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DECEMBER, 2003

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WEDNESDAY, December 31st 2003, AT 7:10 PM, PT

A Year In Review With The IKF
A Look Back At 2003

2003 was one of the most progressive years for the IKF Organization. As we end the year today, lets take a look back at what all happened over the year throughout the IKF World. Please find below "SOME" (Events with IKF Titles) of our IKF Sanctioned events along with some of the news stories that made headlines in 2003.

1. January 9th: IKF KICKBOXING Magazine was scheduled to go into print however the finances went into the IKF Kickboxing TV show instead.
   
   
2. January 9th: PRIDE Boss Naoto Morishita Commits Suicide: PRIDE/Dream Stage Entertainment boss Naoto Morishita, age 42, President of Dream Stage Entertainment, which promotes the Pride events, committed suicide in his hotel room in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The suicide took place right after Morishita's press release regarding PRIDE Grand Prix 2003 tournaments for heavyweight and middleweights. There was extreme pressure on PRIDE to continue to make more money annually, since Dream Stage Entertainment became so successful.
   
   
3. January 11th: First time IKF Promoter Chuck Gerlach kicked off 2003 by hosting the first IKF Sanctioned amateur event of the year in Imperial, Pennsylvania, USA.
   
   
4. January 13th: New Johnny Davis Kickboxing VIDEO! Former Kickboxing World Champion Johnny Davis, author of the IKF Training Manual, The Art of Kickboxing released the first version of The Johnny Davis Kickboxing Video Series.
   
   
5. January 14th: Jesse Finney named IKF "AMATEUR PROMOTER Of The YEAR": In 2002, IKF Promoter Jesse Finney and his Finney's Kickboxing Team of St Louis, Missouri, USA promoted a total of 15 IKF Sanctioned events. It wasn't the number of the events they were awarded for, but the "QUALITY!" In 2003 Finney scaled back with only 6 Promotions.
   
   
6. January 15th: IKF Australia's Robert Wilesmith A Father Again! Our congratulations went out to IKF Australia's Kru Robert Wilesmith with the birth of his new daughter, Alexandra Pearl Wilesmith - Miss Little Thunderlegs... Alexandra was actually born in the USA at 9.53 PM, January 15th at Sheridan Memorial Hospital in Wyoming, USA when Robert and Jill were in the USA visiting. Alexandra was 8 lbs & 53cm tall (21 inches).
   
   
7. January 18th: Former two time IKF USA National Amateur Champion Dan Erickson made his Pro debut, defeating Canada's Ali Kai by TKO in round 3, which was nothing new for him. As an amateur Erickson posted a record of 20-1 with 10 KO/TKO's. The event was promoted by Erickson's trainer and former IKF Pro World Champion Mike LaBree in Hayward, Wisconsin, USA.
   
   
8. January 19th: K-1 Announcement on Ishi: K-1 sent out a press release in regards to Ishi's Tax Problems that read, "As the result of a tax investigation launched last year by Japanese officials, Kazuyoshi Ishii announced on December 28, 2002 that he had decided to step down as K-1 President. Under these circumstances, the K-1 event scheduled for January 26 in Kochi, Japan, has been postponed. Other already scheduled events and international tournaments are not affected by the recent developments, and K-1's complete domestic and international 2003 schedule will resume in March, 2003. K-1 regrets any inconvenience caused to fighters and fans.
   
   
9. January 19th: Is Japan Setting The Standards Of Our Sport? IKF posts an article related to the embarrassment of Kickboxing brought on by K-1's signing and promotion of former football player, Bob Sapp.
   
   
10. January 25th: N.A.C.S.O. Brings IKF To Texas. IKF Promoter Chuck Best begins his Texas events with the IKF. Best went on to be the most active Amateur promoter in the IKF for 2003 with 7 Amateur events at his Fightatorium arena in Richardson, Texas, USA.
    
    
11. January 27th: IKF Champions Featured In Ringside Catalog Again! Former and current IKF Champions Mike Marinoble, Cung Le, Chuck Lidell, Dave Marinoble and Robert Elledge along with IKF Promoter Johnny Davis all featured in Ringside Catalog.
    
    
12. January 25th: former 2 time IKF Amateur Champion Duane "Bang" Ludwig of Denver, Colorado, USA scored a first round knockout of Jens Pulver, of Davenport, Iowa, USA to win a Pro Mixed Martial Arts World Title.
    
    
13. January, 28th: Oscar Montano defeated Naeem Munir by TKO in round 3 to win the IKF Amateur U.S. Super Middleweight Title on Clement and Rhonda Vierra's IKF event in Phoenix Arizona, USA. These two were able to fight for this title since it was not fought for at the 2002 IKF USA National Amateur Tournament.
    
    
14. January, 29th: Jeff Robinson of Kansas City, Kansas defeated Pete Crowdin of Paris Arkansas, USA by TKO at 1:35 of round 3 to win the IKF Pro International Rules Light Heavyweight Central US Regional Title on Doug Freeman's Battle Star XII event in Kansas City, Missouri, USA.
    
    
15. January, 31st: Mike Morello of Santa Barbara, California, USA defeated Raul Rodriguez of Bakersfield, CA, USA by KO, 24 seconds into the first round to win the IKF Amateur International Rules Light Middleweight West Coast Title on Abe Belardo and Domi Tomate's event in Bakersfield, California, USA. In attendance at the event was former World Kickboxing Champion Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, Woman's Boxing World Champion Jennifer Alcorn, and former IKF US Amateur Champion and now top UFC World contender Chuck "The ICEMAN" Lidell.
    
    
16. February 1st: Mark Selbee of Atlanta, Georgia defeated previous champion Kevin Hudson by Split decision to take Hudson's IKF U.S. Heavyweight Title on Promoter Brett Moses' February Fight Party in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
    
    
17. February 1st: Promoter Johnny Davis hosted the first of several IKF Point Kickboxing events for 2003 at the Sunset Center in Rocklin, CA, USA.
    
    
18. February 1st: Tommy Bach of Buffalo Grove, Illinois, USA defeated Keith Nesbitt of Rochester, New York, USA by first round KO to win the vacant IKF Pro FCR Lightweight WORLD TITLE at Promoter Rob Zbilski's event in Crystal Lake Illinois, USA.
    
    
19. February 4th: New Daily Hit Record for IKFKickboxing.com. 109,686 HITS in 1 day.
    
    
20. February 6th: Winning IKF USA Nationals Venue Announced. Crowne Plaza Five Seasons Hotel and US Cellular Center, Cedar Rapids Iowa, USA.
    
    
21. February 11th: "1" World AMATEUR Rankings! IKF combines all amateur rankings (North America, Europe, Asia, Australia etc. etc all had their own rankings) to make "1" Amateur World Ranking system.
    
    
22. February 20th: Fight To Save Kickboxing In New York! A change in New York State law made ALL martial arts competitions ILLEGAL, unless sanctioned by a small group called the "approved list" which is over 20 years old and included only the U.S. Judo Association, U.S. Judo, Inc., U.S. Judo Federation, U.S. Tae Kwon Do Union, North American Sport Karate Association, U.S.A. Karate Foundation, U.S. Karate, Inc., World Karate Association, Professional Karate Association, Karate International, International Kenpo Association, or World Wide Kenpo Association. According to Hugo Spindola, General Counsel for the New York State Athletic Commission, only these organizations can legally run events in NY State. Furthermore, the commission never established any process by which other organizations could be added.
    
    
23. March 1st: Shannon Hudson of Greer, South Carolina, USA defeated Shaun Gay of Valdosta, Georgia, USA by head kick knockout at 28 seconds into round 1 to win the vacant IKF Amateur Light Middleweight South East Kickboxing Title on Promoter Mike and Elizabeth Carlson's Winter Wars 2003 event in Augusta, Georgia, USA.
    
    
24. March 1st: Sonya Gurule of Los Lunas, New Mexico, USA defeated Melanie Guadian of Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA by unanimous decision to win the vacant IKF Woman's Amateur Rocky Mountain Regional Straw-weight Title on Promoter Tony Rosales event in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.
    
    
25. March 3rd: Web Site Hit Records For IKFKickboxing.com IKF announces new Total Hit record for 1 month of 1,833,202 HITS!
    
    
26. March 21st: IKF or ISCF Sanctioning Will Save you A TON On Insurance! The IKF and ISCF locked in a deal with the Nations Leading Sports Insurance company, F. L. Dean & Associates to give promoters great discounts on event insurance.
    
    
27. March 24th: Kickboxing Message Board Added. It has been loved and hated by many since it started but on March 24th, the IKF added a Kickboxing Message board to the web so anyone could post on it immediate news, debate certain issues of the sport, post ideas and more.
    
    
28. March 30th: IKF Promoter Steve Donnelly featured the first of 10 IKF sanctioned events in England. This event was in Coventry, England.
    
    
29. April 1st: IKF Amateur Champion Rogers Retires! No, this was no April Fools joke. On March 31st amateur IKF Champion Adam Rogers of Seaside, California, USA announced his retirement from the ring due to a busy personal schedule. However, he came out of retirement to fight in the 2003 IKF/TKO USA National Amateur Tournament.
    
    
30. April 4th: 2002 IKF Hall Of Fame Announced. Hopefully it won't take this long to announce the 2003 Hall of Fame.
    
    
31. April 6th: Two IKF titles were fought for and won on Promoter Clive Matthews's No Where 2 Hide - Part 3 event in Daventry, England. Simon Hillier of Featherstone, Staffs defeated Steve Primrose of Luton by TKO at 1:48 of round 3 to win the IKF Midland Area Middleweight Full Contact Title. Dave Vangasse of Bristol defeated Lee Mcguiness by unanimous decision to win the IKF Midland Area Middleweight Full Contact Title. Former IKF European Thai Boxing Champion Danny Byrne had to forfeit his IKF title when he contacted the promoter to inform him he was not going to show up at the event to defend his title. Why? Because Byrne said he could not make the weight to defend the title. Because of this, Byrne's IKF Title was awarded to Ray De Bourgh. This also raises the question of if Byrne can defend his IKF International Rules Title at the same weight or will he move forward to retire the title to move up in weight category.
    
    
32. April 12th: Diana Apresa of Cottonwood, Arizona, USA defeated Jody Esquibel of Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA by Split Decision to win the IKF Woman's Amateur IR Atomweight South Mountain Region Title on the YAVAPAI-APACHE Recreational Department and the Native American Tribe Recreational Department's event in Camp Verde, Arizona, USA.
    
    
33. April 13th: Promoter Nigel Thompson's "April Explosion II" in Bedford, England featured 3 IKF title bouts. Champion Ranjit Dheer of East Area, Bedford retained his IKF MTR Midland Area Bantamweight Title when him and challenger Daniel Brissett of Wednesbury fought to a Draw. Narginder Gill of East Area, Bedford defeated challenger Luke Sullivan of Hayes, Middlesex by majority decision to defend his IKF MTR Midland Area Middleweight Title. Sydney Thompson of East Area, Bedford became the new IKF Champion when he defeated Alan Willis of Sheffield by unanimous decision to win the IKF MTR British Commonwealth Middleweight Title.
    
    
34. April 24th: Promoter Griffin Reynaud of Sandy Utah hosted his first IKF Sanctioned event of 2003. Reynaud was very active in 2002 with 9 events and was on pace to equal or break that record in 2003 before he stopped promoting for personal reasons after his 4th event.
    
