M.C.") World Amateur Super
Heavyweight Champion and the 1999 International Kickboxing Federation ("IKF")
U.S. National Heavyweight Champion.
His fight record is 15 wins, 1 loses
with 11 KO's. He was a 1993 graduate of Martin Luther High School in Greenfield,
Wisconsin where in his senior year of high school, he was the 1993 Wisconsin
State Wrestling Champion at 189 lbs.
He began training in MuayThai with Duke Roufus in April of 1998. He is co-managed by Roufus and Scott A. Joffe of Ad Cetera Sports Celebrities, Milwaukee.
A former Corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps (Left) elite Recon Unit (1993-97), Johnson saw active duty overseeing peacekeeping efforts in Port au Prince, Haiti, (Right) worked security with the U.S. Border Patrol's Joint Task Force in Mexico and toured Scotland and England, where he trained with the prestigious British Royal Marines.
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MORE NEWS OF 2-22-02
THIS WEEKENDS
IKF ACTION...
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Smiles Set
To Defend
IKF British Heavyweight Title
Against
Stanton In England
This coming February 23rd, 2002 in Blyth, England, IKF promoter Mr. Steve Jessop will host the IKF British Title Defense & an IKF England Title!
The Pro British Full Contact Heavyweight Title will feature the current IKF British Heavyweight Champion Kevin "Stretch" Smiles (25-5/10) as he makes his first defense this Saturday night when he takes on challenger Shane Stanton.
For info, contact Mr. Jessop by e-mail at
steve.jessop@zhengdaolo.freeserve.co.uk
or contact IKF Europe by Phone/ Fax at 44
174 473 9043, or by E-Mail by clicking
HERE!
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Barlow To Host
IKF ENGLAND Vs IKF
Portugal
This Saturday night, February 23rd, 2002 in Leicester, England, IKF promoter Mr. Mark Barlow. will host exciting IKF Kickboxing action! the night will feature IKF England Vs IKF Portugal. There are no title bouts on this event.
For info, contact IKF Europe by phone/ Fax at 44 174 473 9043, or by E-Mail by clicking HERE!
THURSDAY, February 19th, 2002, AT 8:05 AM, PT
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Champions Without A
Fight
Or A Belt...?
The Political Spoils Of Australia Re-Visited As
Australia's Holly Ferneley &
Ali Hallack Get A Title Without A Belt
And England's Sara Hall and
Billy Saul Get a Belt
Without A Title...
It happened so long ago that many of you may have forgotten about it even if you read about it. To have this whole story make sense, we will need to take you all back to July of 2000 and explain what all happened down under in Australia. In the end, you will see why this story had to be posted. It's not a story we're proud of by any means but the news must be reported. Otherwise, it would look like we were just doing what a lot of other organizations have done in the past... Throwing this whole event in the back of a closet, closing the door and try to forget it ever happened... But it did...and we won't forget about it, for the sake of those involved, it just needs to be told.
It was a sad day in Australian Kickboxing when the New South
Wales Boxing Authority (NSWBA) officials Terry Hartmann and Dave
Moreland put a stop to a dual World Title Event that featured 2 Time IKF World Champion Holly Ferneley (Left
in red) Vs Sara Hall (Left in blue) and 2 Time
IKF World Champion Ali Hallack (Right in
black) Vs Billy Saul (Right in white).
The story behind this article will make some of you feel like we're in the 17 or 1800's as far as laws of "Equal Rights" go, so lets start there and get to what looks like the end of this long and drawn out sad story of what happened in Australia almost 18 months ago.
The equal rights we speak of are "Women's Rights!" It seems that in NSW Australia, women DO NOT have equal rights when it comes to Ring Sport Fighting. By "VERBAL" definition of the New South Wales Boxing Authority, they "CLAIM" that it's "Illegal for women to fight, box or kickbox in New South Wales Australia.".... Yes, you heard us correctly. Illegal... However, notice we said the word "CLAIM" as well. Let us add that "NO WHERE" in the New South Wales Boxing & Wrestling Control Acts legal documents or legal laws does it come right out and say "Women are not allowed to fight, box or kickbox in NSW." What their own definition DOES SAY is that "Any male over the age of 16 may register to become a boxer in New South Wales." Following us so far?
The view of the NSWBA is a women's place is in the home cooking and having babies because their "ONLY" reason they could tell us as to WHY women shouldn't be allowed to fight is that "Well I guess they could injure their unborn fetus." That was the "ONLY" Reason Dave Morland of the NSWBA gave us. In fact, worse yet, other than this answer, not "1" single member on the NSWBA could give us any other JUSTIFIED REASON as to WHY women are not allowed to fight in Boxing or Kickboxing in NSW Australia. Their most common answer was, "It's just the law..." Keep in mind that we are talking about a state that lies in the country that hosted the 2000 Olympic Games 2 months later in September. A state that has a law that "STILL" discriminates against women.
As we investigated this law, we found it odd that we discovered
that women who fight under what the NSWBA call "Martial Arts Rules"
ARE ALLOWED to fight. What are Martial Arts Rules? Believe it or not, Martial
Arts Rules as described by the NSWBA mean, "FULL CONTACT Ring Sport
Fighting." In fact, 3 Martial Arts 
Groups
had been promoting such events for some time now. They include the Keito
Martial Arts Association that does full contact Martial Arts, the Australian
Chinese Kung Fu Association that does full contact Chinese Kung Fu fighting
and Kyokushine Ring Karate Australia that does full contact Ring Karate.
So back in 1999, promoter Robert Wilesmith (Pictured Right) had
a desire to promote Women fighter Holly Ferneley. Miss Ferneley
at the time was not Mr. Wilesmith's fighter so he didn't have a personal
tie, he just wanted to promote women's kickboxing. However he knew of the NSWBA
rule. So of course knowing this, he did what "SEVERAL" other promoter
in NSW had done before his event and MANY times since. He promoted his event as
a Martial Arts Event which he successfully did "TWICE" in New
South Wales, Australia.
Both times, the NSWBA sent their representative, Dave Mooreland to sit ringside who was welcomed by Mr. Wilesmith as well as the IKF. BOTH events were "Sanctioned" as Martial Arts Events under the guidelines of the NSWBA. Mr. Wilesmith sanctioned them with the Keito Martial Arts Association, the Australian Chinese Kung Fu Association, and the Kyokushine Ring Karate Australia along with the IKF. You see, the funny thing here is what Mr. Wilesmith did was no different than what others had already been doing in NSW and may we point out, "Continue to do to this day on a regular basis." He and the other promoters in NSW Australia found a TOTALLY LEGAL Loophole in the NSWBA Act. However the NSWBA wasn't happy that Mr. Wilesmith was getting away with this so they filed a court case against him after his March 2000 event. The IKF even funded some of the court/legal fees for the case because "We Support Equal Rights for Women." When the case went to court, Mr. Wilesmith and his Barrister/Attorney embarrassed the NSWBA because they couldn't even present a qualified expert who was part of their associates who could define martial arts or kickboxing let alone if there's a difference between the two. When the NSWBA was asked, "Do you know the rules for kickboxing and boxing?" The NSWBA asked to look it up in his book. Look it up? And your suppose to be an expert and an authority for the NSWBA? so because of this, the court brought the question to them, "How are you qualified to judge or define what is martial arts and what is not?" There answer... "We refer to the book..."
In addition, Mr. Wilesmith's Solicitor/Barrister continued with some other justified issues in the case.
Wilesmith's battle continued with these additional facts;
What Mr. Wilesmith's legal advisors did was highlight the inadequacy of the NSWBA Act, the interpretation which is being applied by people ill-qualified to handle clarifying definitions and the fact that he was being isolated from amongst a group of various others doing the same thing with impunity. The boxing or kickboxing Act is so vague that it could cover "Any style of fighting" and is vague enough to be meaningless. (barroom brawls could finish up qualifying as boxing or kickboxing!!) Professional Boxing rules which contradict or undermine Kickboxing rules (3-count for a kick knock down, forced to apply the 'no foul rule' totally inappropriate in kickboxing, just to name two..) Highlight the differences between amateur & professional kickboxing. Add to this how different rules such as Muay Thai (knees/elbows) make a difference to a fight. Full contact martial arts, being allowed to use takedowns, sweeps/throws etc. makes for a technically different fight. Questions were directed at the NSWBA authority as to how/why the fight IS different to boxing / kickboxing. They couldn't answer because they DON'T know what difference the changed rules make.
Keep in mind again that the "ONLY" reason Mr. Wilesmith went this rout (Sanctioning his events as a martial arts event compared to a kickboxing event) was to be able to offer Holly Ferneley a fight in her own home state of New South Wales Australia.
After Mr. Wilesmith's March, 2000 event, we (IKF) asked the NSWBA Representative, "How can we change the law so boxing and kickboxing is legal in NSW for women?" And we were told to take it up with the Premier of New South Wales, Mr. Bob Carr. So this was done. However Mr. Carr did nothing about it. We were next directed to the Minister for Sports and Recreation for NSW, Mr. John Watkins. Again, Mr. Watkins like Mr. Carr choose to turn his back on the issue as if it wasn't there. Mr. Watkins wouldn't claim to support the law yet he chooses not to change it either. Talk about a "Politically Neutral Stand". Seems these guys are afraid of upsetting the women of NSW Australia so they feel if they turn their backs on it, the media will give it less attention. However, by their denial to address this VERY OLD law it opened up the media flood gates. Again, remember, we're talking about a law that bans women from a sporting event in a state that is the host state of the country for the 2000 Olympic Games.
Now we finally get to the planned July event by first time IKF Australia promoters, D. S. Promotions and their "Thunder in the Gong" event scheduled for Saturday night, July 8th in Wollongong, NSW, Australia. The IKF was first made aware of some event problems on Tuesday, July 4th when the venue was lost by the promoters not making a final deposit payment. The action this started lead to the cancelation of this event, but "NOT" by fault of D.S. Promotions. D.S. Promotions were already finalizing another venue that would eventually be confirmed.
The night before, Ali Hallack's
opponent from England and Number 1 IKF
Full Contact Rules Featherweight Contender Billy Saul (Pictured
Above Right) along with and Holly Ferneley opponent, Women's
Bantamweight Contender Sarah Hall (Pictured Left) had arrived.
When Saul and Hall arrived at the
hotel, they couldn't find anyone representing D. S. Promotions so they
started to ask questions about the event to people in the area. People the
English fighters spoke to in regards to contacting the promoters said he knew
someone who could help them. This individual figured the event would be licensed
through the NSWBA since it was a kickboxing events (At least in general)
and said he would contact a friend of his who worked at the NSWBA who could help
them all get ahold of the promoters. Remember though, this event was being
called a "Martial Arts Event" compared to the title of "Kickboxing
Event" so the women's bout could take place. Because of this, the NSWBA
had never been notified of such an event. The English fighters gave Mr.
Wilesmith's name as the promoter (Which was wrong, Mr. Wilesmith
was only the matchmaker, but he was their only contact once in Australia)
Upon getting information of this, Terry Hartmann remembered how Mr. Wilesmith embarrassed him and the NSWBA a couple of months back in court. Because of this, Hartmann started sending "Threatening" faxes and making "Threatening" phone calls to everyone involved informing them that they would be arrested and fined if they proceeded with the event. In the faxes Hartmann was claiming that Mr. Wilesmith had no license or permit for the event, that Mr. Wilesmith was a terrible promoter etc. etc. This OBVIOUSLY scared the heck out of the promoters but EVEN MORE SO than the average promoter because they were a "Gaming Casino" (Gambling) and from what we discovered later, they were threatened directly that they would lose their gaming license. Obviously they feared their license would be taken away because of the circumstances of the event after getting such faxes and phone calls that they immediately cancelled the event.