    
35. April 25th: CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NEW VIERRA! IKF Arizona USA representatives and promoters Clement and Rhonda Vierra of the HardKnox Gym in Phoenix Arizona welcomed a new baby girl to their family. Noelani Violet-Marie Vierra was born on Friday, April 25th at 10:02 PM. She was 7lbs. 2oz and 19 1/2'" long.
    
    
36. April 25th: In the "BEST" Pro fight of the year, Super Heavyweight Raoul Doucet of Canada defeated Mike Sheppard of the USA to win the vacant IKF Pro FCR North American Super Heavyweight Title on promoter Leon Ramsey's "Rumble On The Hill" in Glenville, West Virginia, USA.
    
    
37. April 26th: Charles Barron of Illinois defeated Heath Fonnest of Minnesota to win the vacant IKF Pro FCR Light Welterweight North Central Title on Promoter Tom Sullivan's event in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, USA.
    
    
38. April 26th: On Promoters Tim & Dan Stell's event in Fairfield, California, USA Derrick Burnsed defeated Bobby Barns by unanimous decision to win the vacant IKF Amateur California IR Super Middleweight Title. Mike Marinoble of Roseville, California was scheduled to fight Hector Gutierez of Santa Rosa, California for the vacant IKF Amateur IR Heavyweight California title. Gutierrez's fellow fighter, David Denison also of Santa Rosa was scheduled to fight IKF MTR West Coast Champion Maurice Hooks of Modesto, California. However Gutierrez and Denison's trainer, Billy Olsen pulled his fighters out of the card when he was reminded they had to wear headgear. A very low blow to the promoters. Marinoble and Hooks won their titles by forfeit.
    
    
39. April 26th: Andy Kipriano of Eltham Thaiboxing in London England defeated John Reynolds of Kirkby Thaiboxing in Liverpool by unanimous decision to win the IKF Amateur MuayThai Rules England Heavyweight Title on Promoter Alby Bimpson's Birmingham England event.
    
    
40. April 26th: Fighter Thor Ring Will Be Missed! On April 26th we heard about the sudden death of amateur kickboxer Thor Ring (32) of San Francisco, California, USA. Rest in peace Thor. You will be missed.
    
    
41. May 2nd: Congratulations To Karina & Grampa Abe! George Quincy Ayonayon was born on Friday, May 2nd at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital. He was 7lb, 7oz. He is the son of his proud mom, Karina. Karina is the daughter of the longest, continuous IKF Promoter in the history of the IKF, Abe Belardo of Bakersfield, California, USA.
    
    
42. May 4th: There's A New BEAST! Former IKF USA National Amateur Champion Carter Williams of Modesto, California, USA Shocks the World as he wins K-1 North America. After already knocking Rick Roufus down once in round 1, Williams came out of his corner and without warning shot a missile at Roufus' jaw that put him on his back and before we knew it, this one was over at 2:20 of the 1st round and all we could say was "Oh My GOD! We have a NEW BEAST!"
    
    
43. May 4th: Promoters Mark Wilson & John Rice featured 5 IKF Titles on their Liverpool England event. Dean Smith of Kirkby ThaiBoxing defeated Hayden Wheeldon of Olivers Gym, Manchester by Majority Decision to win the IKF Junior England Thai Boxing Title. Adam Graham of Kirkby ThaiBoxing defeated Lee Moffat of Rage, Liverpool by Unanimous Decision to win the IKF Junior England Thai Boxing Title. Colin Farricker of Liverpool Hope Kickboxing defeated Mark Skilbeck of Eltham Warriors, London by TKO when Skilbeck could not answer the bell for round 3 to win the IKF Amateur England Thai Boxing Title. Chris Mooney of Gladiators defeated John Gilbert of Merseyside Kickboxing, Liverpool by Unanimous Decision to win the IKF Junior England International Rules Title. Jessica Issac of Kirkby ThaiBoxing defeated Makala Cowen of Oakwood Freestyle by Unanimous Decision to win the IKF Junior Girls European Thai Boxing Title.
    
    
44. May 17th: Ray Thompson and his Upstate Karate Team promoted the "BEST" amateur event of the year. His "Martial Arts May-Hem" in Greenville, South Carolina, USA featured 6, 5 round non title bouts and 3, 3 round undercard bouts. Several of the fighters had won the IKF USA National tournament, Justin Pickett, Doyle Gaylor, Peyton Russell, John Gruebel & Stephen Thompson while others had already been to the Nationals, Dallas Crowe, Joe Surack, Shannon Hudson, Bill Jardine (Who won the Nationals 3 months later) & Stevie Dement. Only 2 fighters in the 6 feature bouts had never been to the IKF Nationals: Nelson Lebron, who won at the 2003 IKF/TKO USA Nationals 3 months later and Rod Llaneza.
    
    
45. May 26th: IKF, TKO & RINGSIDE Team Up For 2003 IKF/TKO USA Nationals! TKO Sports had acquired the naming rights to the 2003 IKF/TKO USA National Amateur Championships but the surprise here is not so much the name TKO being added this years event, but that both TKO and Ringside Inc. will both be involved.
    
    
46. May 28th: Somethings In The Air... Can You Feel It? Something BIG For IKF and ALL Of Kickboxing... We Hope To Announce It By The End Of This Week! - Do you remember what the big announcement was?
    
    
47. May 31st: LTD Productions, Dan and Tim Stell hosted yet another event in Fairfield, California, USA. The IKF International Rules Amateur Light Heavyweight California Title between Glenn Hailey of San Jose, California, USA and Floyd Savoy of San Francisco, California, USA will stay vacant as these two fought to a split decision DRAW. Raul Rodriguez of Bakersfield, California didn't need to enter the ring against John Parker of Fairfield, California. Parker pulled out the week of the event due to an ankle injury giving Rodriguez the win by forfeit and the vacant IKF Full Contact Rules Amateur Light Middleweight California Title.
    
    
48. June 6th: OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE BIG NEWS! IKF TV IS HERE! Comcast Sports South East (CSS) and the IKF have teamed up to have Kickboxing's own version of "Friday Night Fights!" From September 5th through December 26th, CSS and IKF Kickboxing brought kickboxing to nearly 4 million households on a weekly basis at 11:PM. As of this posting, CSS was still airing IKF Kickboxing on Thursday and Friday nights. The post production work was handled by Fresh Air Media of Auburn, California, USA with Producer Greg Flessing, Program Director/Editor Dale Kasperson and Production Assistant Eric Maddox. Tim Bachman and his company Remote Control Productions out of South Carolina handled all the fight and on the road interview footage.
    
    
49. June 7th: Jeremy Harminson defeated Kwame Stephens by TKO in the third round to successfully defend his IKF Pro MTR Middleweight U.S. Title. Ben Yelle of Marquette, Michigan, USA defeated Brian Medlin of Illinois by on a split decision to win the vacant IKF Amateur MTR Northern Midwest Title at promoter Ryan Blackorby' RE/MAX Kickboxing Invitational in Peoria, Illinois, USA.
    
    
50. June 17th: Mother Killed in Toughman Fight 30-year-old Stacy Young was left brain dead and died early this morning after being pummeled in her first amateur boxing competition Saturday at Robarts Arena. Young entered a Toughman Competition thinking it would be fun but died at Bayfront Medical Center. IKF spoke up against toughman Promoter Art Dore in a large news article.
    
    
51. June 24th: STOP THE PRESS! Ultimate Athlete Magazine Goes Under After 20 months of trying Ultimate Athlete magazine finally succumbs to chasing the rainbow. During the last six months, Ultimate Athlete had made many staffing changes in an effort to saving the drowning magazine – all attempts failed. By the last week in May, the money had dried up and all attempts had failed – it was time. A true loss to the sport and will be remembered and missed. Phone dead, doors locked, lights out. May 30th 2003. RIP.
    
    
52. June 27th: Two time IKF Pro World Champion Danny Steele of Los Angeles, California, USA appeared to have defeated Jason Bress of Los Angeles, California, USA by TKO at 1:05 of round 3. However after consulting with event officials, watching the fight video over and over again and also hearing stories about the fight, it was determined that Steele and Bress fought a "Worked" bout. Because of this, IKF Officials have Steele's 2 IKF titles under review to possibly be retired by the IKF. This all took place on Adrian Silva's Honolulu, Hawaii, USA event. On this same event a bout between Hawaii's Rodney Joseph and Dan Erickson of Wisconsin was changed after a video review to a "No Contest". At the event, judges gave Joseph the win but after video review, Erickson clearly defeated Joseph who also missed kicks in most of the rounds.
    
    
53. June 30th: How Does An Event Police Itself? Beware MMA (And Kickboxers Too) People... Look Who Is Trying To Walk In Your DORE! IKF Takes notice of Toughman Promoter Art Dore and how he could bring more harm to not just boxing but now also kickboxing and Mixed Martial Arts through his Adoreable Promotions Inc.
    
    
54. July 12th: IKF President Steve Fossum is inducted into the Hawaii Martial Arts International Society Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Others inducted included Steven Seagal, Dan Severn, TJ Storm of "Mortal Kombat" and Jet Li.
    
    
55. July 18th: Floyd Savoy of San Francisco, California defeated Glen Haley of Santa Clara, California by majority decision to win the IKF Amateur IR Light Heavyweight California Title and Robert Elledge of Roseville, California defeated Jose Paez' when Paez' hurt his foot and was unable to answer the bell for round 3 to win the IKF Amateur FCR Light Welterweight California Title on Dan and Tim Stell's Fairfield, California, USA event.
    
    
56. August 1st: Champion Kickboxer Dies In Deadly Shooting. Working late on a Friday night at about 6:30, IKF President Steve Fossum heard it first when he got a call from K-1 USA Promoter Scott Coker, "Alex Gong was just shot and killed." Within minutes, Fossum had the article on the IKF News page and everyone knew, the world of Kickboxing and MuayThai would never be the same. Fossum asked Coker for a quote for the article, Coker added, "This is a sad day for martial arts." Said Coker, who was responsible for much of Gong's publicized success as a fighter on the StrikeForce Events in San Jose, California shown on ESPN Worldwide. "He did so many great things for MuayThai and the martial arts community, keeping MuayThai alive in America through his spirit and his gym."
    
    
57. August 2nd: Overall, the IKF turned 11 years old today. But in reality, we are only 5 years old if you count when we took this on full time in 1999.
    
    
58. August 2nd: Alex Took The Bullet For All Of Us. IKF president Steve Fossum posts an article about how any of us could have faced the tragedy Alex Gong did.
    
    
59. August 8th: Another Sad Day Today For The World Of MuayThai. Gen Vorayudh Mesommonta, Secretary General of the WMC passed away after a long battle with illness. He will be sorely missed by all those who knew him.
    
    
60. August 8th: The Real "BEAST" Will Be At The IKF/TKO USA Nationals! The IKF welcomed Mixed Martial Arts UFC Superstar Dan "The Beast" Severn as a confirmed special guest at the 2003 IKF/TKO USA National Amateur Tournament in Cedar Rapids Iowa. What a GREAT guy!
    
    
61. August 8th: Raul Rodriguez Santa Barbara, California, USA defeated previous Champion Mike Morello of Bakersfield, CA, USA by TKO at 53 seconds into the last and final round in a title bout rematch. Rodriguez took Morello's IKF Amateur IR Light Middleweight Title on the D. T. Promotions, "King Of The Ring II" in Bakersfield, California, USA.
    
    
62. August 9th: Making The Trip Again "For The TEAM!" IKF/IAA Representative Frank Curtis and IKF President Steve Fossum start the 1819.8 mile trip to the 2003 IKF/TKO USA National Amateur Tournament in Cedar Rapids Iowa. "Why would they be driving all that way... Can't they afford a plane ticket?" Well, for those of you who have been around the IKF since the 2000 USA Nationals event will remember why the IKF now makes the sacrifice to drive to this event every year. well, at the 200 event, we had an official shipping sponsor, UPS (United Parcel Service). So much for being official, they "LOST" all the National Championship belts for the 2000 Nationals Event... and we didn't get them back until about 3 weeks after the event. Oh there's a lot more to this story, but that tells enough of the story. "There was nothing worse that year than seeing all those Champions walk away from the ring with a "BORROWED" IKF USA National Champions Belt knowing they had to give it back after a quick picture." said Fossum. "All those Champions, young and old that fought their heart out that year and were sent home with just a promise that We'll mail your belt to you..." Sure, they all got their belts about 3 weeks later, but they didn't get to come home with them after the event.
    
    
63. August 13th: IKF Makes History For Fighter Safety! Due to their expert training, IKF determines that a Paramedic Team with their Ambulance and Equipment is better than a Doctor With his Cut Bag. IKF allows Promoters to have only Paramedic Teams With Their Ambulance instead of a MD at IKF sanctioned events in USA only.
    
    
64. August, 15th, 16th & 17th: On Any Given Sunday - They... ROCKED US! The 2003 IKF/TKO USA National Amateur Championship Tournament. For full results, CLICK HERE! Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA. Although 242 had registered, by fight time, an exact number of 200 amateur fighters won a total of 54 IKF/TKO USA National Titles.
    
    
65. August 23rd: Trent "Thunderfoot" Tompkins of Waterloo, Iowa, USA defeated Rob McDonald of London, Ontario, Canada by "Knockout" at 35 seconds into round 1 to win the vacant IKF Amateur FCR Super Heavyweight WORLD TITLE at Promoter Russ O'Connell's event in Waterloo, Iowa, USA.
    
    
66. August 28th: Cung Le At News Stands Everywhere! IKF Pro San Shou World Champion Cung Le graces the cover of DirectTV (August 2003) and is featured in the ESPN magazine (October 1st 2003).
    
    
67. August 31st: Andy Kypriano of Eltham, London, England defeated Mark Ward of Preston, England by KO at 56 seconds into the 3rd round to win the vacant IKF Amateur MTR British Heavyweight Title at promoter Lee Whittington's Kent, England event.
    
    
68. September 2nd: It's In The Mail! At around 6:PM the first IKF Kickboxing TV program was sent off via Express Mail to the CSS (Comcast Sports Southeast) Office in Atlanta Georgia, USA. The show airs on Friday night at 11:PM on CSS in 9 South East states to nearly 4 million households and over 14 million potential viewers for the next 17 weeks.
    
    
69. September 3rd: It's All About Exposure For Us ALL! IKF writes mixed feelings about K-1's recent signing of boxers like Mike Tyson and Butterbean and Playboy Model, La Tasha Marzolla to fight on their K-1 "Kickboxing" events and again focus' on their disappointment of the K-1's use of Bob Sapp. "Give Scott Coker, Mike Sawyer and their K-1 associates big points for bringing EXPOSURE to our sport whether it be by way of K-1, Sapp, Tyson, Butterbean, Marzolla or Mr. Bugs Bunny himself! As long as our sport is in the news, it's GREAT! " The more press our sport gets the better for ALL OF US!"
    
    
70. September 4th: "EIGHT" Records Broken & Two Tied At This Years 2003 IKF/TKO USA National Amateur Tournament.
    1. Number of Fighters Who Actually "FOUGHT" On Event: This was a tie from last year with 200. However this record should have been broken this year because we lost 5 fighters due to that massive power outage in the northeast which closed the airports of Thursday and Friday before the event. Two fighters could not make weight at the Friday weigh-ins and 1 fighter pulled out at registrations due to an injury.
    2. Number of Bouts Fought: Old record from 2001: 141. New record: 146.
    3. Number of Junior Boy Competitors: Old record from 2002: 55. New Record: 58.
    4. Number of Junior Girls Competitors: There was a tie with the old record of 18 in 2001 and 2002. New Record: 26.
    5. Number of Junior Boys Bouts: This was a tie with last year: 37.
    6. Number of Junior Girls Bouts: There was a tie with the old record of 11 in 2001 and 2002. New Record: 16.
    7. Number of Junior Boys International Rules (IR) Fighters: Old record from 2002: 8. New Record: 13.
    8. Number of Junior Girls International Rules (IR) Fighters: Old record from 2001: 8. New Record: 10.
    9. Number of Junior Girls Title Bouts: There was a tie with the old record of 7 in 2001 and 2002. New Record: 8.
    10. Number of Adult Men's International Rules (IR) Fighters: Old record from 2002: 24. New Record: 36.
        
        
71. September 13th: Mickee Porritt of Salt Lake City, Utah defeated Spencer Buhler of Sidekicks Gym in Nampa Idaho by unanimous decision to win the vacant IKF Amateur MTR Light Heavyweight North Mountain Regional Title at promoter Craig Lamanna's "September Slam" event in Salt Lake City Utah.
    
    
72. September 26th: "Good Night Chesty Puller, Wherever You Are!" How IKF TV Co-Host Brooks Mason signs off the show each night, and why. CLICK HERE.
    
    
73. September 26th: IKF promoters Tim and Dan Stell featured 3 IKF Title bouts on their event in Fairfield, California, USA. Raul Roriguez, Bakersfield, California defeated John Parker of Fairfield, California by TKO at :40 seconds into the third round to successfully defend his IKF Amateur Full Contact Rules California State Lt. Middleweight Title. Julian Lugo of Barstow, California defeated David Anderson of Fresno, California by TKO at 1:54 of round 3 to win the vacant IKF Amateur MuayThai California Middleweight Title. Evan Esguerra of San Francisco, California defeated Ballfrano Gayton of Modesto, California by split decision to win the vacant IKF Amateur MuayThai California Welterweight Title.
    
    
74. September 27th: IKF Promoter Ryan Blackorby and the IKF host the first and possibly the *last IKF North American Amateur MuayThai Championships in Peoria, Illinois, USA. 32 fighters, 25 Bouts, 9 North American Titles. For results, CLICK HERE.
    • (*) Due to the below proposed IKF World Classic Tournament.
      
      
75. September 29th:"The JET" Steps Down From The Ring. Rick "The Jet'" Roufus has called an end to his career due to an injury he felt he could not recover from (Severely Torn ACL). He ends with an impressive fighting record of 61 wins, 7 loses with 41 wins by KO. He was also a professional boxer with a record of 14 wins, 3 loses and 12 wins by KO. (Won the WBC Continental American Belt, being ranked in the top 15) He made his name in winning his many multiple World Titles (6 different World Titles in 6 different weight classes) as a Full Contact Rules Fighter, including his first IKF World Title, in Full Contact Rules, against Mike McDonald in 1994. Roufus became only the second IKF Mens Pro Champion (Juan Torres was the first on the same event) when he defeated Michael McDonald of Vancouver, BC, Canada, by "KO" at :43 seconds of round 1 at Caesars Tahoe Casino in Tahoe, NV, USA on January 22nd, 1994. He won the IKF Pro International Rules Heavyweight World Champion when he defeated Stan Longinidis of Boxhill, Victoria, Australia in Lowell Massachusetts, USA on May 15th, 1999 by TKO in round 9.
    
    
76. October 25th: Mark Selbee was awarded the IKF Pro FCR North American Heavyweight Title by forfeit on promoter Brett Moses' "Trauma" event in Dalton, Georgia, USA because Selbee's scheduled opponent, Dan Lucas of New York, was injured the day before the bout.
    
    
77. October 3rd: Adams Rogers In Our Prayers. Former 2 Time IKF Amateur Champion Adam Rogers was involved in a motorcycle accident that left him in a coma for weeks. He later awoke and as of this posting, he is recovering.
    
    
78. October 3rd: Mr. Taft... In Our Prayers. The father of one of Jesse Finney's Junior fighters, Matt Taft went back in the hospital fighting his own battle against Leukemia. Our hearts and prayers go out to Matt's dad, Mr. Taft, Matt and of course, his family.
    
    
79. November 2nd: IKF President Steve Fossum and wife Toni celebrate 1 year of marriage... Has it been that long already?
    
    
80. November 15th: Promoter Ray Thompson and the IKF hosted the 2003 IKF Full Contact Rules North American Championships in Greenville, South Carolina, USA. For full results, CLICK HERE! On the same night in the Featured Main Event, Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson of Simpsonville, South Carolina, USA defeated Kevin "Hitman" Engel of St Louis Missouri, USA by unanimous decision to win the vacant IKF Amateur Cruiserweight WORLD TITLE.
    
    
81. November 18th: Naeem Munir defeated Eric McMullen by TKO at 1:35 of the 3rd round to win the IKF Amateur Southwest Light Heavyweight Title on Clement & Rhonda Vierra's Phoenix, Arizona, USA event.
    
    
82. November 11th: IKF Welcomes A New Lestage! Amateur Kickboxer Max Lestage was recently blessed with a new addition to their family on November 4th, 2003 at 11:05 AM when Chayton Audric Lestage was born to this world. He was a healthy 8lbs and 14 oz. and 20 and a half inches long.
    
    
83. November 12th: Questions About Steele Vs Jason Bress... When Danny Steele no shows to Mike Miles kickboxing event in Canada, without an explanation, IKF steps up the investigation review on the bout between Steel and Brees in Hawaii earlier this year. Since the bout we have been told by several people that Bress and those associated with him have been Bragging about it being a "Worked Fight". The IKF spoke to Mr. Steele about the fight within a few days after it and he strongly denied it being a fixed fight and went on to say, "Or if it was, I had nothing to do with it!" Since the Canada incident, the IKF has tried to reach Mr. Steele but our calls have gone un-returned despite several messages being left on his voicemail.
    
    
84. November 20th: Is LESS...MORE...? IKF Proposes Possible New Weight Classes For Better Competition but no change was ever made.
    
    
85. December 6th: Promoters YAVAPAI-APACHE NATION featured 3 IKF titles on their event in Camp Verde Arizona USA. Jennifer Frank of Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA defeated Diana Apresa (Who last name use to be Perez in past press articles, Cottonwood, Arizona, USA) by unanimous decision to win the vacant IKF IR Amateur Woman's Flyweight Southwest Title. Naeem Munia of Phoenix, Arizona, USA defeated Javier Rodrigues of Albq, New Mexico, USA by unanimous decision to win the IKF IR Amateur Middleweight South Mountain Regional Title and Clifford Larson of Camp Verde, Arizona defeated Matt Adock of Phoenix, Arizona by unanimous decision to win the IKF IR Amateur Super Welterweight Arizona Title.
    
    
86. December 6th: Remy Bonjasky Wins K-1 World GP.
    
    
87. December 7th: Promoter Yong Yao hosted 3 IKF Pro San Shou World Title bouts in Beijing, China. Liu Hailong of China defeated Eduardo Fujihira of Brazil by unanimous decision to win the vacant IKF Pro San Shou Light Cruiserweight WORLD TITLE. Bao Ligao of China defeated Dave Marinoble of Roseville, California USA by unanimous decision to win the vacant IKF Pro San Shou Super Welterweight WORLD TITLE and Han Yuzhu of China defeated Fernando Calleros of El Paso, Texas USA by unanimous decision to win the vacant IKF Pro San Shou Light Welterweight WORLD TITLE.
    