Now add to this the stress, panic and worry of our English Team. They were in a country they didn't know. The promoters had not contacted them yet. They were hungry and fearing legal action against them after being confronted by Terry Hartmann of the NSWBA who was telling them they would be arrested if they fought on this event. They were also informed by someone along the way that a "Martial Arts Event" included fighting with knees, elbows and doing throws which was far from the truth. (Those techniques may be allowed in "Martial Arts Rules" but the rules that were going to be followed were Full Contact Above the Waist Rules known to many around the world as Full Contact Karate years ago.) They were thinking by now, "What the heck have we gotten ourselves into!!?" Which many fighters have faced when traveling around the world...
What was now happening behind the scenes was even worse. Remember Mr. Bob Carr and the Minister for Sports and Recreation for NSW, Mr. John Watkins who choose to "Turn their backs on this issue?" Well, by doing so, the NSWBA went wild and has now put NSW Australia on the World Map for all the media to see but not for this coming September's Olympic Games, but for the failure of "Equal Rights" in women's sports. He publicly embarrassed the state of NSW and Australia only a couple of months before the start of the 2000 Olympic Games. An Olympic host country that doesn't support Equal Rights for Women Sports? Also, of the THREATS and NSWBA related documents Terry Hartmann sent out to everyone (Including some sent to us here at the IKF), he sent them on his own personal business letterhead. (trying to separate the NSWBA from direct involvement to save the embarrassment they ended up facing.) What was Hartmann thinking? That we wouldn't catch on to such a thing?
What made matters worse is that Terry Hartmann went way outside his legal jurisdiction, abused his position of power as a member of the NSWBA just to get revenge at Mr. Wilesmith. He actually "MADE UP" his own "Interpretation" of the law in regards to kickboxing and women's fighting in NSW and faxed it to everyone involved as if "HIS Personal Interpretation" of the law was a "Past Legislative Law!" AND IT NEVER HAS BEEN! Hartmann had individually created an "International Incident" for an Olympic Host Country all because those above him choose to "Turn their backs" of the situation in hopes it would just blow over and avoid them dealing with an International Incident in the year of their Olympic Event in New South Wales Australia.
By the time IKF President Steve Fossum arrived in Australia at about 6:30 AM Friday morning, most of the damage had already been done. The English team was mad at Wilesmith thinking he was at fault since he was their only contact in Australia. There was even reference made by the English Team that the IKF was at fault, for whatever reasons. This thought couldn't have been further from the truth because we had done everything in our power to make the event a success as we had done on the last 2 NSW Australia events we sanctioned. Why would ANYONE expect it to be any different than the previous times...
Immediately after collecting his bags, Mr. Fossum was on the phone contacting the various individuals involved in the event. He tried to set up a meeting with the English Team but they didn't want to meet. Instead, they said they were busy "Sight-seeing" and had no plans of fighting now. They had met with the NSWBA instead and simply believed everything they told them. Traveling fighters need to understand that sometimes when they go to a different country, there's always 1 person they can "ALWAYS" count on to help them as a neutral individual and that's Mr. Fossum. He's helped out a lot of fighters and trainers who arrived at events from other countries who felt lost or confused as to what all is going on. As the IKF Representative, it's his responsibility to assure the well being of the "Out of town fighters first" and the hometown situation next. However, he was never given this opportunity with the English Team by the time he arrived Friday.
"It's not their fault." Said Fossum. "By the time I got there, their minds were already made up as to who they felt was on their side. They felt stranded by Wilesmith, even though he wasn't the promoter. They already made up their minds as to who they wanted to believe and like anyone coming in from a different country they were angry at the situation along with being a bit scared as to how they were getting home, were they going to be arrested, will they have a hotel to stay at and several other issues. When we got to the car, Robert called Billy Saul on his mobile/cell phone and quickly the conversation became heated by Billy. It was obvious Billy was upset with Robert because I could hear him over the phone but at the same time, he refused to hear Robert's explanation of what all had occurred. Robert tried to get Billy to talk to me but he didn't want to talk to anyone. Robert was trying to explain to him what all was happening but Billy didn't want to hear it. It was clear his mind was made up at least for the moment as to who was to blame for all this. Heck, if I was Billy at that point, I too would have been confused and angry, but still, he should have taken a moment to talk to me to hear what all was taking place. Instead, he related me directly with Robert and since he was mad at Robert, he choose not to talk with me as well. This just made matters worse and my job much harder."
All day Friday, Fossum was in meeting after meeting trying to clear things up. One of those meetings was with Terry Hartmann of the NSWBA at his place of business. In the meeting, he presented his negative thoughts about Mr. Wilesmith along with his disapproval of women's fighting. He brought up both of Mr. Wilesmith's past promotions along with his own "Interpretation" of what the NSWBA "WISHED" the law for women's boxing should be. Fossum's main concern of the meeting was to allow the NSWBA representative to speak his thoughts as he desired so he would set himself up for the bigger question later. Which Hartmann did quite well. After the meeting, Fossum called back to Hartmann place of business to ask him that one big question... The previous definition of kickboxing by the NSWBA as we mentioned in this article above was very vague. However, now the NSWBA were trying to be more precise, to include ALL Martial Arts Fighting as well which would eliminate using the "Martial Arts Event" term to allow Holly Ferneley to fight other women in NSW. With this in mind, Fossum asked the question.
"Is the law your quoting us now in regards to your current definition of kickboxing, which is 'Contests in which the contestants wear boxing gloves, compete in a ring and kick and punch' a PAST legislative law?"
The answer back was "Well, it's our interpretation of the law as it is today."
Fossum asked again, "Yes, but is it a past legislative law?" Again, the same response. Finally after being asked about 5 times, our NSWBA became very frustrated and admitted what Fossum wanted to hear all along, "OK, if you put it that way, no it's not a past legislative law! But we'll still enforce it!" In which Fossum replied, "You know as well as I do Mr. Hartmann that you can't legally enforce a law unless it's a past legislative law, especially as a governmental agency. So all this time, this has only been 'YOUR INTERPRETATION' of a law that does not exist as of yet. Which means all this time, you had no law at all, just your personal thoughts and emotions." Frustrated, Hartmann tried to backpeddle to explain himself, but he knew he just crossed the line and he was toast!
Next Fossum met with the promoters. However, by now the damage was done. The English fighters didn't want to take the fight for obvious reasons. They were angered and disturbed. The promoters still feared their legal questions and didn't want to lose their gaming license. In addition, the promoters were out a lot of money and wondered who to blame now. There were expenses to still be paid and still fences to mend. As far as who the finger should be pointed at, there's no question to us that the finger is pointed at the NSWBA and their representative Terry Hartmann for acting out of their jurisdiction and forming their own "Interpretation" of the law. Heck, Hartmann even threatened us here at the IKF claiming we had done wrong in sanctioning these events under legal laws of the NSWBA. These were your rules guys, how can we break them, you wrote them. Don't be mad at us or Mr. Wilesmith, be mad at your author who wrote the rules, regulations and laws in regards to the NSWBA boxing and kickboxing acts. Terry Hartmann of the NSWBA actually threatened us with the line; "Having regard the 3 illegal promotions and their illegal features, I invite you to promptly set out in writing any submissions you wish to put to the Boxing authority stating why the Boxing Authority should not withdraw its recognition of the IKF." There you go again, stating things that are not fact. "Withdraw its recognition of the IKF?" To this date, there was never any formal filing of such an action with us directly. Hartmann has already threatened us and others with his personal "Interpretation of the NSWBA laws". We'll continue to stand firm on our position for Equal Rights for women and in the end, we will win the war for women fighters in New South Wales.
We mentioned earlier, fences still needed to be mended and IKF President Steve Fossum had yet to speak
to the English Team in person. Finally a meeting was arranged for Sunday
afternoon. In 
the meeting, Fossum brought the
English team up to speed with what all had actually transpired compared to what
they were told by others. After a discussion of these issues, Fossum
presented to the English Team something that their 2 Australian World Champion
opponents had suggested to show their good sportsmanship. The NSWBA had already
made Australia look pretty bad to the English Team and both Ali Hallack
(Left) and Holly Ferneley (Right) wanted to show true
World Champion class to their opponents from England. All of their friends and
family in Australia were able to hear first hand as to what exactly happened
with the fights and they knew why the event was cancelled. However, for the
English Team, going home with no World Title Belt would present a lot of
explaining and such explaining may sound like excuses to some. Knowing this and
the hardships they faced all week long in Australia, both Hallack and
Ferneley decided to "Temporarily" (As stated in the
opening paragraph everyone who was involved signed) award the IKF World Title Belts to the English Team as a show
of honor, respect and sportsmanship. "Such an act is stronger than
winning any World title." Said IKF
President Steve Fossum. "It takes true honor and sportsmanship
to do such a thing."
In doing so there were conditions though. Although Billy Saul and Sara Hall would return to England with the IKF World Titles, they had to agree to defend them before January 1st, 2001 either in England or Australia. With all 4 fighters having busy schedules, planning such a meeting may take some time but it was suppose to be a sure thing. IKF European Director and promoter Alby Bimpson of England had agreed he or Saul's trainer could host the bouts if need be, however, there may be other promoters interested including Australia's Robert Wilesmith. So in the end, everyone tried to do the right thing and all was sure to be settled by January of 2001. Well... so we thought...
Sadly to say this story still has a sad ending. As of Today, Tuesday, February 19th, 2002, these two World Title bouts never took place. Ever... Worse yet, not one thing has taken place that was in the agreement that everyone signed before leaving Australia. It was a contract signed by all 4 fighters, IKF President Steve Fossum and Wilesmith. In the contract on page 1 of 2, section 4, it reads: "If for some reason the event does not take place by January 2001, than Ali Hallack and Holly Fernely will automatically be awarded both World Titles. There were many other parts to this contract as well included, keeping the purse amounts the same as the previously scheduled bout, the IKF offering free sanctioning of the title bouts, travel arrangements agreed upon and several other things.
So as agreed in the signed contract, Saul and Hall we're suppose to return both IKF Title Belts to the IKF over a year ago. Well, sadly to say, they never returned the belts. Last year Saul's trainer said he was going to host the titles on a Fall, 2001 event. However, he never promoted the event. We've been very patient here at IKF Headquarters waiting for the World Title Belts to be returned as have Hallack and Ferneley. However, there has been no follow up as agreed in a signed contract by the two English fighters. It may sound petty but it's not. It's the principle of this whole thing that still lingers on almost 2 years after it all happened. Everyone signed a contract to agree that this issue would be delt with the way it was put in writing. It seemed like the only way to mend some fences at the time and looking back on it all, it still seems like it was the right thing to do for the moment. Since the event was never promoter, Saul and Hall were retired of the "Temporary" titles and they were awarded to Fernely and Hallack in the rankings. However as sad as it is, Hall and Saul have kept the IKF World Title Belts that they never won and choose not to give them back. In fact, Hall's trainer went as far as to say "Sara has her's displayed in her trophy case at home. It's to remind her what she went through." What about Holly and Ali? What's to remind them of what they went through? None of this was any fault of any of the fighters. Holly and Ali have no World Title Belt to display in their trophy cases. Why should they be punished? They did their part by offering the belts to the English to take home "Temporarily" until the titles were actually fought for. In the end here, it's just sad that the individuals involved just couldn't stick to their signed word of the contract made to solve the issue at hand.
It's a sad moment for the sport when a fighter wants to display a belt they not only never won, but actually belongs now to someone else. No, Holly and Ali never actually fought for the belt either, but that was the agreement EVERYONE agreed on. If this were all the other way around, Ali and Holly would be required to return the belts, but Hall and Saul took them home first. Still, Hallack and Fernely still must actually "Fight" an actual fight to legitimize the title, but the belts need to be returned first. If they don't defend it, no one gets the belts which would make this story have yet another sad ending.... But it appears we may never see the World Title Belts back here, let alone an actual fight for the 2 IKF World Titles in question...
More about "The Case!"
Ferneley
continued to fight the NSWBA for months after the incident above. However, she
lost her case. Here's the press on it;
Headline: Female kickboxer fails to win
right to fight
A New South Wales woman has failed to win the
right to be registered as a kickboxer by the state's boxing authority.