    
88. December 9th: -A Tragic Loss... - Teen Shot, Killed, 2 Others Wounded. Kenneth Allen, son of Pro IKF & ISCF fighter George Allen was shot outside a Norcross Georgia convenience store at 10:30 PM. He passed away in route to the hospital. Our prayers go out to the Allen family.
    
    
89. December 14th: At Promoter Lee Whittington's Sidcup, Kent, England event, Jay Sandford of Kings, London, England and Steve Warr of Eltahm ThaiBoxing, Eltham fought to a draw for the IKF Amateur England Middleweight Thai Boxing Title. Olly Watson of Minotaurs, Herts England defeated Chris Cheeseman of Eltham ThaiBoxing by KO at 1:34 Seconds of the 2nd Round to win the vacant IKF Super Welterweight Amateur Southern Area Thai Boxing Title.
    
    
90. December 15th: Amateurs & HEADGEAR... IKF presented the headgear for amateur ruling for discussion. Although it was one of the most talked about and best discussions on the Message Board, the ruling stayed the same. ALL amateurs must wear headgear.
    
    
91. December 24th: IKF Advisory Board Sees Changes As We Head Into 2004. Some were taken off but some new names were added to the Official IKF Advisory Board. The new individuals included,
    • Ryan Blackorby of Peoria Illinois, USA, IKF MuayThai Representative.
      
      
    • Dean Lessei of Dubuque Iowa, USA, IKF MuayThai Representative.
      
      
    • Tat Mau Wong of San Francisco California, USA, IKF San Shou Representative.
      
      
    • Benny Voyles of Pacific Missouri, USA, IKF Missouri Associate Representative.
      
      
    • Craig Lamanna of Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, IKF Utah Associate Representative.
      
      
92. December 24th: Prime Time Offered For IKF Kickboxing TV Show On CSS? CSS offered a 6:PM, Sunday evening slot for the IKF Kickboxing TV Show. No final decision by the IKF has been made as of this press time.
    
    
93. December 30th: Is It Time To "EXPAND" The IKF USA National Amateur Tournament? The presenting of the idea of The IKF WORLD CLASSIC tournament.
    
    

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE...

MORE NEWS OF 12-31-03

POSTED AT 10:15 AM, PT

K-1 Dynamite Results
Click HERE!

The majority of this article is from a previous article written back in May of 2001 by IKF Associate Alex MacDonald. In Alex's first article he addressed the issue of the USA titles and how the Amateur National Tournament took these title fights away from the promoters. In the last 2 years we have also taken away the Amateur North American titles from promoters because of the recent addition of the IKF North American Tournaments. Both of these events have there pros and cons about them but overall, the one we hear about most here is that in creating them, we have not allowed Promoters to feature big U.S. or North American Title matches on their events. Doing so has taken away their ability to add more hype and excitement to their promotion, only leaving them with 3 amateur title choices, state, regional or World. Only 3 choices in USA that is.

As we end 2003 we look ahead to what we can do to improve the IKF in 2004. We have already been discussing openly the issue of amateurs wearing headgear or having the option not to. This rule of amateurs wearing headgear looks like it will not change for 2004, mainly due to the safety issues related to it. In other words, the problem here is not "Amateurs not wanting to wear headgear." The real problem is that "there is no 'Next Level' for them to go after an amateur career". We say "Next Level" because the reality is, there are fewer and fewer pro opportunities every year. Without National TV Exposure from a National Network, this may never change. With this being said, we here at the IKF Organization are working on this "Daily" and we hope to make progress in 2004 for all of us. In the mean time, we need to look for ways to help bring Promoters financial assistance through major sponsorship so that we can see more pro fights.

Have you ever heard of the saying, "More is Less?" If not, you have now and we have decided to look at some of the areas where the IKF can do "Less" to offer all of you "More". We don't mean "Less work". We mean... well... Lets just jump into this discussion and begin with focusing on the IKF National & North American Amateur Tournaments and see where we can offer "Less" but make it "More" for everyone. In the end, you will hopefully see what we mean by such a phrase.

From Alex MacDonald.
(*) Some updates as to years referred to have been made.

Since its birth, the IKF has taken amateur kickboxing in the U.S. very seriously. In fact it was the mismanagement of amateurs by other sanctioning organizations that created the opening for founders Steve Fossum and Dan Stell to start what is now, after less than ten years, the most respected worldwide sanctioning body.
"One question that many wonder is WHY does one decide to start up their own sanctioning body? Well, we can't speak for others but in the case of the IKF it was because we as fighters, trainers and promoters got tired of WONDERING "WHO" was TRULY the best as an amateur. Yes, as an AMATEUR. You see, the IKF was originally started to be just an AMATEUR organization." (IKF History page)

When thinking about the IKF's dedication to amateurs, one must especially respect the sacrifice made to stage the IKF National Amateur Tournaments. Perhaps 'sacrifice' is the wrong word here. With the vision of both amateur and professional kickboxing growing to reach their full potential, perhaps 'investment' is a better word. And what an investment it has been so far. In only its *fifth year, the IKF National Amateur Tournament is respected by Americans and non-Americans alike. Entering the tournament means facing the best in the United States. Gone are the days when one could fight a cross-town rival for a national title or even a world title.

However, without a working system in place to copy, the IKF has had to, more or less, invent the wheel on its own. Being the first organization to have both, they had to decide how to balance the tournament champion with the national title holder. Initially, U.S. title holders were obligated to enter the tournament. Those who didn't have a valid reason for missing the tournament were told their titles would be stripped. Then tournament winners who fought in divisions with vacant titles were awarded the U.S. title in addition to the tournament championship. In retrospect, this was wrong. Fighting 3 two-minute rounds is not enough to win the title and not every tournament champion got double belts so the IKF fixed things again. This time they put the tournament champion first in line to challenge the title holder which made it seem to some that the tournament champion's achievement was inferior to winning the U.S. title. This of course couldn't have been further from the truth since the tournament circuit is, without a doubt, the best experience any amateur kickboxer in the U.S. will ever have. In response, the IKF has now (*as of April 4th, 2001) eliminated the amateur title system altogether in an effort to have only one U.S. Champion. I feel this act will do more damage than good and that is the basis of this article.

I would first like to thank the IKF for giving me a forum to disagree with this decision and for posting this article on the news page. Readers will know that others would not be so fair. However, if you look at the bottom of the main page on this site, you will see that fairness is part of the IKF's five star mission. This article is proof of that.

I would also like to say that this article is not meant to be any form of mud slinging. This is one of Mr. Fossum's advisors who supports amateur U.S. title matches disagreeing with other advisors who don't. Furthermore, although I feel the decision to eliminate amateur U.S. title matches is wrong, I am not accusing anyone involved in the decision making process of malice. On the contrary, intent alone sets the IKF apart from the its competitors.

The Relationship
So what is the purpose of non tournament titles?
Think of team sports that have a regular season followed by a playoff series. A regular season champion is crowned as is the playoff champion. Winning the regular season usually means earning top seed in the playoffs and winning both the regular season and the playoffs means the team in question was undeniably the best of the year.

The link team sports have between their regular seasons and playoffs is a little different than that between the kickboxing tournament circuit and what I call the 'title season'. In team sports the playoffs are more important than the regular season record. Think of the Super Bowl, the World Series or the Stanley Cup. In addition, team sports have a one-way relationship where the playoff winners have to start from scratch at the beginning of the next regular seasons. On the other hand, I believe kickboxing has a two-way relationship. The title holder can bypass the qualifying tournaments to enter the U.S. Championships and the tournament winner is put first in line to challenge the title holder. I predict that this two way relationship will create a growth cycle that, once the spinning picks up speed, will snowball beyond our wildest expectations.

So which is more important? The tournament champion or the title holder?
Answer... Neither.

If we look closely at the aspects of a tournament and those of a title match, we'll see that these are two different tests each with its own advantages.

• In a title match, both fighters are certain to be fresh whereas in a tournament there may be an element of fatigue by the time a competitor makes it to the final match.
  
  
• Amateur national title matches are 5 two-minute rounds in length compared to the 3 two-minute rounds in tournament matches.
  
  
• The tournament champion must overcome the element of mystery. He or she will not be able to plan weeks in advance for the next opponent and in many cases, will be facing a complete unknown from across the country. One must be ready for anything.
  
  
• In terms of experience, the tournament champion can collect as many wins as there are winners in his or her way to the top. After one win, he or she will face someone else with a win. Then after two wins, he or she will face someone else with two wins and so it goes until the undefeated competitor has no one else to fight. The rest of the pack will at worst suffer ONE loss. That's the nature of eliminations. The title holder in a single 5x2 match, however, will get at most one victory in one event.
  
  
• Anyone can enter the IKF National Amateur Tournament. It's an OPEN kickboxing tournament. Title matches, on the other hand, are exclusive. To get a title shot one must be judged a worthy and proven fighter. How can one become a such a fighter? Enter the tournament and prove yourself worthy.
  
  
• An IKF National Amateur Tournament Champion is crowned only once a year and sits on the thrown for the whole year regardless of later defeats. The U.S. Title holder, on the other hand, can collect as many Title defenses as he/she likes but defeat will end his/her reign.
  
  

The Examples
It appears that at this point it is on me to provide a little more than my foresight. I should offer some real cases to support my claim that the IKF National Amateur Tournament actually provides better competition for U.S amateur titles. At first glance, this may seem to be a difficult task. After all, the IKF National Amateur Tournament is *now only 3 years (5 as of the re-posting of this article) old. However, it wasn't at all difficult to find a few very good examples.
(*) Examples below were only taken from the first 3 years of the IKF National Amateur Tournament since this article was first written in 2001.)

• Samuels vs. Owens (May 20th 2000)
  This was the first match between a tournament champion (Derrick Samuels 1999 IKF National Amateur FCR Welterweight Tournament Champion) and a reigning U.S. title holder (Gary Owens). Originally it was a tough match to make because the fighters came from opposite ends of the country. Samuels was from Florida and Owens from California. When the fight eventually was made it surpassed all expectations: a 5 round action-packed split decision with Samuels the winner. Moreover, it was viewed by many to be the best bout of the year. If putting future tournament champions and the reigning title holders together generates a fraction of the excitement this bout did, then be prepared to see promoters making these fights happen no matter what the distance across the country. Between the two of them, they threw over 130 kicks over the 5 two-minute rounds. In pure business terms, excited spectators are return customers. Even better than that, they will tell their friends about the unbelievable fight they saw. That's positive word of mouth advertising…a promoter's dream.
  
  
• Zimmerman vs. Fowler. (September 16th 2000)
  Perhaps you remember Clint Zimmerman who won the 2000 IKF National Amateur IR Cruiserweight Tournament Championship by forfeit when his scheduled opponent failed to show. He didn't make the trip to the nationals just to be presented with a belt. He went to fight so fight he did. He moved up in weight, knocked out both his heavyweight opponents in one round each and left with two belts. His opponent Brad Fowler was the 1999 IKF National Amateur MTR Cruiserweight Tournament Champion. In the end it was Zimmerman winning on points over Fowler. Although this fight wasn't for a title, it very well could have been. Whether or not you agree that a fight of this caste should have been for a title, there is no denying that the IKF National Amateur Tournament had an effect on the matchmaking.
  (*Fowler is now a pro fighter as of this posting today, 12-30-03)
  
  
• Hill vs. Rivera (December 2nd 2000)
  This bout was for the vacant IKF Women's MTR U.S. Featherweight Title. The contenders? Both tournament champions. Angela Rivera was the 1999 IKF National Amateur MTR Flyweight Tournament Champion while Trish Hill (Right) was the 2000 IKF National Amateur FCR Lightweight Tournament Champion (in addition to holding 3 IKF U.S. amateur titles: the IR bantamweight title, the IR featherweight title and the FCR lightweight title). Hill won the match in a split decision with Rivera quickly requesting a rematch. This was more than two tournament champions fighting. The belt on the line had meaning. It meant that this fight would be more than a days news on the IKF news page. The winner of the match would be listed as a champion on the rankings page as a result of this fight. And when she turns pro or retires or loses her title, Hill (and even Rivera as a challenger) will be listed on the PAST IKF Champions page. That's recognition.
  (*Hill & Rivera are now pro fighters as of this posting today, 12-30-03)
  
  
• Hasley vs. Crawford. (December 3rd 2000)
  Giving elite tournament fighters shots at titles may soon become an international custom as IKF Promoter Mike Miles of Canada hosted the first IKF North American Title match between a Canadian tournament champion and an IKF National Amateur Tournament champion. The 2000 IKF National Amateur IR Super Heavyweight Tournament Champion Kurt Hasley of the USA defeated Keith Crawford of Canada with a second round knockout to claim the IKF North American IR Amateur Super Heavyweight Title. This match up made perfect sense. Take the best of one country and pair him up with the best of another for five rounds. Lucky for Hasley, his international title is still valid.
  (*Hasley is now a pro fighter as of this posting today, 12-30-03)
  
  
• Greubel vs. Poey. (February 24th 2001)
  In a very exciting light welterweight contest, 2000 IKF National Amateur FCR Light Welterweight Tournament Champion John Greubel faced 2000 IKF National Amateur FCR Welterweight Tournament finalist Tom Poey. With both fighters delivering combinations at an incredible speed, Greubel (Right) emerged victorious in yet another very close split decision. This was a non-title match.
  
  

Could the above fights have happened at the IKF National Amateur Tournament? If all the circumstances in question had them chasing the same championship, they may very well have met but the conditions were different enough for these fighters to miss each other. Owens was recovering from a knee injury and couldn't make it to the tournament. Hill and Rivera fought in different years and different rule styles as did Zimmerman and Fowler. Hasely and Crawford come from different countries. And Greubel and Poey, although fighting in the same year in the same rule class, entered at different weights.

I predict that *after the 2001 IKF National Amateur Tournament, we'll see promoters looking to match the best against the best at a higher frequency than before…Only now with no titles on the line to ensure a legacy. In fact, I believe that if the choice to eliminate U.S. National Titles were put on the table in March 2002 rather than 2001, the final decision would be very different. Everyone involved would see the effect the tournament circuit has on the quality of matchmaking during title season. These matches deserve recognition and the IKF is the only organization that can do this. (Without full disclosure of both past and present champions [see the IKF WORLD RANKINGS pages and the PAST IKF Champions pages] other titles are unfortunately rendered meaningless.)

It is my hope in writing this article that readers will realize
A: That the IKF National Amateur Tournament is the best thing to happen to amateur kickboxing and
B: That there is still a place in the scheme of things for U.S. amateur title matches. Let's all hope that after the national tournament season wraps up in September (*2001), that discussions on the status of IKF U.S. amateur titles will resume.
END of Article.
_________________________________________

• (* ADDITION AS OF 12-30-03:) Some of the "BEST" matches using this formula were matched at IKF Promoter Ray Thompson's Martial Arts May-Hem event in May of 2003 when he brought 12 of them in for the best Amateur show of 2003! NONE of these were title bouts due to the current Tournament system.
  
  
  • Dallas Crowe of Spartenburg, South Carolina, USA Vs Nelson Lebron of Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA.
  • Justin Pickett of Augusta, Georgia, USA Vs Joe Surack of Kokomo, Indiana, USA.
  • Rod Llaneza of Atlanta, Georgia, USA Vs Stevie Dement of Augusta, Georgia, USA.
  • Shannon Hudson of Greer South Carolina, USA Vs Peyton Russell of Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
  • Doyle Gaylor of Kaufman, Texas, USA Vs John Gruebel of Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
  • Stephen Thompson of Simpsonville, South Carolina, USA Vs Bill Jardine of Mondovi Wisconsin, USA.
    • Who of these have been IKF National Tournament Champions: Justin Pickett, Doyle Gaylor, Peyton Russell, John Gruebel & Stephen Thompson
    • Who of them had already been to the IKF Nationals as of May 2003: Dallas Crowe, Joe Surack, Shannon Hudson, Bill Jardine & Stevie Dement.
    • Only 2 had never been to the IKF Nationals: Nelson Lebron, who won at the 2003 IKF Nationals 3 months later and Rod Llaneza
• The above 6 bouts were all 5 round feature bouts, but Thompson had 3, 3 round undercard bouts that included:
  • John Ganner of Fountain Inn, South Carolina Vs Uzi Maman out of Gattlinberg, Tennessee, USA.
  • Susan Wood of Douglasville, Georgia, USA Vs Stephanie Kernan of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, USA
  • Bruce Flynn of Marion North Carolina, USA Vs Laurence Evans of Gattlinberg, Tennessee, USA.

___________________________________
Well Alex,
And everyone else reading this, a change is on the horizon. Like the headgear issue, we would like to hear your thoughts on it. We want to hear thoughts from not just the USA Amateur fighters and trainers, but fighters and trainers from outside USA too. Why? well, what if we as the IKF "Gave Back" to the USA promoters the opportunity to host/feature IKF US & IKF North American Titles on their events? Here us out on this one...What if we saw more amateur events in 2003 like Ray Thompson's Martial Arts May-Hem? But in 2004, those all could be IKF title bouts? Alex said it best above when he made point of what happened to past IKF Champions. That they are not forgotten, instead, remembered forever on the PAST IKF Champions Page. He added to his point by writing,

"I predict that *after the 2001 IKF National Amateur Tournament, we'll see promoters looking to match the best against the best at a higher frequency than before…Only now with no titles on the line to ensure a legacy." (As what happened this last year on Ray Thompson's Martial Arts May-Hem event.)
Alex continued:
"In fact, I believe that if the choice to eliminate U.S. National Titles were put on the table in March 2002 rather than 2001, the final decision would be very different. Everyone involved would see the effect the tournament circuit has on the quality of matchmaking during title season. These matches deserve recognition and the IKF is the only organization that can do this. (Without full disclosure of both past and present champions [see the IKF WORLD RANKINGS pages and the PAST IKF Champions pages] other titles are unfortunately rendered meaningless.)

So now the news...
What If, we changed the structure and the name of the IKF USA Nationals? What if we combined the IKF USA National Amateur Tournament with the IKF North American Amateur Tournaments? (Here is where you will see the 'Less is more' comment we started with above.) What if the Champion of this "Tournament" were instead a "Tournament" Champion (Like Boxing's Golden Gloves) instead of a "Region" (USA, North American, World) Champion? When we first thought of this idea, we thought the IKF Nationals were "Exactly" like Boxing's Golden Gloves. However, when we researched it, the Golden Gloves is just one of 15 (Or more) Boxing Tournaments each year. Don't believe us? Well, according to USA Boxing's 2003 calendar, an Amateur boxer could have won far more than the "Golden Gloves" tournament here in the USA. He or she could have also won one of these Amateur Boxing Tournaments Titles:

1. Silver Gloves National Championships at Olathe, Kansas.
2. Titan Games at San Jose, Calif.
3. Everlast Men's U.S. Championships at Colorado Springs, Colorado.
4. U.S. Challenge at Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA.
5. National Collegiate Boxing Championships at Las Vegas, Nevada - UNLV
6. Ken Goff Memorial Boxing Classic at Regina, Canada
7. National Golden Gloves at Las Vegas, Nevada.
8. Junior Olympic National Championships at Alexandria, La.
9. Augusta Summer Boxing Classic, Augusta, Georgia
10. Junior Olympic International Invitational at Alexandria, La.
11. Women's U.S. Championships at Ft. Lauderdale Beach, Florida
12. Women's Golden Gloves at Chicago, Illinois
13. Everlast Fran Jones Under-19 Championships at Alexandria, La.
14. Labor Day Championships, Location TBA
15. National PAL Championships at Toledo, Ohio.

Fifteen different tournaments... And we were concerned about how to name a title for one or 3... And that does not include the Tournaments USA Boxing is involved with "Outside" the USA. Of course, USA Boxing has a 3 million dollar budget to assist them with these events too. About 3 million more than we have here. When we discovered all this, we thought, "Why not have a TOURNAMENT that has IT'S OWN Title and is NOT associated with 'Region' Titles?"

In doing so, it would free up all the IKF USA and IKF North American Titles (Along with the other, state, regional and World) for Promoters to feature on their events instead. But what would we call such an event? Each year when we start talking about the IKF USA Nationals on the news pages here we receive about 10-20 e-mails a week from trainers and fighters from around the world asking if they can join the event. However, as you all know, the event is a USA National Amateur Tournament, not a "World" tournament. But what if we open up such an event to "ANY" Amateur fighter in the World? Of course, we would need to assure "ALL" fighters followed the IKF Definition of Amateur Fighter found at this link HERE.

Blackorby

Lamanna

Wong

Voyles

Lessei

Well everyone, as many of you know, this has been an ongoing topic here at the IKF for some time now. "Should headgear be mandatory for amateur fighters?"

Many of you think that we here at the IKF are "Set in stone" about the current mandatory headgear rule in place for IKF Sanctioned bouts and events, but the truth is, we're not.

In fact, we have always been open to hearing justified arguments for and against this rule or any rule regarding the sport of kickboxing. Over the last 3 weeks we have spoke with many IKF Representatives, Promoters, Trainers and fighters about this current rule. Although the jury is still out on this one, we thought we would share some of our thoughts on it along with some thoughts of others.

As of today, of the probably 30 or so we have spoken to, very few are in favor of keeping the mandatory headgear rule but regardless of what side of the vote people are on, one thing is for sure... Opinions are strong for whatever stance they take. Because of this we need to look at this proposed rule change from every possible angel. Making such a decision is not just done by a toss of a coin. Such a decision needs to be made after all the facts and opinions are weighed carefully and in great detail. In our discussions, examples of how the headgear rule could be adapted, if such a change were made, were discussed in great detail. Here are some of the issues and examples as currently related to this projected rule change below:

1. Boxing & Kickboxing
   In the past, we in the sport of kickboxing always seem to bring up a comparison between boxing and kickboxing. We have often thought that what boxing does, we should too. But Why?
   Why do we need to "Follow" anyone else, especially a sport that looks down upon us? If we have been doing this 100% in the past than maybe such actions are the reason our sport is where it is today... far behind where we wish we could be. Yes it is true that all amateur boxers wear headgear. Does this mean kickboxers should too? If you believe this, than jump to the other side just for a moment and ask, "Why?" For example, why would state athletic commissions make it mandatory for amateur boxers to wear headgear but make it "Optional" for amateur kickboxers? Or another example, Mixed Martial Arts wears smaller gloves and strikes to the head with fists, feet, shins and knees yet they don't wear headgear, should they? Many will argue that MMA is not a stand up fighting game. OK, maybe not 100% like boxing and kickboxing but does that mean they don't hit hard? Of course not.
   So the bottom line is, WHY do we feel we need to "Follow" what boxing is doing? Do they "Help" us get on TV? Not at all, in fact, its just the opposite. They will do what is necessary to keep us OFF TV! So why are we following them? Shouldn't we make our own sport, make our own rules, our own standards?
   