Holly Ferneley is allowed to fight in other states of Australia. A world
champion kickboxer, Ferneley had sought to be registered in New South
Wales. However, the state's boxing authority guidelines prevent women being
registered to fight. With the assistance of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre,
she sought to apply the sex discrimination legislation to her case. But Federal
Court Justice Murray Wilcox has ruled the legislation she sought to
apply referred to organisations offering a service, and did not apply to a
registration body such as the boxing authority. Outside the court, Ferneley
said she would continue to pressure the government to recognise its moral
obligation to allow women to participate in the sport.
Source:
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
And HERE:
Headline: Kickboxer loses courtroom
fight
SYDNEY
PROFESSIONAL
kickboxing will remain a men-only sport in New South Wales after a woman lost
her sex discrimination case yesterday. Sydney kickboxer Holly Ferneley,
30, lodged a Federal Court application against the Boxing Control Authority of
NSW and the State Government when the authority refused to register her for
competition. The 1986 NSW Boxing and Wrestling Control Act states that only men
over 18 can apply to register as boxers or kickboxers. In handing down his
judgment, Justice Murray Wilcox said the authority was exempt under
Section 18 of the Commonwealth Sex Discrimination Act because it was a State
institution. Outside the court, Ferneley said she would continue to fight for
her rights.
"It's possible for the NSW Government to discriminate, therefore it's
up to them to see that it's an unfair situation and change it within the law,"
she said.
Ferneley holds world, Australian, South Pacific and Commonwealth titles
for kickboxing. Justice Wilcox said the authority had breached the Act
in refusing to register Ferneley, which counsel for the boxing authority
said was justified in cases where competitors "strength, stamina or
physique were relevant. But Ferneley said the reference to strength and
stamina in the Act was irrelevant and that she fought women her own size. Every
State except NSW permitted women to register in the sport. She had completed
more than 20 fights.
Source: AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS, The West
Australian Newspaper
CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS, COMMONWEALTH: Ferneley v Boxing Authority of New South Wales, Federal Court of Australia, Wilcox J, 10 Dec 2001 [2001] FCA 1740, BC200107734, 28 pages: Discrimination, Sex discrimination, Female boxing, Claim by female boxer for sexual discrimination, State legislation requiring prior registration by State statutory authority of any person who engages in boxing contest.
For the page with the best details of this issue, please click HERE!
More reading can be found HERE.
MORE NEWS OF 2-19-02
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Tompkins
& Tarpein Win
Titles At
"FIGHT NIGHT"
Davenport, Iowa, USA - River Center
Organizers of last Saturday nights, "Fight Night" we're very pleased after the exciting event that hoseted over 1,200 spectators at the River Center in Davenport Iowa, USA. The night featured 11 exciting IKF Amateur bouts of which 2 of them were for IKF Iowa State Titles. The semi Main Event was a defense of Trent Tompkins Waterloo, Iowa, USA's IKF Amateur FCR Super Heavyweight Iowa State Title. Thompkins was challenged by Kenny Nyquist of Davenport, Iowa, USA. Thompkins had won the title in April of 2000 at the Iowa Kickfest in Waterloo, Iowa, USA when he defeated Jason Fulcher by KO at :35 seconds into round 1. Here's how the bout went as reported by IKF Event Representative Brooks Mason:
It was the tenth fight of the
night that brought together Kenny Nyquist of Davenport, Iowa USA trained
by Mike Smith and Trent Tompkins (Right) of Waterloo,
Iowa, USA trained by Russ O'Connell for a defense of Tompkins IKF Amateur FCR Super Heavyweight Iowa State Title.
The crowd was really anticipating this fight. The atmosphere was obviously one
of hometown boy takes on next victim. Well "HELLO" Davenport.
Welcome to the world of 2001 IKF USA National
Tournament Champion Trent Tompkins.
The Nyquist corner exuded confidence as the announcer introduced the principals. As they should. Kenny Nyquist is one tough fighter who takes a back seat to no one. The hometown boy was well chosen. Trent Tompkins was up for the fight. Constantly adding to his arsenal with each new fight, I waited to see what O'Connell had come up with this time. The answer was better footwork and real hands but lets get to the fight. Round One started with a ring of the bell and a roar from the crowd. I strongly suspect it was the last thing Nyquist heard. Showing his strong aggressive style, Nyquist brought the fight immediately to Tompkins. Tompkins showed surprisingly good hands as he fought off Nyquist's attempt to bring the fight inside. About 40 seconds into the first round Tompkins unloaded his signature right leg and put Nyquist doing the horizonal tango. Much to the credit of Kenny Nyquist, he got up and made the count. Showing the kind of determination you see from a Mike Smith fighter he went back in to the fray. What happened next is what brings people back to the fights. Trent Tompkins gave the people of Davenport, Iowa a glimpse of what the next level of fighter looks like. As Nyquist attempted to get back in the fight he made the mistake of getting within range of Tompkins's devastating kicking ability. Trent Tompkins hit Kenny Nyquist so fast and so hard, the crowd was in shock. Hitting the canvas head first seemed to agree with Nyquist, as he stayed there for the count and a few words with the fight doctor. Trent Tomkins retained his IKF Iowa State Title and puts another one in the win column. Russ O'Connell continues to add more to the mix and the world of kickboxing gets a little better. Trent Tompkins wins by KO at 1:08 of the first round.
The Main Event of the night was for the vacant IKF Amateur IR Iowa State Cruiserweight Title between Nick Tarpin of Davenport, Iowa, USA and Steve "The Killer" Miller of Iowa, USA. Once again, here's the bout action as reported by IKF Event Representative Brooks Mason:
The eleventh and final bout of the night pitted Davenport, Iowa USA's Nick Tarpein against Steve Miller of Waterloo, Iowa, USA. This was the Main Event and could you tell it. Davenport Iowa turned out to support their favorite son. The title on the line was the IKF Amateur Iowa State International Rules Cruiserweight Title. In the bout, we saw two seasoned veterans enter the ring. Steve Miller is the quintessential close in slugger with Nick Tarpein being a well know legkick man. With both fighters being close to 50, the younger fighters in the staging area referred to them as dinosaurs. Well it was TYRANNOSAURUS-NICK that showed up for this fight. Steve Miller is a veteran fighter with knockout power in both hands but none of that was to serve him tonight. Nick Tarpein started the fight with a classic double jab, legkick combination that set Miller up for a taste of Tarpein's shin that sent him to the canvas for the first time. Miller rose to beat the count and moved to Tarpein to press his fight. Tyrannosaurus-Nick took a bite out of Miller's daylight that he was not to recover from. Sunglasses and sun-block were the last things on Miller's mind as daylight was not a part of his world. Tarpein caught Miller with a hard shin to the temple that would have dropped a horse. It was a pleasure to watch a Low-Kick fighter like Tarpein ply his trade. The fighters in the back had little to say about age when faced with how it is supposed to be done. Hope this old boy fights again. Nick Tarpein wins the vacant IKF Amateur Iowa State International Rules Cruiserweight Title by KO :46 of the first round.
Here's the rest of the nights action as once again reported by IKF Event Representative Brooks Mason:
Bout #1: The first bout of the evening pitted Jim Shannon of East Moline, Illinois, USA, trained by John Morrow against Jay Dinsdale of Reinbeck, Iowa, USA, trained by Russ O'Connell. Shannon came out strong, sending Dinsdale to the canvas twice in the first round. Shannon's right hook proved too much for Dinsdale in the first round. The second round saw a different story with Dinsdale picking up the pace and lost ground. Dinsdale was penalized for holding and blew his only chance to catch up. The third round was a clean technical fight with Dinsdale winning on all three cards however Shannon's early start and Dinsdale's holding put the match in the Blue corner. Jim Shannon wins by unanimous decision
Bout #2: The second bout brought two middleweights to the ring. Marshall Blevins of Parkview, Iowa, USA, trained by Pat Miletich against John McNertney of Iowa City, Iowa, USA, trained by Hamza Omar. Blevins dominated the fight from the first round to finish. McNertney received standing eights in the first and second rounds. The primary reason he was conscious when he was TKOed at 1:05 of the second round. McNertney was an obviously well trained fighter but was no match for the aggressive Blevins. Blevins wins by TKO.
Bout #3: The third bout brought Scott Mabeus of Moline, Illinois, USA, trained by Mike Smith and Alfonso Barnum, also of Moline, trained by John Morrow to the ring. Mabeus and Barnum were actually pretty well matched but Barnum could not dot the I's and cross the T's. He lost 2 points in the first round. One for holding and one for missing his kicks. He was facing the lose of two more points for kicks when Mabeus decided the math was too hard and put Barnum down for the count at the bell in the second round. Both fighters proved fit and game for their first fight, I was impressed with both. Scott Mabeus wins by TKO.
Bout #4: The fourth fight of the night brought together David Ames of Iowa City, Iowa, USA, trained by Hamza Omar and Brian Stichter of Eldridge, Iowa, USA, trained by Pat Miletich. Omar brought an obviously well trained fighter to the fray but forgot to turn him on. Ames simply could not get going against the hard hitting Stichter. Stichter dealt his first knockdown with a crushing left hook. Ames made the count and proved he was there to fight, but taking a good shot doesn't win the fight. Stichter put Ames down for the count at 1:59 of the first round. Brian Stichter wins by TKO at 1:59 of the first round.
Bout #5: The fifth bout featured Joel Donnelly of Davenport, Iowa, USA, trained by Pat Miletich against John Franks of Omaha, Nebraska, USA, trained by Mick Doyle. Two well trained low kick fighters battled it out for the full three rounds. Joel Donnelly took the first round without question. Getting off more often and landing several good shots to Franks legs and following up with hand combinations. The second round saw the tide begin to turn with Franks gaining steam and more confidence in his leg kicks. Donnelly hung tough and continued to win on two of three cards. The third round saw Franks turn on the juice with the leg kicks, but he still could not get his combinations to work on the well covered Donnelly. The judges split again on who won the round. Numbers don't lie and after adding it up, Donnelly gets a well deserved win. Joel Donnelly wins by majority decision.
Bout #6: The sixth bout of the night pitted Julie Sandberg of Cambridge, Illinois, USA, trained by John Morrow against Sherry Zaruba of LeClaire, Iowa, USA, trained by Pat Miletich. Zaruba started and finished the fight convincingly. Sandberg fought back and stood her ground often but could not turn the tide of the fight. On several occasions Sandberg had the opportunity to press her fight but the tough determined Zaruba would have none of it. All three rounds saw good clean action with excellent kicking. The fight was more technical than powerful but a joy to watch. Perhaps we will see these two again. Zaruba wins by unanimous decision.
Bout #7: The seventh bout of the card featured Frank Young of Rock Island, Illinois, USA, trained by Mike Smith and Brett Zierath of Waterloo, Iowa, USA, trained by Russ O'Connell. The first round of the bout saw Young flat take it to Zierath. Young got off more often and with more power than Zierath and dominated the first round start to finish. Things looked bleak for Zierath. Well the conversation in the corner must have been intense as Zierath came out a new man. Young once again brought the fight to Zierath but the cards turned quickly and for the duration of the round. Zierath remembered what he was there for and took the second round on every card. The third round saw a see-saw battle that the crowd absolutely loved. Good combinations and tough shots by both sides. The judges switched to geometry but still could not decide a winner. This bout was declared a draw.
Bout #8: The eighth bout of the night brought Jake Ackerland of Rock Island, Illinois, USA, trained by John Morrow together with Bryan Corley of Omaha, Nebraska, USA, trained by Mick Doyle. Ackerland has a winning record and after watching the fight I know why. He came in the ring with a good sweat and ready to go. Dealing out punishment from the first bell. Corley on the other hand started slowly in the first round. One cannot help but wonder why a fighter from the Doyle stable would be fighting under American kickboxing rules. One of America's premier Muay Thai gyms with trainers like Mick and Willie, this club has turned out consistant winners but not tonight. The second round found Corley getting his footwork down after an intense lecture by Wille in the corner, but this meant little if anything to Ackerland who took the second round on all three cards. The third round saw a determined Corley act like an above the waist fighter and winning the round. Ackerland lost steam as Corley took the fight more and more to his corner. However one round does not win a fight. I would like to see a rematch here. Jake Ackerland wins by unanimous decision.