   
2. Injuries
   Amateur karate requires headgear, even amateur wrestling. But why? We have been lead to believe headgear saves a fighter from head injury. Does it? Cuts yes, head trauma...? Well... The jury is still out on this one as we all know. As for such injuries, all fighters and trainers would be aware of this as they make their decision whether or not to shed the headgear. There will be no "Ego or Pride" driven decisions here such as being asked if they want to wear headgear or not in front of their peers. All decisions about headgear will be made over the phone, one on one with the event matchmaker and the trainer and his/her fighter.
   
   
3. Boxing & A Future
   Every amateur boxer knows they have a greater possibility as well as greater opportunity to stardom than any kickboxer when they first begin, true or false? Well, it depends where you stand. What fuels amateur boxing is something that kickboxing does not have and may never have. They can compete in the Olympics. Amateur kickboxers don't have "Olympic Kickboxing" and lets be honest here, we probably never will with all the different rule styles, organizations and a host of other issues related to becoming an actual "Olympic" sport. In addition, when an amateur boxer turns pro, they have FAR MORE opportunities to fight than a kickboxer because at the present time there is far more money available for pro boxing promotions (due to TV exposure) than pro kickboxing. This available funding which comes from major sponsorship makes more pro boxing events possible.
   
   
4. For Headgear
   Arguments "FOR" headgear in the past have been several. One such argument for headgear has always been that "Olympic Dream" possibility. However, we covered the reality of this above so why wait for someone like the Olympic Committee to make something happen for our sport? Haven't too many of us been "Waiting for someone else to make something happen long enough!"
   
   
5. What Will Be Mandatory
   Those supporting the headgear rule have stressed defenses such as, "Why force amateurs take off headgear and risk being cut or injured, all for no pay?" Well, to begin with, the proposed ruling on the table here will not "Force" any fighter to do anything. The choice of headgear or no headgear will "Always" as mentioned above, be made far before the event during matchmaking and "Both" fighters would need to agree not to wear it. If one said they want to wear it to the event matchmaker, this should be a heads-up to the event matchmaker to find an opponent who also wants to wear it. We would never allow a bout where one wears headgear and one does not. Again, this must be determined far BEFORE the event during all matchmaking.
   
   
6. Number of bouts and rating amateurs
   We do not plan to separate amateurs into different "Classes" for the amateur world rankings. However, we will name matches according to the situation. For example we would come up with a name for the amateur "Bouts" that have 2 fighters not wearing headgear and another name for amateur bouts of fighters wearing headgear. Since we would not have more than 2 categories (Bouts with headgear and bouts without) we will not call these A or B class and probably not even something like beginner, novice or advanced. The reason here is because if we make this rule change, we would still require amateurs fighting in more than 1 bout a day (As in a Tournament event) to wear headgear no matter what their preference is. Bouts would be classed in each individual situation. In our discussions, we are currently saying that an amateur fighter must have a minimum of 5 or more "Proven and or registered bouts with the IKF" before they would be given the option to fight without headgear. We say "Proven and or registered bouts with the IKF" because it would be simple for a fighter to exaggerate their record to a matchmaker just so he/she doesn't have to wear headgear. This is often done in the State of California where the state requires amateur kickboxers to have 3 bouts or more before given the choice of not wearing headgear. Five bouts allows a fighter to have a good feel for real "Full Contact" kickboxing and should have a grasp on whether they still want to wear headgear or not.
7. JUNIORS
   Any fighter 17 years old or below will always be required to wear headgear no matter what their desire. If an under 17 year old fighter is matched against a fighter over 17, "BOTH" will be required to wear headgear.

There is far more to this discussion, but these are just some of the points we thought we would bring up for you today. We encourage all of you to continue to discuss this on the message board as we draw closer to a decision for 2004. Some of you we have tried to contact but have not been able to reach you. for this reason, please don't feel as it we are leaving you out. Instead, don't wait for us to contact you, please contact us.

There are other rule changes and additional announcements to be made for 2004 so don't stop watching the news page here. We may be done with events for 2003 but there is a lot going on behind the event scene that will effect everyone for 2004. We look forward to yet another great year of IKF Kickboxing action.

SouthEast USA: Word has it that the IKF Kickboxing TV Show has been a major success on CSS this last few months. So much that CSS has already started talking about re-signing another programming contract for 2004. However there may be a break from new programming after the current 17 week contract season ends on the 26th of December. This hasn't stopped CSS though from airing the program to excited fight fans. The show is so popular CSS has not been showing the show once a week as planned, not twice a week but sometimes as often as "THREE" times a week! Reruns of the show are already scheduled to air after the last scheduled programming date of December 26th.

New programming will depend on Sponsorship for 2004. If you are interested or know anyone interested in becoming a program sponsor to help keep the show going, please contact the IKF TV Programming department at ikftv@ikfkickboxing.com, or you can call the IKF office at (916) 663-2467.

Next week the show schedule is as follows;

• Tuesday, December 16th at 7:00 PM Eastern and 6:00 PM Central.
• Thursday, December 18th at 4:00 PM Eastern, 3:00 PM Central.
• REGULAR TIME: Fridays at 11:PM Eastern and 10:PM Central.

The following week the show will air:

• Thursday, December 25th at 4:00 PM Eastern, 3:00 PM Central.
• REGULAR TIME: Fridays at 11:PM Eastern and 10:PM Central.

IKF Liverpool, England: Although the official IKF Sanctioning of show was not even confirmed until the morning of the event, IKF Promoters Mark Wilson and John Rice are happy with their recent, HEAT IS ON II this last Sunday, the 7th of December in Barcelona, Liverpool, England. Here are the results as sent to us by IKF European Director Alby Bimpson.

1. Demonstration, 3 X 1
   Thomas Preston 30kg, Liverpool Hope Kickboxing Vs Luke Formston 32kg, Wirral. Two up and coming young prospects got the show off with an outstanding demonstration.
   
   
2. Demonstration, 62kg 3 X 1½
   Andy Webb, Liverpool Martial Arts Vs Thomas Rider, Kirkby Thaiboxing. After the kids did their demonstration, two of the seniors got in to show their abilities. Andy Webb was due to have a regular fight but his opponent pulled out due to illness.
   
   
3. 45 Kg Junior International Rules, 3 X 1½
   Andrew Kyriakou, Liverpool Hope Kickboxing Vs Rajesh Sallan, Birmingham: Kash Gill travelling all the way from Birmingham, arriving only a half an hour before the show started, did not seem to affect his fighter. Sallan who is normally a full contact fighter was to fight International rules for the first time, but after the bout you would have believed different as he took the fight on a unanimous decision. Thank you to Kas "The Flash" Gell for travelling. Winner Rajesh Sallan Unanimous Decision.
   
   
4. 24 Kg Junior Thai Boxing, 3 X 1
   Sean Evans, Kirkby Thai Boxing Vs Dean Smith, Kirkby Thai Boxing. Even though these two kids come from the same camp, it was war in the nicest sense of the word. The crowd was astatic as both threw every technique they knew and more. Congratulations must go to the trainers of these two young warriors. We all anticipate the return. Result: Majority Draw.
   
   
5. International Rules, 3 X 2
   Marc Kierman, 54kg, Merseyside Kickboxing, Liverpool Vs Joey Graham, 58kg, Kirkby Thai Boxing. This was a much anticipated grudge match, between to local lads and friends, but the friendship ended when the bell went, with both fighters trying to stamp their authority in the first round. You knew at this point it was only a matter of time before one of them made their dominance felt. We did not have to wait long. Kierman came out for the 2nd round with determination written all over his face, making contact with excellent combination of punches and kicks, putting Graham down for the full count. Win to Kierman by KO round 2 at 26 seconds.
   
   
6. 51 Kg Junior Thai Boxing, 3 X 1½
   Liam O'Neill, Liverpool Kickboxing Academy Vs Adam Graham, Kirkby Thai Boxing. This was an explosive bout with both fighters giving their all, Graham taking the bout on a majority decision.
   
   
7. 59 Kg International Rules, 3 X 2
   Jamie Gilbert, Merseyside Kickboxing, Liverpool Vs Chris Bigden, Eagle Thai Boxing, Cleveleys. This was one of the fights the crowd was waiting for, with Gilbert having an excellent following of supporters. Respect must go to Bigden who never give up and made a real fight of it. The decision going to Gilbert on a unanimous decision.
   
   
8. Junior International Rules, 3 X 2
   Paul McCarthy 55kg, Merseyside Kickboxing Liverpool Vs Brian Creighton, 58kg, Kirkby Thai Boxing. McCarthy is definitely a name to look out for in the future. This being his first fight, seemed to have nerves of steel as he flipped over the top rope into the ring landing perfectly, which had the crowd going wild. McCarthy who has had previous boxing experience, showed he was no novice to the ring. Creighton kickboxing experience and ability won the fight by Unanimous Decision this time round. There already talking about a future return.
   
   
9. Demonstration, 2 X 1½
   Paul Henderson, Liverpool Hope Kickboxing Vs Dean Robinson, Kirkby Thai Boxing. Excellent demonstration by both fighters, allowing the crowd a chance to breath and get their vocal cords re-lubricated.
   
   
10. IKF Middleweight, Full Contact, 7 X 2
    Colin Farricker, Liverpool Hope Kickboxing Vs Carl Reid, Middlesborough. Colin Farricker won this bout by forfeit/default when his opponent Carl Reid No Showed. We are still Awaiting Details as to why.
    
    
11. Valetudo, 2 X 5
    Mo Coles 81.5kg, Northampton Vs Lee Brennan, 76 Kg, Liverpool. Lee Brennan won this bout when his opponent failed to answer the bell for the 2nd round due to eye injury.
    
    

Due to genuine illness (flu) several fighters failed to show, commiserations to the following fighters who trained and turned up on the night: Andy Webb, Liverpool Martial Arts, Matty Smith, Liverpool Martial Arts, Sam Laoye, Liverpool Kickboxing Academy.

• Referees:
  • International Referee, Mike Fowles
  • International Referee Vt - Ewan Campbell.
• Officials:
  • Alby Bimpson,IKF Europe Director.
  • Leon Kelly
  • Jacqui Thompson

For more info please contact Jacqui Thompson or Alby Bimpson of IKF Europe at jacquithompson@msn.com

Dear IKF Readers,
Today we were sent an e-mail from a popular China website with some questions that were related to the recent IKF Sanctioned China San Shou event. We thought, since someone was asking us these questions maybe others wondered the same things so we are going to answer them publicly here on the IKF news page. Please find the questions below exactly as they were asked to us, we have kept the senders name private.

1. Has the IKF well prepared for the fight?
   • ANSWER: The IKF is a "Sanctioning Body". We do not manage or train fighters. The fighters who fought on the recent IKF Sanctioned China event fight for many different organizations. With this being said, the answer to your question is "Yes". As a "Sanctioning Body" the IKF was well prepared for this event.
     
     
2. Why Dave instead of Ott come to the fight?
   • ANSWER: The event promoter, Dr. Yong Yao wanted to promote Mr. Marinoble in this event. He and Dave met some time back and have been talking about promoting an event for months
     
     .
3. Do you think if the San Shou player had played, he would have done a better job?
   • ANSWER: Dave has fought San Shou before and does well. If you are asking if Mr. Rudi Ott (Left & Right) would have done a better job, there is no way to know this until Mr. Ott fights Mr. Bao Ligao (Below Right).
     Both Mr Ligao and Mr. Ott are our IKF Pro World Champions, having this title speaks for itself. Both Mr Ligao and Mr. Ott are "Excellent" San Shou fighters.
     Mr. Ott has won once and lost once to Mr. Marinoble. We look forward to a third match between them if a promoter can make it happen. If you really want to know how Mr. Ott will do against Mr. Bao Ligao, I suggest you discuss with those capable of promoting such a bout and have Mr. Ott fight Mr. Bao Ligao.
     Mr. Ott would fight him on any day, anywhere in the world as long as the offer is worth it for him, again, remember, he is a IKF World Champion and deserves to be paid and treated as one, just like Mr. Bao Ligao. This way you will have your answer.
     