Bout #9: The ninth fight on the card saw Joe Ackerland of Rock Island, USA trained by John Morrow versus Tony Stumpf of Bellevue, Nebraska, USA, trained by Mick Doyle. The first round we saw the better looking of the Ackerland twins doing just what his brother did. Taking the fight to their opponent early in the round seems to be a family trait. The outcome this time was not quite the same. Doyle's trainer 'Willie' must have formulated a game plan as Stumpf also came out early and showed sound footwork in this above the waist fight. Both fighters came out throwing hard and the first round ended close but with Stumpf ahead on two cards. Round two was not as kind to Tony Stumpf. Ackerland was not to be denied a victory like his brother and took the fight to the next level. Ackerland caught Stumpf close to the end of the round and dished out a standing eight. Stumpf simply could not recover from a ten-eight round. He seemed to lose steam as Ackerland continued to build on the knockdown from the previous round. The strong first round was not enough to sway the cards. The judges saw it in favor of Ackerland. Joe Ackerland wins by majority decision.
Bout #10:Vacant IKF Amateur Iowa State International Rules Cruiserweight Title: Nick Tarpein of Davenport, Iowa USA against Steve Miller of Waterloo, Iowa, USA.Tarpein wins the Title by KO :46 of the first round.
Bout #11: IKF Amateur FCR Super Heavyweight Iowa State Title *Defense: *Trent Tompkins of Waterloo, Iowa defending his Title against Kenny Nyquist of Davenport, Iowa Tompkins wins by KO at 1:08 of the first round.
For more info on this event please contact Mr. Russ O'Connell at (319) 234-1935 or contact him by e-mail at Tkdoc07@aol.com
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"FIGHT NIGHT"
Davenport, Iowa, USA - River Center
Everything seems to be ready to
go for this Saturday nights "Fight Night"
in Davenport Iowa, USA, February 16th, 2001. The night will have 2 Main Event
bouts featuring some top Iowa Talent. The first of the two will be a defense of
the IKF Amateur FCR Super Heavyweight Iowa
State Title. The title is currently held by
2001 IKF USA National Tournament Champion
Trent Tompkins (Right) Waterloo, Iowa, USA. Thompkins
is being challenged by Kenny Nyquist of Davenport, Iowa, USA. Thompkins
won his title in April of 2000 at the Iowa Kickfest
in Waterloo, Iowa, USA when he defeated Jason Fulcher by KO at :35
seconds into round 1.
In case your wondering why a National Champion is defending his "State" title, keep in mind the IKF USA National Tournament Title is a "Yearly Tournament Title" and not a fixed title won at a regular event. Meaning, the Tournament title can only be won at the National Tournament.
The other Main Event of the night will be for the vacant IKF Amateur IR Iowa State Cruiserweight Title between Nick Tarpin of Davenport, Iowa, USA and Steve "The Killer" Miller of Iowa, USA. The title was previously held by Tarpin's student Clint Zimmerman. Zimmerman won the title back in April of 2000 when he defeated Dennis Reed of Muscatine, Iowa, USA by KO in round 2. Since Zimmerman hasn't been fighting, he recently retired the title so his trainer could fight for it.
For more info on this event please contact Mr. Russ O'Connell at (319) 234-1935 or contact him by e-mail at Tkdoc07@aol.com The IKF Event Representative for the event will be Brooks Mason and the IKF Event Referee will be Marco Medina.
MONDAY, February 11th, 2002, AT 5:10 PM, PT
WOW!
Sorry about that headline IKF News Readers, however, that's the only word left
in pretty much everybody's mind after Saturday nights
IKF Event and K-1 North American Qualifier
in Milwaukee Wisconsin, USA hosted byIKF
Promoter Scott Joffe (Left)
The event took place in the prestigious RAVE BALLROOM at the Eagles Club in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA and featured 7 IKF Amateur MuayThai Rules bouts and another IKF Pro MuayThai Rules Junior Middleweight bout along with the K-1 North America Qualifying tournament that featuring 7 USA Fighters and 1 Canadian Fighter. Before we get into why the word "WOW" was used to describe our feelings after the event, lets review the nights action in order. By the end, you'll agree with the word... WOW!
IKF Amateur Welterweight MTR Bout
BOUT 1: Number 1
IKF Ranked, and 2 time winner of the
IKF USA National Amateur Tournament ( 2000 &
2001 ) Neal Fox (Left - 148,
11-4-2) of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA defeated #3
IKF Ranked Welterweight Christian
Allen(146, 3-2/1) of Denver, Colorado, USA by unanimous decision,
30-26, 30-26 and 29-28. Allen was given a questionable standing 8 count
in round 3 from what appeared to be a slip, but the scores did not effect the
outcome.
IKF
Amateur Middleweight MTR Bout
Jason Wetzel (170, 1-1/0) of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA recorded his first win with a unanimous decision victory over Steve Richards (163, 0-3/0) of Marquette, Michigan, USA, 29-28, 30-27 & 29-28
IKF Amateur Middleweight MTR Bout
In the first "Country Pride" bout of
the night, Canada Vs
USA,
#2
IKF Ranked MuayThai Middleweight Harvey
Grasse (Left, 165, 6-3-1/3) of
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA and
#3
IKF Ranked Mark Durant (Right,
164, 10-4-1/3) of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada fought to a split decision
draw.
Judge Ryan Blackorby scored it 29-29 even, judge Tom Fischer scored it 29-28 Durant and judge Richard Winter scored it 29-28 Grasse.
IKF Amateur Light Heavyweight MTR Bout
Number
1
IKF Ranked and
2001
IKF US National Champion Ben
Dauck (Left, 177, 10-0-1/4) of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA continued
his undefeated streak with a surprising victory over 45 year old and
#2
IKF Ranked Cruiserweight Charles
Pemble (183, 3-3/1) of Marquette, Michigan, USA by unanimous
decision, 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28. We say surprising because it appeared Pemble
was more aggressive. Instead, Pemble only won rounds 1 on judge Richard
Winters card, round 3 on Ryan Blackorby's card and none on judge
Tom Fischer's card. Regardless, at 45 years old Charles proved once
again, he can "Hang With The Boys!"
IKF Amateur Light Middleweight MTR Bout
In bout 5 of the
Amateur undercard, Light Middleweight Bob Howden
(Right, 160, 5-1/3) of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA defeated Kao Moua
(157, 0-2) of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, USA by TKO at 1:02 of round 2. Moua
kept turning away from Howden which forced referee Jeff Nass to
make the correct call.
IKF Amateur Light Welterweight MTR Bout
In bout 6 of the night,
2 time IKF USA National Champion (2000 & 2001)
and #1 IKF Ranked
Casey Garza (Left, 135, 7-1/2) of Burlington, Wisconsin, USA,
defeated Rocky Zuniga (Right, 138, 2-1-1/0) of Winnipeg,
Manitoba, Canada by unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27 and 30-27. This bout seemed
like an easy and uneventful win for Garza who never seemed to explode
with any big combinations, doing just enough to secure the win.
IKF
Amateur
Light Middleweight MTR
North
American Title Bout
The Main Event of the nights amateur
undercard featured the quest for the vacant IKF
Amateur
Light Middleweight MTR North American
Title. Number 3 IKF
Ranked Joe Zychoka
(Right) of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and #2
IKF RankedJason Strout (Left)
of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA battled toe to toe in all 5 rounds. At the end of
round 2, Zcyhowka caught Strout in the face with a kick which
didn't seem to make a lot of contact from our angle but Strout went
down. Although he got back up pretty quickly, referee Al Wichers gave
him the 8 count which would prove to be Zcyhowka's saving grace. In
round 4, Zcyhowka took a beating from Strout but stayed strong.
This bout was a GREAT WAR between 2 Excellent Fighters with both exchanging
great combinations! In the end, the judges found it hard to choose a winner
scoring the bout a majority draw. Judge Tom Fischer scored it 47-47
even, judge Ryan Blackorby scored it 48-46 Strout and judge Richard
Winter scored it 47-47 even. Oh well, they'll have to meet again down the
road for that title belt which awaits them both.
K-1 NORTH AMERICAN
QUALIFIER TOURNAMENT...
After the IKF Amateur undercard bouts, the K-1 North American Qualifier Tournament kicked off as scheduled, at 8 PM. The event started with the first bout of the night. Although it was not a direct part of the 8 man tournament, the K-1 Reserve Bout would provide a winner and an additional fighter in the case of anyone who couldn't continue in the main Tournament or their opponent. As the bell sounded, Sean "The Shark" Crays of Mid-South Kickboxing, in Memphis Tennessee, USA ran across the ring and attacked Horace "The Real Deal" Craft of Cudahy, Wisconsin, USA with what looked like a jumping front kick or a jumping knee to Craft's face. Craft simply moved out of the way but it was the showing of things to come. In the bout, Crays continued to be the aggressor in all 3 rounds. He wasn't pretty, but he was the one who pushed the fight. In round 2, Crays hurt Craft with a leg kick but for some reason, he choose not to continue throwing them. At the end of round 2, Craft, who was more of a boxer than a kickboxer, hardly throwing any kicks, landed 1 good right hand at the end of the round, but that was about it. In round 3, both attempted to throw spinning backhands however each hit the other with a spinning elbow. Cray's took his in the head and the one he threw at Craft split open the top of his head. Although bleeding pretty badly, the ringside physical allowed him to continue. After the bout, Sean Crays of Memphis, Tennessee, USA was awarded the win. However, K-1 scorekeeper Jane wrote the wrong winner down on the scoresheet and unknowingly, the ring announcer announced the wrong winner as written. To us, it appeared he had announced the right winner since Crays, as we said, was a lot more active than Craft over all 3 rounds. The final scores were 29-28, 29.5-28.5 and 29-28.5. Oh well, so goes the fight game and hopefully this would be the only mix-up on the night. Rest assured, it was. In the end, we were very surprised to see Craft awarded the victory. Maybe it was because the judges thought he was too wild, we don't know. However, we didn't see Craft do enough to win it either. Craft now became the Reserve Fighter if needed.
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In the Tournament's opening bout, 2000 IKF USA National Amateur Champion and former IKF Amateur North American ChampionKurt Hasley (Left, 240, 6'4") of Chattanooga, Tennessee came to the ring with a new look. He had his hair pulled into about 20 small ponytails. The hair dew must have worked because he proved too much for the smaller Michael Regnier (Right, 210, 6'3") of San Francisco, California USA.
Hasley quickly overpowered Regnier and
exploded with several jab and right hand combinations that sent Regnier
to the canvas at 2:17 of the first round. The attack was too much for him as he
was counted out while sitting on the canvas by referee Al Wichers.
Hasley advances by 1st Round TKO Win.
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In bout 2 of the Tournament, Andre "The Silencer"
Walker (210, 5'11") of Denver, Colorado, USA wasn't explosive or
exciting but he did enough to get the job done in defeating Kelly "The
Lion" Leo of Atlanta Georgia USA. At the end of round 1, Walker
managed to Rock Leo with a couple of good punches but that was it. In
round 2, Leo landed a good head kick but Walker answered back
with some strong Lefts. (Being southpaw) In round 3, Walker
wasn't aggressive at all and Leo seemed to be waiting for his attack.
Walker seemed to just relax and figured he had done enough to win and
was saving himself for the next round. Well, he had, and he did winning by
unanimous decision, 30-27 on all 3 judges cards.
Walker
advances by Unanimous Decision Win.
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In Bracket B, match 1, 2001 IKF USA National Amateur MuayThai Super Heavyweight Champion Carter "The Black Cobra" Williams of Modesto California USA looked like a young Ali with a Tyson desire to win. Anyone would have agreed that at first glance he was the easy favorite the moment he entered the ring. At 250 lbs he was the heaviest in the tournament and when he entered the ring he was clearly the most relaxed. Dancin to the beat of the music, it all appeared to be a fun game to him.
At 5'11, and that kind of weight, he was solid as a rock and looked like the trunk of a giant redwood tree. In his opening round he faced USKBA Full Contact Rules World Champion Dan "The Lizard" Lucas (Left, 215, 5' 10")) of Rochester, New York, USA. In no disrespect to Lucas, Williams looked like a tank out there being attacked by a pistol. Lucas had some sharp hand combinations but the weight difference of the two fighters was noticeable different in the result of their strikes. For Lucas to give up that much weight was the sign of a true gladiator and we give him great credit for it. Even as a Heavyweight, 35 lbs is a lot of weight difference and no matter who it would have been against Williams in that opening bout, it would have looked the same. William's just looked invincible. As some had thought might happen, it was the leg kicks that got to Lucas. However, it was not exactly how some expected.
Being a full
contact style fighter (Above the waist - no leg kicks or knees) the
fighters are not allowed to catch a fighters leg.
Lucas was doing fine with the first few leg kicks Williams threw
at him, but it was after Williams caught his kick and cut his other leg
out from under him that hurt him the most. It hit him right at the knee. Being
thrown by a fighter the size of Williams and where it landed, it was a
kick that would have taken ANY Super Heavyweight down. When Lucas tried
to stand, the knee just wouldn't take his weight and he was counted out at 1:36
of round 1 be referee Al Wichers (Right).
Williams
advances by 1st Round TKO Win.
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In the final match of the opening round, former IKF Canadian National Amateur Champion Giuseppe "The Godfather" DeNatale (Left, 218) of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada was on a mission. For this being a North American Qualifier event, DeNatale was the lone wolf of them all. He was the only fighter not from the USA in the tournament. In the bout he faced 28 year old Mark "The Shark" Miller. (Right) of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Last time we saw Miller he was weighing about 209 lbs. He weighed in Friday night at 220 and looked to seek some redemption after losing to Lane Collyer at the same venue late last year. However, DeNatale had thoughts of redemption as well. After a brilliant Amateur career he's had a couple of rough bouts in his pro career. Many questioned his ability in the much larger Super Heavyweight divisions of K-1 claiming he was too small for the bigger guys. Like Miller, we last saw DeNatale fight at 209 lbs. in Milwaukee last year as well. However, unlike Miller, DeNatale defeated Kent Hensley (Not Hasley, who's in this event) of Atlanta, Georgia, USA by TKO with a body kick.
On Saturday night, it would be DeNatale's kicks that
got to Miller as well. Weighing 218 now, DeNatale dropped Miller
about a minute into the opening round with a head kick and later exploding with
a left - right combination that put Miller down for good at 2:07 of the
first. DeNatale looked focused and determined and had good strength. He
would now go to round 2 of the Tournament well rested, but the road to Las Vegas
was going to get a lot harder before it got easier, if at all... In the middle
of that road to the title stood a 250 lb Giant who had appeared sharp, quick,
powerful and outright unstoppable named Williams. At only 220 lbs, he had some
work ahead...
DeNatale advances by 1st Round TKO Win.
QUARTER FINALS
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HASLEY Vs
WALKER
In the opening bout of
round 2 we saw experience Vs muscle. Round 1 of this bout seemed as if both were
pacing themselves, waiting for the other to start the ball rollin. However
neither did and it ended quietly. In round 2 though, Kurt Hasley came
out as if there was no tomorrow landing some great explosive hand combinations
on Walker. When the bell rang, Walker must have been ringin as well because
Hasley connected on several clean shots to his head. However, in the middle of
the break, Walker's corner informed referee Al Wichers that he
was done. Sitting on the stool in the corner, Walker was couldn't answer
the bell for the 3rd round. Hasley had proved experience wins out over muscle.
But there was more to him than just experience, there was a
passion and a determination as we had not seen before. To respect this, you need
to know what this great man has gone through in his life. The moment that stands
out most for Hasley is the date of June 5th of 1999. A day he will never
forget. He, his pregnant wife and two sons were traveling to West Texas to be
with family when they were struck head on by a young man traveling down the
wrong side of the road who was under the influence of the drug crank. His wife
was killed instantly and his two year old son died twelve agonizing hours later.
As Hasley put it to us some time ago, "All of us are faced with
trials and hardships that are often times the result of the evil left to
develope unrestricted in others. If there is one thing that is certain in my
life, that is that there is the grace of God. It is my privilege to share what
happened to me and to let others know that in spite of all the terrible things
that are present today, we are created with the ability to choose. As
competitors, instructors, managers or teachers we can reflect the source of the
joy in life in what we do." When we read that, we realized, he didn't
need to win ever again in the ring. He had already become a Champion in life.
But he wasn't done yet... Hasley had silenced the Silencer and he was
off to the Final.
Hasley Advances To The Final
By 2nd Round TKO Win.
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DeNATALE
Vs WILLIAMS
When DeNatale
entered the ring against Williams, we wondered what he saw across the
way. A 250 lb tree in the middle of his road that lead to a date with Hasley
in the final. He would need to move that tree or cut it down to make that date
and Williams had no plans to allow such a date to happen. Hasley
was his as far as Williams was concerned and DeNatale was just
another pebble in the road. It was David Vs Goliath and we've
all seen this before. However, would DeNatale's David be able to
defeat the giant in this story? It didn't appear likely.
Round 1: Williams seemed to be playin with a toy. The size
difference was clear to everyone, 30 lbs of muscle more. Williams cut
DeNatale over his left eye with a strong punch that forced a pause in
the bout. The ringside physician choose to allow him to continue. It was at this
moment that everyone stopped looking at DeNatale as a contender, but
more so as a survivor. Would he survive Williams or would he go down?
DeNatale stayed poised and focused and somehow he survived round 1.
Round 2: Williams came out the same, sharp, quick and strong. He
looked stronger than ever and as fresh as could be. Then, all of a sudden while
Denalate had been avoiding the big man, he struck back with a strong
left leg kick to Williams right leg...The tree crumbled in the corner. WOW! What
happened?! The crowd was both in shock but on their feet! Could Goliath beat the
Giant? As referee Al Wichers started the count,
Williams stood at 6, and was back in the fight.
He
came after DeNatale and it appeared as if DeNatale was back to
surviving again. Williams attacked with speed and quickness, punches
landing flush on DeNatale but he wouldn't show pain, wouldn't go down.
Suddenly DeNatale hit Williams and knocked him back into the ropes. Williams slid down the ropes and appeared to fall again. Referee Wichers started another count but he was interrupted by the K-1 officials that told him that this was Williams 2nd knockdown. What did that mean? According to the K-1 rules, if a fighter suffers 2 knockdowns in 1 round, the bout is over and he loses. So be it, the Giant had fallen! David would survive and his date with Hasley was set!
WOW! What a finish! Where, how did DeNatale get the strength, the determination, the desire to survive the Giant?! One thing is sure, the final would feature 2 great fighters with not only experience, but the hearts of Lions! The final was more to these two that just another bout. As we say in the IKF..."Bring It ON!"
DeNatale Advances To The Final
By 2
knockdown Rule Win
IKF
Pro
Junior Middleweight Bout
The 1 non K-1 Pro bout of the night was in the IKF Pro Junior Middleweight Division. This bout
featured number 11 IKF
Ranked Jr. Middleweight "Dangerous" Dave Zuniga (Left)
of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada against
#3 IKF Ranked
Middleweight Jerame Harminson (Right) of Lena, Illinois,
USA. There was no question who won this bout as Harminson jumped all
over
Zuninga
forcing an standing 8 count in round 1. If he had 30 more seconds he could have
ended it in round 1. No matter though, as all he needed was 26 seconds in round
2 to drop Zuninga again and this time for good. Out on his feet, Zuninga
tried to climb out of the ring himself.
With the win, Harminson establishes himself even more so as a true contender for the top challengers spot to face World Champion Kongnapa for his IKF MuayThai Rules Middleweight World Title. Joining Harminson are 2 other top contenders, number 1 ranked IKF European Champion Ole Laursen, who just recently moved to California, USA and number 2 ranked Duane Ludwig of Aurora, Colorado, USA.
BACK TO K-1
K-1
North America Qualifier
CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL
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Everyone in the promoting game knows that the fans will remember the last bout of your event the best. If it was a bad fight, fans may hesitate to come back next time. However, if it's a good fight, they are more likely to return. Better yet, if it's a GREAT Fight, you better start printing tickets.
Such was the case for Promoter Scott Joffe and his final bout of the night. This will go down as one of the greatest bouts ever.
Giuseppe DeNatale was once again up against another
Giant. DeNatale stood about 5'11 and weighed 220 lbs. This time he faced
Kurt Hasley at 6'3" tall and 240 lbs. Hasley was the second
largest fighter in the Tournament. He had a much longer rest than DeNatale
and worse yet, DeNatale had a bad cut over his eye to worry about. The
fill-in bout didn't help DeNatale any either when Harminson
stopped Zuninga as quick as he did. This left DeNatale with even
less time then hoped for. The bottom line... Hasley was ready and DeNatale
was shufflin to get ready. Forced to go, his cornerman (Robert Coquete)
had to do what he could as quick as he could on the
cut he suffered from Williams
in the last bout. Forced into position, he was ready to go. Lets cut to the
action.
Round 1: This was the Ultimate of Gladiator Rounds! These two acted as if this was there first fight of the night! Toe to Toe, leather to leather these two went at it like true Gladiators! Where did they get their energy? Where did they find it? It was clear that the heart and mind will always be stronger than than muscle. Just ask Hasley and DeNatale! WOW! What an opening round! These two weren't holding back at all.
Round 2: Hasley appeared to press the fight more now. DeNatale appeared to feel the strain. He took several straight shots while against the ropes that opened his cut above his eye that Williams had given him and blood was running down his face. As a fighting Gladiator though he hung tough. Then, out of nowhere, ANOTHER Surge appeared from deep inside DeNatale! He fired back against Hasley with several strong shots of his own! WOW! A Right, a Left and Hasley was Stunned! Then it happened, Hasley, the other Great Giant of the Tournament fell.
Angered he pouded the canvas and got back up. Referee
Al Wichers let it continue. The fans
were on their feet and going wild! The
two met toe to toe again, exchanging all they had left, but in the end, it was
DeNatale's combinations that proved to be too much for Hasley as
he couldn't keep his feet. David had beaten Goliath not once, but twice in one
night.
Referee Al
Wichers stopped it at 2:15 of the second round! WOW! What a finish!
Hasley and DeNatale made it a TRUE Championship ending! They
both re-defined the word Gladiator and gave their all! What Heart! What
Desire! This was more than just a fight to both of them, this was a ticket to "THE
SHOW!"
After the fight DeNatale had only 1 thing to say, "You don't know how bad I wanted to go to Vegas." the new Champ said. It could have been anyone's night tonight, but this night belonged to DeNatale. It was his night and his trophy to win. He now has time to relax a bit and await his next moment of glory. The North American K-1 Championship Event will be waiting for him and 7 others in May. Is it possible he can top this performance? Hey, after the Gladiator we saw Saturday night, the heart, the desire, it's true in the fight game... Anything is possible! Good Luck Giuseppe! We'll be watching ya!
Great job by everyone involved on this
GREAT EVENT! What great fans! Milwaukee has proved once again that it is
the heart of the Gladiators! The fights, the fans and everyone involved! Mr.
Joffe, you have a Great Promotion to be proud of here! For more info on
this event, please contact Mr. Scott Joffe at (414) 319-1151 or (414)
305-3474.
IKF
Undercard Gloves Were Provided By TKO!
K-1 Gloves Were Provided By
FAIRTEX
MORE
NEWS OF 2-11-02
DAVIS'
Training Manual
Now Available!