     
4. You have complaints about rules, next time, will you ask Wushu Association to change it?
   • ANSWER: By fight time, we had absolutely no complaints about any of the rules. The rules were all followed to the agreed requirements by all involved. We spent 7 hours the day before the event discussing the rules in a very positive and productive meeting with the Chinese Wushu Association. After we had all discussed our concerns and the rules were adjusted, all of us were very pleased. With this being said, let it be known that we as the IKF and even all the fighters had "NO COMPLAINTS" about any of the rules that were used in the event.
     
     
5. In China thousands of kungfu funs require Cung Le to fight Liuhailong. Would it be possible to have this "revenge" fight re-matched?
   • ANSWER: As you may already know, Mr. Cung Le, (Right) like Mr. Ott is an IKF Pro World San Shou Champion. He is probably the most well known San Shou fighters in the world and one of the most well known martial artists in the world. This being said, he is a very busy man.
     However, Mr. Le will fight anyone, anywhere as long as the purse is worth it to him. The promoter did not want to match "Asian" Fighters against "Asian" Fighters on this event so Mr. Le was never even asked to fight on this last event. To the IKF this would no be called a "Revenge" fight. We are not seeking revenge on anyone. We represent all fighters and all champions so Mr. Liu Hailong is our IKF Champion now too, just like Mr. Le. If you can find a promoter who is able to pay both these Champions what they are worth, I'm sure neither would be afraid to fight each other and we as the IKF would be proud to sanction such a great bout.
     
     
6. Cung le is your Champion, and the only one who has beaten up our Champion, why did not you let him fight this time?
   • ANSWER: This was answered above. To begin with, Mr. Liu Hailong (Right) would have had to come down in weight to fight Mr. Le since he fights at the weight below him and holds his IKF World Title there. But to re-answer this question, the promoter did not want to match "Asian" Fighters against "Asian" Fighters on this event so Mr. Le was never even asked to fight on this last event. I believe this was because the promoter and those associated with the event wanted to make it clear for the event that they were not having a World Title with two Asian Fighters against each other. They wanted someone from overseas, but not "Asian".
     
     
7. Will you get your belts back? Or leave them hear as gifts of friendship to Chinese People?
   • ANSWER: When a fighter wins an IKF Title Belt the belt is there's to keep forever. If they should lose their title, a "New" belt is made for the new IKF Champion, but the previous IKF Champion will always be allowed to keep their IKF Title Belt.
8. What will you say to Chinese Kungfu funs, who have shown great concerning about this match.
   • ANSWER: I'm sure my answer would be the same as "ANY" fighter out there in the World Today...
     
     

TOKYO, December 6, 2003
He is cool, sleek and quick, and he flies through the air with the greatest of ease. He is known as "The Panther," and he strikes with his legs, and he strikes with his knees. He is a twenty-seven year-old Muay Thai fighter from the Netherlands, and on this day, at the Tokyo Dome, he turned aside all challengers to capture the world's most prestigious martial arts title. Meet the King of Kings, the K-1 World Grand Prix 2003 Champion, Remy Bonjasky (Right)

An ex-banker and ex-model, Bonjasky earlier this year (August) won the K-1 Battle at the Bellagio in Las Vegas to advance to the K-1 Osaka Elimination tournament, where he beat Bob Sapp to earn a place here in the Final. On this night full of surprises, Bonjasky was just unstoppable, winning three fights to emerge victorious in the tough eight-man elimination tournament -- but we are getting ahead of ourselves, let's start at the beginning.

The first quarterfinal fight on the night pitted French kickboxer Cyril Abidi against South African boxer Francois "The White Buffalo" Botha. Abidi's last bout was coincidentally also against Botha, at the Osaka Elimination tournament. That fight was an inglorious affair -- it timed out at a mere 19 seconds. After Abidi had slipped to the canvas, Botha clocked the prone Frenchman in the mug. The disqualification put Abidi into the Final and left the Buffalo out in the cold -- or so everyone thought. But a couple of weeks ago, failed contract negotiations with Abidi's scheduled opponent Stefan Leko led to the announcement that Botha would get another shot at Abidi at the Final.

Botha accused Abidi of cowardice after he did not get up to continue the Osaka bout: "He stayed down because he was scared. I say, if you are scare of being hurt, then why be a fighter? You should do something else, like go play golf!" And so Botha was very much looking forward to this rematch: "I'm very confident I'll take Abidi out like I did the first time, except this time I'm going to do it legal."

From the bell, Botha charged forward, Sapp-style. Abidi answered with a low kick that tripped Botha up, the fall ruled a slip. Seconds later it was Abidi who slipped, and when Botha looked like he might be moving in, Abidi exploded from the canvas with a Matrix-style maneuver, rocketing both feet up to Botha's big chest to propel him backward. The rest of the fight followed roughly the same script: Botha coming in, Abidi throwing low kicks when in range, Botha planting punches from in closer, Abidi looking for the knee as the distance decreased, the two combatants ending up clinching. Botha seemed to tire as the rounds wore on, and Abidi showed that despite his new trainer Didier Leborgne, he still had his old bad habit of clumsily turning away from attacks.

A good solid strike was finally recorded late in the second, a Botha haymaker which caught Abidi solidly on the side of the jaw. This was a close fight, Botha solid on his feet despite Abidi's low kicks, Abidi moving and defending well against Botha's fists. Botha had a slight edge on two cards after two rounds -- but then with just seconds left in the third, he dropped his left arm, and leaned in to throw a right punch. Before he could, Abidi seized the opportunity to fire a fast right high kick, which hit the White Buffalo in the side of the head with the effect of a tranquilizer dart. A dazed Botha slumped slowly to the canvas, and the down was all it took for judges to give Abidi a narrow but unanimous decision and a trip to the semifinals. "I still think I'm better than him," said Botha post-bout, "but I couldn't put it together tonight, I was not relaxed in the ring, I'm still learning."

Fighting in the second quarterfinal, Australian karate fighter Peter Graham was not unaware that he was a little out of his league. Dead last in online fan polls on both the K-1 USA and the K-1 Official Website polls. Graham had this to say at the press conference: "I know lots of people think I'm a little lucky to be here, and I know my opponent Remy Bonjasky is a good fighter, but I came here to win." Meanwhile, in his interviews, Bonjasky was already looking ahead to fights number two and three. Wasn't the Dutch fighter being a little overconfident? Well, as it turns out: No, he wasn't.

When the nothing-to-lose Graham came at him with a more-than-capable attack comprised of quick punch combinations and front kicks designed to keep those flying knees at bay, Bonjasky kept his cool. Graham surprised the audience with a spinning back kick that just missed, and was definitely holding his own in the early going. But then Bonjasky made his move. Late in the first, it was a knee from in close that caught Graham squarely on the chest and scored Bonjasky's first down. A valiant Graham barely beat the count, but need not have bothered, as seconds later Bonjasky put the knee up again, connecting with the jaw this time to score another down and win by KO. The relative lack of emotion on Bonjasky's face afterward showed that, indeed, he was a man looking ever forward, intent on winning this tournament.

The next quarterfinal put Ray Sefo against Seidokaikan fighter Musashi. A terrific fan favorite, Sefo revealed in his pre-event press conference: "I am probably the worst shape I've ever been in before a tournament. But I can say that when the bell goes, as long as I am still standing, then someone is in trouble." Turns out a nagging flu had kept the New Zealand fighter out of the training gym for three weeks prior top the Final. His opponent tonight, Five-time World GP participant and Four-time Japan GP Champion Musashi, was thus presented with his best chance ever to advance past the Tokyo Dome quarterfinals. Sefo stepped into the ring with a shinguard on his left leg, and the southpaw Musashi quickly exploited this apparent weakness, launching numerous low kicks at the shin. These were clearly bothering Sefo a great deal, and he did everything he could to draw Musashi into a boxing contest.

Really, he did everything. For example, in the second, Sefo scarcely used a guard at all, preferring to bobble about, taunting Musashi. When the blue-haired Japanese fighter was careless enough to move in with his fists, he was met with an explosion of hard tight hooks. But this was a tactic of desperation for Sefo, and Musashi saw through it.
In the second and again in the third, stung by Musashi's low kicks, Sefo himself reverted to a southpaw stance, the better to protect his tender left leg. Sefo threw no kicks, but again and again he taunted Musashi, finally installing himself in the corner, back against the post, arms down, beckoning: 'C'mon, come on in here and try to hit me!' Alas, Musashi wanted a win more than a fight, and stuck to his game plan, tossing in kicks and the odd straight punch, keeping it technical. One judge scored the fight a draw, the other two put Musashi up by a single point to give him the win by the narrowest of margins.

Next up was Alexey "The Scorpion" Ignashov and Peter Aerts. At the many concession stands surrounding the Tokyo Dome, Ignashov posters, action figures and t-shirts were outselling those of any other fighter. A fan poll on the K-1 Official Website had Ignashov the clear favorite to win it all today, and his quarterfinal matchup with Three-time World GP Champion Peter Aerts of the Netherlands was perhaps the most anticipated K-1 bout of the year.
The first round was even, both fighters feeling each other out, Ignashov's guard high as usual, Aerts a little more open. Ignashov threw some left straight punches, Aerts the classic one-two punch then low kick combinations. Ignashov got a good left straight through late in the round, and another in the second. But Aerts kept scoring points with his meat-and-potatoes approach.
In the third, Ignashov was not moving laterally as he usually does, and looked uncharacteristically sluggish. Aerts hurt Ignashov with a left hook placed after Ignashov had thrown and missed with a right, and at the end of three Aerts was up on one card, while the other two judges saw the fight as even. Under K-1 rules, a tie-breaking round was set, and here Aerts kept up the pressure, while Ignashov was unable to put anything good together.
It is not that Aerts was hurting Ignashov much, it was more that his relentless peppering stymied the Belorussian, prevented him from finding his chance to strike. Aerts unanimous win in the round and the fight was due in no small part his superior body positioning and timing. And that is spelled "experience".

During a short intermission in the tournament, K-1 played a videotaped message from Mike Tyson: "I wish I could be there," said Tyson, wearing a black K-1 T-shirt, "but your Prime Minister won't let me in due to my past. I hope to come to Japan in the future. No K-1 fighter can handle my power. Oh, and Sapp, I'm still waiting, sign the contract!" Bob Sapp then entered the ring to thunderous applause to announce: "The contract has been signed, and Mike and I will fight next year."

In the first of the semis, Remy Bonjasky and Cyril Abidi took the crowd on a wild ride of a fight. Abidi was his frenetic self, and Bonjasky answered in kind. It was clear from the bell that this one could not go on long, and it did not. But what excitement! Abidi rattled Bonjasky with a punch in the early going, and the two mixed it up nonstop with great zeal.
But after eating a devastating left Bonjasky kick, Abidi turned and stumbled to the ropes, either unwilling or unable to continue the fight. Bonjasky, however, chased his retreating opponent, punching as he went, and Abidi was assessed a standing count. Soon afterward, Bonjasky got the knee in, and Abidi again stumbled away in a daze, defeated, turning to the ropes, where he hung on for dear life. The second standing count, at 1:46, gave the victory to Bonjasky.
Abidi, simply, never knew what hit him. The fight was more a testimony to Bonjasky's ability than Abidi's weakness, and to his credit, Abidi did not peddle any excuses afterward: "Remy," he simply said, "was better than me." Again, the victorious Bonjasky left the ring without a hint of emotion on his face -- he was, as they say in America , "In the Zone."