Hey Kickboxers and
trainers, the new IKF Endorsed Training
Manual by former 2 time World Kickboxing Champion, Johnny "Superfoot"
Davis, (Right) "The Art Of
Kickboxing" has just been released and is now available. For info
about the manual, please click
HERE! To Order the Manual now, click
HERE!
This is a secure site.
Davis, (Left)
a resident of San Jose, CA, USA is a former two time world Kickboxing champion.
He moved to San Jose thirteen years ago. In 1993 he introduced the Bay Area to
his Kickbox-A-Robics Program. He has received awards like the
"Key to the City" of his hometown of Dillon, South Carolina,
USA and State Citations from the South Carolina House of Representatives.
Davis began writing the manual in 1995. His Autobiographical Training Manual chronicles several points of his Kickboxing career. The manual is loaded with pictures and will teach those seeking to learn the sport of Kickboxing how to kick, box and do awesome Kickboxing combinations! The Manual also introduces a new "total body" fitness routine designed for "Walkers." Its called, the Johnny Davis Walk-A-Bout Program. The Fitness Walk of the 21st Century! This new form of walking will greatly reduce Heart Attacks. The "Art of Kickboxing" is also the official training manual for the International Kickboxing Federation (IKF).
The manual is already listed on the Barnes & Nobles web site and will be in stock soon. It can also be ordered on line through Eastern Offset Publishers by clicking HERE or by calling (252) 247-6791. Cost of the Manual is $14.95 plus shipping. The Manual will also be available at upcoming IKF events where in some cases, Davis will be giving seminars and signing his manual. Events already booked include: March 2nd, 2002 - Monterey CA, USA, March 16th, Augusta Georgia, USA, - March 23rd, Roseville CA, USA, and March 30th, San Jose, CA, USA.
MORE NEWS OF 2-11-02
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2001 US National Champions (L-R) Adam Sylvia, Brent Hess and Nicole Hess display their championship belts for kickboxing with pride. They won their respective divisions in September at the 2001 IKF/Ringside U.S. National Amateur Kickboxing Championship held in Kansas City, Kansas. They are pictured with with trainer and father Mike Hess (Center) and teammate Jennifer Groebner. All are from Alexandria, Virginia, USA. |
CHAMPIONS SPOTLIGHT
Submitted By The Bruin Spotlight - Lake Braddocks Secondary School: As toddlers, siblings Nicole and Brent Hess were learning more than basic potty training. They were learning how to kick some butt.
Both began training in martial arts when they were just three years old. By age five, they were competing in local tournaments. Currently, they both hold black belts. On Sept. 8 and 9, they proved that they had truly mastered the sport. At the 2001 IKF/Ringside U.S. National Amateur Kickboxing Championship, the brother- sister pair won their respective divisions. At the event held in Kansas City, Kansas, they represented the Central East Coast Region of the U.S. and were among 240 finalists from all over the country. Four fighters from their martial arts school alone attended the competition and three of them walked away with title belts. Nicole won for the Junior Girls Bantamweight division (120-125 pounds) and Brent won for the Junior Boys Featherweight division (125-130 pounds).
Nicole fought first from their Team and during her first fight, she defeated her competition in the second round by TKO. She stopped the second girl she fought at the end of the first round, winning by TKO. For Brent's fights, he stopped his first opponent in the third round. He fought all three rounds with his second opponent and won by a unanimous decision.
Their interest in martial arts stems from their father's interest. Their father Mike Hess, founded Mi-Ki-Do Martial Arts, which means "my powerful way." For as long as they can remember, their dad has been taking them to class with him and teaching them basic kicks and punches. "At first my dad expected us to do the sport, but it was easy for me to develop a love for fighting and competing," said Nicole. Has this aggressive sport changed their personalities? "I enjoy fighting for the sport, I'm disciplined enough never to take it outside class," said Nicole. If you're an adult and have competed in about 30 fights, or you feel that you're experienced enough, you can compete professionally. Both agree that they would rather not, and only compete for fun.
Currently, Brent teaches kids from ages three to five basic martial arts skills. He also teaches "Kickboxercise," a self defense class for women. These classes are held on Mondays and Wednesdays in Chinquapin Recreation Center in Alexandria, next to T.C. Williams High School. "Teaching has made me grow stronger and stay focused," said Brent. Not only are both outstanding kickboxers, but Nicole is a member of the junior varsity field hockey team, and Brent is a returning member of the wrestling squad.
If you have a story about your IKF school, team and or IKF champions, please send it to: News@IKFKickboxing.com
THURSDAY, February 7th, 2002, AT 6:45 PM, PT
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IKF
Title
Featured On
K-1
North America Qualifier
Event
Roufus & Joffe Set To
Put
On A SHOW!
IKF Promoters
Duke Roufus
and
Scott Joffe
are locked and loaded and ready to roll for this Saturday's
IKF Event and K-1 North American Qualifier.
The event will take place in the prestigious RAVE BALLROOM at the Eagles Club in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
There will be 7 IKF bouts (1 Pro & 6 Amateur) that will kick off the night followed by the K-1 Tournament featuring 8 Super Heavyweights from North America.
Before the K-1 bouts begin, the event will start out with a great undercard of IKF Amateur MuayThai Rules bouts. The Amateur undercard show will beginning at 6:PM and will feature 7 dynamic amateur bouts with fighters from Canada and the USA.
IKF Amateur Welterweight MTR Bout
Although there will not be any Titles on the line the remainder
of the IKF Amateur Undercard will explode
with some tremendous talent. First out of the gate Saturday night will be in the
Welterweight MuayThai division. Neal Fox (Left)
#1
IKF Ranked, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin,
USA has a fight record of 10 wins with 4 loses and 2 draws with 4 of his
wins coming by KO/TKO.
However Fox' biggest accomplishment by far is being a 2 time winner of the IKF USA National Amateur Tournament ( 2000 US National Champion & 2001 US National Champion )
Fox will face Christian Allen (Right) of Denver, Colorado, USA. Allen enters the ring with a record of 2 wins and 1 loss and is ranked #3 in the Welterweight Division.
IKF Amateur Middleweight MTR Bout
Following the Fox - Allen bout in
bout number 2 will be theMiddleweight MuayThai division.
This bout matches up Steve
Richards (Left) of
Marquette, Michigan, USA and Jason Wetzel (Pic NA) of
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
Although both have experience in the ring (Richards 2 fights, Wetzel 1) both will be looking for their first win. They may be missing a win on their record, but these two will be hungry for that victory so expect this to be a great match-up.
IKF Amateur Middleweight MTR Bout
Bout number 3 of the night will feature the first "Country
Pride" matches in a great MuayThai War with Canada Vs USA! Both these
2 fighters bring plenty of experience to the ring in the
Middleweight MuayThai Division. In one corner will
be #2
IKF Ranked MuayThai Middleweight Harvey
Grasse (Left) of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA enters the ring
Saturday night with a record of 6 wins and 3 loses. Grasse will face off
against #3
IKF Ranked Mark Durant (Right)
of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Durant's impressive record of 10 wins with 4 loses will surly be challenged by Gresse who was a past USA National Champion having won the 1999 IKF US National Title.
IKF Amateur Light Heavyweight MTR Bout
In bout number 4, the size steps up to the
Light Heavyweight MuayThai Division. The heavy
favorite here will be #1
IKF Ranked Ben Dauck (Left)
of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. Dauck is well known to the IKF pages here for one main thing... WINNING! His record is strong at 9 wins with a draw
and no loses. OK, maybe 1 other 
thing too, he's the raining
2001
IKF US National Champion.
But Dauck's opponent could care less what he's accomplished already. He's only concerned with what Dauck plans to bring to the ring Saturday night. Although he may be looked at as an underdog, #2 IKF Ranked Cruiserweight Charles Pemble of Marquette, Michigan, USA is more than ready to "Bring It ON" against Dauck. Pemble enters the ring with less experience posting a record of 3 wins and 2 loses.
At last years 2001
IKF US National Championships, his
brother Dan came home with a National title and Charles was
denied when he lost his title bout to one of Dauck's team members, Derek
Yuen by majority decision, 30-27, 30-26 & 28-28. Think
there may be some redemption in mind?
You bet there will... Expect to see Sir Charles in a rage!
IKF Amateur Light Middleweight MTR Bout
In bout 5 of the Amateur undercard, Light Middleweight's Bob Howden (Left) of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA will meet up with Kao Moua (Pic N/A) of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, USA. Although he's unranked now, Howden will be the favorite going into the bout with a record of 4 wins and 1 loss. After Saturday night, he hopes to not only get ranked but be ranked high as well. Moua on the other hand who is looking for his first win against his 1 loss will also be seeking a placement into the North American Rankings.
IKF Amateur Light Welterweight MTR Bout
Bout 6 of the night will pair up 2 fighters in the
MuayThai Light Welterweight Division.
From Burlington, Wisconsin, USA, #1 IKF Ranked Casey Garza (Left)
enters the ring with an impressive record of 6 wins against only 1 loss. Garza
is a 2 time IKF USA National Champion
having won both the 2000 & 2001 IKF US National
Title.
His opponent will be Rocky Zuniga (Right) of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Zuniga has a record of 2 wins, no loses and a draw. This will be another Canada Vs USA match-up and when the bell rings Zuniga won't be worried about Garza's titles. He'll be more concerned with staying undefeated. On the other side of the ring, USA's Garza would be pleased to give Zuniga his first taste of defeat. This should be a great MuayThai War since country pride is on the line here once again with Canada Vs USA!
IKF
Amateur
Light Middleweight MTR
North
American Title Bout
Topping the card in the Amateur show will
be the quest for the vacant IKF Amateur
Light Middleweight MTR North American
Title. Number 3 IKF
Ranked Joe Zychoka
(Right) of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada has experienced a lot of
succes in his brief career. Posting a fight record of 12 wins and 3 loses with 2
wins coming by KO/TKO he's sure to bring plenty of skill to the Title Arena
Saturday night!
Zychoka will face #2 IKF Ranked Jason Strout (Left) of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. Strout has a fight record of 10 wins and 2 loses with 3 wins by KO/TKO and trains out of the Duke Roufus Gym. Although neither of these two have a lot of knockouts on their record, their sure to put on a show because there is one thing there records have... WINS!
IKF
Pro
Junior Middleweight Bout
The 1 non K-1 Pro bout of the night will
be in the IKF Pro Junior Middleweight
Division. This bout will take place directly before the Final Bout of the K-1
Tournament. Number 11 IKF
Ranked Jr. Middleweight "Dangerous" Dave Zuniga (Left)
of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada will face off against
#3 IKF Ranked
Middleweight Jerame Harminson (Right) of Lena, Illinois,
USA.
Zuniga has a fight record of 25 wins, 7 loses and a draw with 13 of his wins coming by way of KO/TKO. Harminson comes to the ring with a record of 17 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw with 13 of his wins by KO/TKO. This bout is sure to be another one of 3 great MuayThai Wars with plenty of country pride on the line with Canada Vs USA!!
THE K-1
NORTH
AMERICAN
QUALIFIER TOURNAMENT
Since none of the K-1 Tournaments are sanctioned by a sanctioning body, K-1 will take the stage after the IKF Undercard event. Lights Camera... Action and hopefully a lot of "BANG" will open the first ever K-1 North American Qualifier Tournament.
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K-1 North America Representative Scott Coker (Left) will be on hand to Represent the K-1 Organization along with event Promoters Joffe (Left) and Roufus (Left). Once the word is given, it will be time to...
"Bring On The Heavyweights!
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This event will feature a lot of Amateur fighters making their Pro debut but don't let that disappoint you. The talent among this group of Big Boys is vast and they should have no problem catching the important eyes of K-1.
The first match in Bracket A will feature 2 of those Amateur fighters making their break into the Pro Divisions. Kurt Hasley (Left) of Blalock Kickboxing in Chattanooga, Tennessee vs Michael Regnier (Right) of the Fairtex camp in San Francisco, California USA.
Hasley is 34 years old and stands 6' 4" tall weighing in at 240 lbs. He comes to The Show with a record of 7 wins and 2 loses with 6 of his wins coming by KO/TKO. Hasley was the 2000 IKF North American Amateur Champion as well as the 2000 IKF USA National Champion. His main discipline is Jeet Kune Do / Kickboxing.
Regnier is 25 years old and has a fight record of 5 wins and 3 loses. He stands 6'3" tall and hopes to weigh in at 215. He's weighed as much as 270 when fighting in California but we expect to see a slim and trim Reginer Saturday night.
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The winner of the Hasley - Regnier bout will face the winner of match 2 in Bracket A. Andre "The Silencer" Walker is 27 years old and stands 5' 11" tall weighing in at 230 lbs. He brings one of the best records to the ring Saturday night with 16 wins, 1 loss with 11 wins by KO/TKO. He trains at 3D Martial Arts in Denver, Colorado, USA and is a 5-Time Toughman Champion. Walker's already been to the Really Big Show once at the August K-1 North America Event. As an amateur he fought on the undercard in a less than impressive performance against Carter Williams. We say less than impressive because both were terribly winded by the 3rd round and if not for sure toughness, Walker could have met the same fate Williams did. In round 1 Walker dropped Williams during a "Slugfest" exchange with a strong shot forcing the referee to give Williams a standing 8 count. After the 8 count, Williams sat in the corner covering up until the bell ended the round. This could have easily been over in round 1 due to Carter's lack of response to Walker's punches. In round 2, Williams came out and pounded Walker with several strong head blows until he tired out again. Tired as well, Walker pressed back at Williams forcing him into the corner and without taking any blows, Williams simply slid down and quit and referee Cecil Peoples waived the bout off. We're sure both learned a lot from that bout, especially Williams as you will read below.
Walker will face Kelly "The Lion" Leo from Atlanta Georgia. Leo is 30 years old, stands 6' even and plans to weigh-in at 210 lbs. He comes to the ring with a record of 18 wins, 4 loses and 1 draw and trains at The Warehouse Gym. His bio says he was a 1999 South Eastern Heavyweight Champion. One thing against him though is his experience is all in the style of Full Contact, above the waist fighting. Unfortunately we haven't heard much about him since he's only been fighting in the South East USA. We'll see what he brings to the ring Saturday night.
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In Bracket B, match 1, Dan "The Lizard" Lucas (Left) will not be making his debut as a Pro fighter but he will be making his debut as a Leg Kicker. Lucas has already proved himself as a Champion in Full Contact Rules (Having won the USKBA Full Contact World Title) but this will be a new game to the Big Man. At age 30 and standing 6' tall, Lucas plans to weigh-in at about 215 lbs. His overall record is 22 wins with 2 loses and 1 draw. He trains at Mountain Storm Kickboxing in Rochester, New York, USA. Coming from a Kyokushinkai Karate background, Lucas shouldn't have much trouble adapting to leg kicks though, provided he's trained in the TRUE Kyokushinkai Karate style, which we believe he has.
One things for sure though, Lucas better be prepared for the knees and the leg kicks because it's clear his opponent will be. At 21, Carter "The Black Cobra" Williams of Modesto California USA learned a valuable lesson in that August bout with Walker. If your entering the ring, "BE PREPARED ON ALL FRONTS!" This includes more than being able to punch hard. Williams found out punching hard doesn't win all the time... When it's a slugfest where talent meets talent, Conditioning wins out! After Carter lost to Walker (See above Walker info) on the undercard of the August K-1 he got back in the gym and it appears he's never left. Williams came back in a big way at this past years 2001 IKF USA National Amateur Championships. In his opening round he defeated heavily favored, "BIG" John Grantham (259 lbs) of Athens, Georgia, USA by split decision 29-28, 29-28 & 28-29 to advance to the final. The final wasn't any easier where he faced off against the 2000 IKF National Champion, Kurt Hasley. Carter defeated Hasley by unanimous decision, 29-27, 29-27 & 28-27 to win the IKF National Super Heavyweight Title.Williams stands 5'11 inches tall and plans to weigh in as a REALLY BIG MAN! Probably the biggest of them all Saturday night at about 255 lbs. He comes to the ring with a record of 12 wins, 5 loses, 1 draw and 9 of his wins coming by KO/TKO. He trains at the Academy Of Kickboxing under Gene Fields.
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In the final match of the opening round, 26 year old Giuseppe "The Godfather" DeNatale (Left) will enter the ring with a fight record of 11 wins with 5 loses and 9 of his wins coming by way of KO/TKO. DeNatale stands 6' even and plans to weigh in at about 200 lbs. He trains out of Sik-Tai Muaythai Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He was the 1999 IKF Canadian Amateur Heavyweight Champion as well.
Greeting him on the other side of the ring will be 28 year old Mark "The Shark" Miller. (Right) Miller stands 6'3" tall and plans to weigh in around 210 lbs. His fight record is 13 wins, 4 loses with 8 of his wins coming by KO/TKO. He trains out of Iron City Gym in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
There is 1 scheduled "K-1 Reserve Bout" with 240 lb, 26 year old Sean "The Shark" Crays of Mid-South Kickboxing, in Memphis Tennessee, USA (9-0) paired up against 212 lb, 40 year old Horace "The Real Deal" Craft (21-8) of the Box Off Gym in Cudahy, Wisconsin, USA.
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Special Guests on the night will include several IKF Champions, IKF World Heavyweight International Rules Champion Rick "The Jet" Roufus. Former IKF World Super Heavyweight MuayThai Rules Champion Duke Roufus. IKF World Welterweight San Shou Champion Methee Jeetipitak. Former IKF World Middleweight MuayThai Rules Champion Robert Coquete and IKF North American Welterweight MuayThai Rules Champion Jongsanan Fairtex
Also in attendance will be IKF Promoters Russ O'Connell, Sven Bean, Jeff Mullen & Ryan
Blackorby.
2000 IKF
Amateur USA Middleweight Champion MT &
2001
Chicago Golden Gloves Boxing Champion,
Lisa Stecki.
2001 IKF
Amateur USA Lightweight Champion IR, Rebecca Mahin.
2001 IKF
Amateur USA Heavyweight Champion MT, Dan Pemble.
Former IKF
Pro US Cruiserweight Champion, Kwame Stephens.
IKF
#3 World Super Middleweight Contender &
IKF
# 6 FCR Contender, Tommy Bottone. IKF #5 World Super
Middleweight Contender MT,
Ryan Jones and ISCF # 1 Ranked
Light Middleweight Henry Matamoros.
The IKF Event Representative will be IKF President Steve Fossum and the IKF Event Referee will be Al Wichgers. For more info on this event, please contact Mr. Scott Joffe at (414) 319-1151 or (414) 305-3474 or by e-mail by clicking: HeavyweightGladiators@webtv.net
IKF
Undercard Gloves Sponsored By TKO!
K-1 Gloves Sponsored By
FAIRTEX
MORE NEWS OF
2-7-02
SOUTHERN
FIGHT FANS MOURN
AS
IKF LOSES AVID SUPPORTER IN CAR CRASH
Garland Bray, a prominent figure in the Southeastern kickboxing, mixed martial arts and tournament scene, was killed in an automobile accident on Monday, February 4, 2002, in Buford, Georgia. Mr. Bray was a consistent contributor to Georgia fight cards as a trainer, and an enthusiastic supporter of the IKF and ISCF.
"We were, as always, looking very forward to seeing Garland here in
Augusta at Winter Wars 2002 this March 16," said Mike Carlson,
(Right) IKF Southeastern Regional
Representative and
ISCF World Operations Director,
"He was the kind of guy who would hit the door, ask you if there was
anything that he needed to do, go do it, and then in five minutes be back
wanting to do something else to contribute."
Bray, who earned his black belt from legendary kickboxing cornerman, Gary Brown, had recently opened his own dojo, Buford Martial Arts Academy. His students had already begun to enjoy success, and Bray's enthusiasm and energy would have certainly lead to more.
In the words of his instructor and friend Gary Brown, (Left)
"Garland and I have been friends for over 10 years. When we
met, we hit it off right away and he became not only a good student but a good
friend. Garland was an extraordinary person-he had a hard exterior, but
he was a generous, caring, loving family person-and he was like a son to me.
At Eagle (Mr. Brown's school), we
believe that family comes first, and even though Garland opened his own
dojo, he still 
considered
Eagle his family and we did too. I miss
him a lot."
Adds Carlson, "Garland was great with the kids at the day tournaments and would get all decked out to run corners at night. I can still see him in the corner in my mind, dressed in black boots, black pants, a black shirt, and topped off with a black beret! That's how into it Garland was. He was on a mission at all times for the martial sports. You can never really replace a fellow like Garland. All you can do is be glad you had him around for the time you did, and a get a chance to learn from him. We can all learn a lot from his enthusiasm and spirit. I feel fortunate that I was able to do so."
Mr. Bray is survived by his wife Kathy, his parents, and four brothers. Expressions of sympathy can be sent to Kathy Bray, c/o J. Groves Acrylics, South Hill Street, Buford, GA, 30518, USA.
TUESDAY, February 5th, 2002, AT 4:10 PM, PT
Paul
Biafore... Where Are You?
It appears that IKF World Kickboxing Champion Paul Biafore (Left) is no where to be found. At least that's what everyone who answers the phone at his contact numbers tell us. Well actually, all the contact numbers we have for the IKF Full Contact Rules Welterweight World Champion (Who also holds 3 other World Titles) now belong to someone else. We need your help IKF Page readers. If you know how to contact Mr. Biafore, please let us know. Is he still fighting? Training?
We heard rumor from a
couple of sources today that he retired from kickboxing and is now living in
California persuing a new career in the mucic industry. If so, we'd like to wish
him well but is this true? Any help any of you can offer us here at the IKF would be greatly appreciated. Please
e-mail us at:
Main@ikfkickboxing.com
If the info we've received is true, it will open up the IKF World Title spot for the FCR Welterweight division. The top ranked fighter after Biafore is IKF European Champion Perry Benn (Right) of England followed by #2 ranked Miguel Reyes (Left) of Poway, California, USA / Tijuana, Mexico. There's been talk about an English World title but we'll have to see.
First we need to know more about Mr. Biafore's status. Again, if any of you know anything, please e-mail us at: Main@ikfkickboxing.com
MONDAY, February 4th, 2002, AT 5:50 PM, PT
IKF "Point"
Kickboxing?
San
Jose, March 30th, 2002
This newest concept of IKF Kickboxing
will take the martial arts world by storm! The first event will be held in
San Jose, CA, USA on March 30th! Johnny Davis
(Left - IKF
Director of Marketing) and the
IKF will be hosting this exciting
semi-contact continuous sparring event at the
Evergreen Community
College. Participants from California and the Nevada area have
been calling and pre-registering on-line to beat the
March 15th deadline, saving $10 on registration fees. ($35 after
deadline) Most of the fighters seem eager to test their skills against
diverse competition!
The IKF Point Kickboxing tournament is perhaps one of the first total semi- contact Kickboxing tournaments held in North America. Johnny Davis and The IKF have gone so far as to register the name Point Kickboxing as they prepare to sanction these events nationwide through other promoters just as they do with IKF Full Contact Kickboxing. IKF sanctioning would include a set of guidelines such as weight classes and proper gear for fighter safety.
As the largest sanctioning body in the world for Kickboxing events the IKF is the host and sponsor of the largest Full Contact Amateur National Kickboxing Championship, "The Nationals" has won prestigious acclaim by recognizing the best Amateur Kickboxers in North America. Last year's two-day event hosted over 200 of North America's best amateur Kickboxers in a variety of styles. It seems only fitting that the IKF would be the leaders in offering another level of quality competition.
Steve Fossum, (Left -
President of the IKF recognizes the
potential as well as the importance of offering a semi-contact version of
Kickboxing to properly introduce the sport to beginners.
He states "The Point Kickboxing competition takes some of the fear out of competing and allows participants to enhance there Kickboxing techniques."
Furthermore, he points out that "IKF Point Kickboxing in the long run will create a pool of fighters for those wishing to go to the next level and compete in full contact Kickboxing."
MORE ON POINT KICKBOXING
The following is an article
written by Johnny Davis (Left) and
featured in his Kickboxing Training Manual "The
Art of Kickboxing", The Official IKF
Training Manual due out within two weeks.
IKF Point Kickboxing is exciting and fun! IKF Point Kickboxing is derived from "full contact" Kickboxing and Point Karate tournament style competition. Point- meaning the entire match is judged on points. Punches and kicks must land in designated striking areas. If the attacker knocks out his opponent, he/she will be disqualified. There are few exceptions to this rule. Judges must be conscious of faking by the offended, the final decision will be up to the three judges. The Kickboxing portion of the name is derived from the "style" of fighting used. Meaning, use of boxing and karate type kicks. Participants wear headgear, 10 to 16 oz gloves, foot pads (for regular and Muay Thai styles), mouthpiece, groin and breast protectors, etc. The action is continuous for one, two, or three minute rounds depending on age group.
The focus is on punches and kicks landing in designated areas and technique rather than hard hitting. Its more like Olympic Style Boxing without the knockouts. In the end, the decision will be left to the judges. (See Judging...Getting the Point on the Johnny Davis Page) There have been Kickboxing "divisions" in Point competition for some time. However, in reviewing some of these matches, they were unorganized and quickly became full contact bouts. The competitors were literally trying to knock each other out and showed very little control. The judges and referees were ill equipped to rule in such matches, therefore it often led to many injuries and discouraged potential competitors. The spectators were also confused to whether they were watching a "full contact" bout in a point semi-contact tournament. IKF Point Kickboxing will be organized with strict rules on contact! With workouts like Billy Blank's Tae Bo and other Martial Arts aerobic workouts in such demand, its only a matter of time before participants in these classes want to take it to the next level. IKF Point Kickboxing is the next level out of the gym! IKF Point Kickboxing will decrease fear of being knocked out and will give participants an outlet to practice Kickboxing techniques in a more realistic manner.
When I was competing, I constantly switched from a Point Karate tournament one weekend to a Full Contact match within a couple of weeks. I must admit, it took more concentration to do this. Of course, I didn't want to think full contact in a semi-contact event or vice versa. Both scenarios could be dangerous. If IKF Point Kickboxing were available then, I believe it would have only enhanced my skills as a full contact fighter because my techniques would have been the same. Hence, only adding to my accuracy and fluency in combinations.
Now that we have IKF Point Kickboxing trainers will have a tool to keep their fighters in shape between amateur fights as well as, introduce their beginner fighters to the sport of Kickboxing. IKF Point Kickboxing done correctly will become one of the biggest divisions in tournaments to hit the Martial Arts scene. Winners will receive trophies and in some cases cash. Men, women, and children will be eager to participate! Spectator appeal for Kickboxing will greatly increase! Enrollment for Kickboxing Classes will double!
Register now for The IKF Point Kickboxing tournament .March 30th in San Jose, CA, USA See the event page on this site for more information on rules and registration.
MORE NEWS OF 2-4-02
RESULTS FROM Crystal Lake, Illinois, USA!
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With over 1,200 spectators in
attendance, IKF Promoter
Rob Zbilski (Right) and his
Team Z Staff should have had nothing but
smiles after their opening 2002 event. However, despite the great crowd, Team Z felt a little cheated when they were not
allowed to feature most of their top fighters on "Battle
Of The Champions" in Crystal Lake Illinois, USA last
Saturday night, January 26th.
It's a lot of work to be an event promoter. From working on matching bouts, selecting a venue to organizing the event staff and a Zillion other jobs as well. When the night comes for the event, a promoter has 3 important desires, 1: That he/she gets a good crowd to cover the event expenses, 2: That no one gets hurt and 3: That everyone leaves with a desire to come back again. In addition, the promoter has things they should be able to expect to happen as well. One of these main things is to hope that they're dealing with fighters and trainers that are "Responsible" and keep their word. Honor is a big thing in this sport/business and something that is "Expected" as far as we're concerned here at the IKF, especially in the martial arts. Everyday we begin with asking ourselves a simple question, "How hard is it to do the right thing?" and answering it, "Never hard, just make sure you always do it!"
Apparently, "Doing the right thing" has always been what has hurt this great sport in the past. For whatever reasons, there are people out there who have done some pretty bad and terrible things that have no justified explanation or excuse for their actions. Yet they expect everyone else to understand and see their point which many times makes no ethical or moral sense to anyone. We'd like to say every person in this sport is full of honor and respect but like in any sport, it's just not true. We've seen promoters who didn't want to pay the fighters purses. Fighters acting in unsportsmanlike fashion to other fighters, officials and trainers. Checks paid to event workers, officials and fighters that later bounced. Trainers verbally and sometimes physically attacking other fighters, trainers and even officials. Trainers and fighters who commit to a fight but at the last minute, pull out or don't show up at all with little and often no explanation as to why. This is even worse when the promoter has sold a ton of tickets because of a certain featured fighter and at the last moment, he has no fight. There are more things as well such as Promoters who get a lot of money for an event and take most of it for themselves or blow it on unnecessary expenses. However, the worse thing we've seen is a promoter taking money from a non profit fund-raising show and paying himself "Thousands" of dollars leaving the organization the event was suppose to raise money for without a cent. That one topped them all.
However, TEAM Z experienced one of these things back on Saturday night January 26th in Crystal Lake Illinois USA and it almost destroyed the entire event. If not for Team Z's experience as promoters and some quick reorganizing of some bouts, there may not have been ANY "Battle Of The Champions." Promoter Rob Zbilski and his team had done everything that was expected of any good promoter. Done some great matchmaking, had a great venue, great staff, sold a lot of tickets, yes everything looked to be in order for Team Z's 2002 Promotional opening. All that was left was the event itself that would feature several top IKF Fighters. However, here's where things took a turn for the worst. It only took 1 trainer who didn't keep his word and his commitment of bringing "5" Fighters to Team Z's event. His broken word would be the reason the crowd of 1,200 would not see some of Team Z's top fighters.
IKF U.S. FCR Super Welterweight Champion
Jim "Z MAN" Zbilski, (Left) Mike Nagy,
(Right) along with Kyle McElroy, (2000
&
2001) IKF
National Amateur Champion) Dan Griffin (2001
IKF USA National Amateur Super Middleweight Champion,) and Tommy
Bach's all were left without opponents when trainer Ray Dardin, of
Michigan, USA failed to show up with all 5 of his fighters for the event. Worse
yet as of today, Monday, February 4th, Dardin has yet to contact Team Z's with any kind of an explanation as to why
him and his fighters never showed. Because of Dardin's
un-professionalism, most of the Team Z
fighters were left with doing special Exhibition bouts instead. The IKF is investigating this even more and there's
likely to be some action taken against Dardin for his failure to show up
under professional contract. Keep watch for more.
Dardin's lack 2 of Zbilski's professional fighters without a bout. Instead of making noise in the Promotional ranks, both Nagy and Jimmy Zbilski simply become the victims of inactivity. Between the two of them, the fighter who probably wanted to get back in the ring the most was Nagy. Nagy wanted to get back on a winning streak after being defeated last year for the first time in 32 bouts. Nagy was knocked out by Anthony Bartanalli of Phoenix Arizona, USA when the two met for the vacant IKF Light Middleweight World Title. He realizes the road to the IKF Light Middleweight World Title leads through Bartanalli. He and his camp had claimed he wasn't ready for that fight, but ready or not, he had plenty of time to be ready. As much time as Bartanalli did. It was a rude way of being reminded, "When the opportunity to be a World Champion knocks on your door, your either READY or your not" and on that night back in Arizona, Bartanalli was the one who was ready to be World Champion."
Regardless of Dardin's failure and Nagy and the other Team Z fighters missing the opportunity to get back in the groove, Team Z's rallied and made do with what they had. Zbilski matched up some of his top fighters for special exhibitions and Team Z's Kevin Miller offered to fight Peyton Russell (2001 IKF USA National Amateur FCR Middleweight Champion) of Minnesota who was also left without an opponent. Here's the results of the nights action below.
What a way to kick off the new year! For more info, contact Mr. Rob Zbilski and Team Z at (847) 458-8333 or by e-mail at: teamz@3di.net
MORE NEWS OF 2-4-02
IKF
Celebrities Coming Out
In Full Force to This Weekends
Heavyweight Gladiators
This Saturday night, February 9th there will be plenty of IKF Talent in Milwaukee Wisconsin, USA for the long awaited Heavyweight Gladiators event. The list reads like a "Who's Who" of the sport and includes;
Rick Roufus: IKF World Heavyweight Champion IR. Duke Roufus: Former IKF World Super Heavyweight Champion MT. Methee Jeetipitak: IKF World Welterweight Champion SS, Robert Coquete: Former IKF World Middleweight Champion MT and Jongsanan Fairtex: IKF North American Welterweight Champion MT
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Also at the event will be IKF Promoters Russ O'Connell, Sven Bean, Jeff Mullen & Ryan Blackorby. Lisa Stecki: 2000 IKF Amateur USA Middleweight Champion MT & 2001 Chicago Golden Gloves Boxing Champion. Rebecca Mahin: 2001 IKF Amateur USA Lightweight Champion IR. Dan Pemble: 2001 IKF Amateur USA Heavyweight Champion MT. Kwame Stephens: Former IKF Pro US Light Heavyweight Champion. Tommy Bottone: IKF #3 World Super Middleweight Contender & IKF # 6 FCR Contender. Ryan Jones: IKF #5 World Super Middleweight Contender MT and Henry Matamoros: ISCF # 1 Ranked Light Middleweight
NEW POST: FRIDAY, February 1st, 2002, AT 9:30 PM, PT
This Weekends IKF Action...
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FINNEY'S
KICKBOXING
St. Louis, Missouri, USA
FEBRUARY 2nd, 2002
IKF Amateur Bouts, for more info contact Mr.
Jesse Finney at (314) 351-5226 or by e-mail by clicking
HERE!
Below Posted
Earlier Today At 11:30 AM,
PT
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STEWART CENTER & COORS LIGHT PRESENTS...
Night of Champions PRO-AM Kickboxing
Butler
Pennsylvania, USA!
Days Inn Butler PA,Friday Jan 25 2002.
Last Friday night with over 400 in attendance, Stewart Promotions held
another exciting night of IKF Kickboxing in Butler Pennsylvania, USA. The
featured bout was for the vacant IKF Pro
North East USA Welterweight Title bout. In the bout, Marty Cantine of
Rochester New York, USA defeated Bernard Swiftkick Robinson, of
Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, USA by TKO in the 4th round when Robinson was
counted out by referre Rick Stagerwalt after he slipped and twisted his
ankle.
In a Pro Middleweight bout, Muhamid of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA defeated Maz Nawaz of Toronto Canada after referre Rick Stagerwalt stopped the contest at the end of the 4th round due to a pulled groin.
Light middleweight and IKF U.S. Champion Jimmy Stewart (Right standing) of Butler Pennsylvania continued his winning streak when he stopped Mike Holleran (Right - Down) of Weirton West Virginia, USA.in the 2nd round with a series of kicks to the mid section.
In the Amateur bouts, the feature fight was for the vacant IKF JUNIOR FCR North East Regional Title. Chris Hill (Left at left) of Butler Pennsylvania defeated Josh Billingsly of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in a 5 round decision.
Here's the results of the other action on the night:
Sandy Penbrooke of
Montreal Can defeated Kevin Boyer of New Castle PA by TKO.For additional info, please contact The Stewart Center at (724) 284-3725 or visit their website at www.StewartCenterBoxing.com
2001 IKF Hall of Fame Inductees Click HERE!