Remy Bonjasky

Musashi's recent training partner, former WBA Super Middleweight Champion Frankie Lyles, had put out the word that Musashi was going to surprise a lot of people on this night, and he was right. Although Musashi's first-fight victory was at least in part attributable to Sefo's poor condition, his performance in the semifinal was one of the biggest upsets of the year in the in the K-1 World GP. Musashi was supremely composed against Aerts, and this was a great technical bout. Musashi recorded a nice left kick to Aerts' head in the first, was generally leaning in more than usual, and looked very effective on the punch counters he and Lyles had worked on. Musashi's head made contact with Aerts' nose midway through the first, and although it was ruled unintentional, the blow seemed to bother the Dutchman for the remainder of the fight.

Aerts came out faster in the second, connected with a right kick to Musashi's body, but the Japan GP Champion, again, was very effective with his counters. As Lyles had promised, we were seeing a much more confident and balanced fighter. In the third Musashi threw punches from inside, a technique he was not known for in the past, and was able to follow up with second and third punches. When his victory was announced, Musashi exploded with delight, shouting and jumping in the air. It was a rapturous moment and the crowd in the Tokyo Dome went wild.

As the orchestra accompanied an American gospel singer in a crowd-rousing version of "We Are The Champions," who would have predicted that the man marching into the blue corner for the last fight of the night would be Musashi? But there was another angle to this improbable matchup -- Musashi had sweated out six full rounds against two of K-1's toughest veterans to get to the final, while Bonjasky had logged less than four minutes fighting time to get there. Surprisingly, this fight went the distance. The relatively fresh Bonjasky was the far more aggressive fighter here, fleet of foot, throwing flying knees, front kicks and punches in the early going, which Musashi answered mostly with low kicks. Musashi did get in with some body blows, but really he was lucky to come out of the first round even on all three cards.

In the second, Bonjasky dominated, there was less razzle dazzle now, as he simply outboxed Musashi, throwing only the occasional high kick. Musashi was looking increasingly fatigued, and although he tried to rally in the third, connecting to the body with a nice spinning kick, he was simply outclassed by the seemingly tireless Bonjasky, who never once lost focus.
The decision was unanimous -- Bonjasky had won the fight and was the K-1 World Grand Prix 2003 Champion. But this was a win-win final, as Musashi got further than any Japanese fighter ever had in the World GP.
"I was not able to apply everything I learned from Frankie (Lyles)," said a crestfallen Musashi afterwards, "I need to train harder. But I hope I proved that Japanese fighters can seriously compete at this level."
Bonjasky agreed: "No disrespect intended, but I really did not expect Musashi to do so well. He has improved a lot."

So how does the new Champion feel? "Well, I married earlier this year, my wife Melissa and I are expecting a baby in February, and now I have won the K-1 World Grand Prix," replied a beaming Bonjasky. "I would have to say that this is the happiest time in my life!"

With his victory, Bonjasky becomes the third Dutchman to win the K-1 World Grand Prix (the Dutch have taken the title an impressive eight out of eleven times!), and pockets a check for US $400,000.00 which should buy a whole lot of diapers and set up a nice college fund for the new addition to the Bonjasky household. Congratulations, Remy -- it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy!

In other fights on the card:
Twenty-three year-old K-1 USA Champion Carter Williams (Left at Right) lost amid controversy to Ray Sefo at the Osaka World GP Final Elimination in October. Tonight the American wunderkind got a second chance in Japan when he took on Bjorn Bregy (Right at Right) in the reserve fight. Bregy, who won the Andy Hug Memorial in his native Switzerland last May, is towering presence in the ring -- at 202cm. he stands a full 13cm taller than Williams.
Bregy used his height in the early going, going for the clinch and bringing the knee up, connecting with a left knee midway through the first. But by the second round, Williams turned the clinching to his advantage, landing a good tight right hook on Bregy's jaw from the clinch to score a down. Williams continued to brutalize Bregy in the clinch, throwing hooks, at one point lifting his opponent's leg and executing a body slam. As the round progressed, Williams took control. Seconds after the doctor had tended to a gash over Bregy's right eye, Williams got inside with three punishing hooks to drop the big Swiss fighter for the second time, and take a well-earned KO victory.
Said Williams after the bout: "I'm very happy to have won, it would have been good to get into the tournament but that was out of my control. I did what I set out to do, and I know I'll do well when I do get into a tournament."

A Superfight on the night saw Swede Martin Holm take on Jan "The Giant" Nortje of South Africa. Nortje is a jolly good fellow, and packs a mighty hard punch. In the early going, he used his size to close down the ring, giving the speedy Holm no room to work his finesse. But Holm kept his head down, and took a pretty good beating before he found The Giant going the wrong way, and brought a brutal knee in on his ribs. Nortje stood there for a second before collapsing to the canvas in a heap of pain. Scarcely a minute had passed when Holm's arm was raised in victory. A good sport, the Muay Thai fighter quickly went over to check on his felled opponent, but Nortje was able to get to his feet moments later.

IKF Pro San Shou
Light Welterweight
WORLD TITLE

In the first IKF World Title fight of the night
Han Yuzhu (Left) of China faced off against Fernando Calleros (Right ) of El Paso, Texas USA.

ROUND 1
We need to say, Calleros had never looked better. He came in on weight and was ripped, lean and cut! This was truly a "NEW" Fernando Calleros. However, it's too bad we didn't see him in any other rule style other than San Shou. Calleros appeared to be the far more aggressive fighter in round 1. He appeared to press the bout and score with great speed of his hands and feet. However, when the judges cards came to the master score table, we started to understand just how "Traditional San Shou" scoring works. Two of the Chinese judges scored the round 2-1 and 3-1 for Yuzhu while the USA judges (Who was more use to the IKF San Shou scoring that has always been done) had it 3-2 for Calleros. We thought Calleros landed far more punches and kicks and were expecting to see scores more like 15-10 for Calleros, but the low scores, especially only 1 point given to Calleros by both China judges had us worried about the nights scoring ahead.

ROUNDS 2-4
This only got worse for Calleros in this bout because in the first 4 rounds, one China judge only gave him 1 point per round while the other went as far as giving him a "0" in 2 of the first 4 rounds with "1" scores in the other 2. In our opinion there was no way Calleros didn't score a single point in these rounds so we wonder what this judge had on his mind. On the flip side of the coin though, although we didn't feel Calleros was being awarded enough points, we also thought Yuzhu should have been awarded more points too. Yuzhu clearly out played Calleros in rounds 2-5. We say out "PLAYED" because as we watched each bout, they appeared to be more of a chess game than a fight. Not to say these fighters were not throwing all they had to offer and bangin like fighters do! They were! It's just that these bouts were won more on simple techniques, not power. Calleros had strong punches but the slick movement of Yuzhu forced him to miss and in his forward motion the two would consistently tie up.

In the clinch Calleros and Yuzhu exchanged some good knees and hands, but remember, these were not scored points. Yuzhu won these rounds not by any dynamic throws. Heck, there were "NO" great throws in any of the bouts, NONE! Only slips that brought a fighter to the ring floor. We saw on Calleros face what we were to see on Marinoble and Fujihira's face later... The look of confusion and frustration. NOT because they were not throwing quick and powerful strikes, not because of what they didn't do to their opponents but instead, what their opponents did to them. Simply put, they were out played in a specialized style of fighting and the Chinese fighters were "EXCELLENT" in their movement both offensively and defensively.

ROUND 5
This round changed a bit, with the awarding of points at least, where Calleros was awarded 2 points by one and 4 points by the other Chinese judge and 4 by the USA judge. However Yuzhu clearly dominated this round and scored 14 from the USA judge but only 4 from each China judge. This was Yuzhu shining round. He didn't rest knowing he had controlled the first 4 rounds, he showed his passion and desire to prove to the world he was the best and deserved to wear the IKF Gold! He out foxed Calleros on nearly every exchange and had little problem doing so. It was clear this was Yuzhu night, but more so, this was "HIS" game. In the end he took home the IKF Gold with a skillful performance to become the first IKF Champion in China. he defeated Calleros by unanimous decision, 5 rounds to 0 on one of the Chinese judges cards, 4 rounds and a draw round on the other judges score card and 3 rounds to 2 on the USA judges card. But the night was just beginning for China...and they had plans to strike Gold again and again...

Knowing that the USA judge scored more for strikes, here are the judges scores for the bout, round by round and you will see just how close the bout was.

IKF Pro San Shou
Super Middleweight
WORLD TITLE

Bao Ligao (Left) of China faced off against Dave Marinoble (Right,) of Roseville, California USA. This was the most talked about match-up of the night. Marinoble had recently beat IKF Pro San Shou World Champion Rudi Ott in a non title bout to avenge his loss to Ott when Ott won the IKF title.

However Marinoble did not beat Ott using true San Shou skill. This is not meant to be an insult to Marinoble, just a fact he even admits. He beat Ott by stopping him from using any San Shou techniques on him. Marinoble had planned for a "Throw defense strategy" against Ott which worked to perfection, one he had probably planned to use against Ligao. But Ligao was a far more experienced fighter than both Ott and Marinoble put together and he proved so from the first round on.

We can't really pin-point what it was that made Ligao look like the one who controlled this bout but we do know it happened in round 1. Although Marinoble knew Ligao was a southpaw (left handed) fighter, he wasn't able to fight an effective outside game plan against him. Marinoble was doing what he had planned, but Ligao seemed to have the answer for every move he made. It was another game of chess as was Calleros' bout and again, USA was looking for the right move on a confusing chess board.

As Marinoble would charge in, Ligao stopped him with either a good side kick to his body or a straight left. Regardless whatever it was, it forced Marinoble to consistently re-think his strategy as the fight wore on. With Ligao's effective counters on Marinoble's charge, Marinoble was left with little outside game. When Marinoble was able to get inside, Ligao would wrap over his arms which stopped Marinoble from punching effectively. Still Marinoble was able to land some good body shots and uppercuts but of course none of them counted as points (only damage) since the fighters were tied up.

Marinoble avoided most of Ligao's takedowns but was unable to score throw points on him. When Marinoble would start to fall from Ligao's throw attempts, he would hold Ligao along for the ride, nullifying any point. Regardless, it was the few Ligao did score that made the difference in this bout. It was a close bout with the chess master, Ligao winning on points. On the judges cards, Ligao defeated Marinoble by unanimous decision 5 rounds to 0 on one of the Chinese judges score card while the other Chinese judge scored it 4 rounds with one round a draw. The USA judge scored it 4 rounds to 1 for Ligao.

As with the scores of the first bout and knowing the USA judge scored more for strikes, here are the judges scores for the bout, round by round and you will see just how close this bout was too.

IKF Pro San Shou
Light Cruiserweight
WORLD TITLE

Liu Hailong of China (Left) and Eduardo Fujihira (Right) of Brazil were the featured Main Event of the night. The true favorite was China Superstar Liu Hailong. Hailong looked like the master fighter out of a hollywood movie. He had the stare and the look and more so, he has the true fighting skills of a real fighting champion. After fighting, we won't be surprised if we see him kickin up the big screen with the likes of other China Martial Arts Action film stars.

Hailong's opponent, Eduardo Fujihira had been put forward by the most famous San Shou fighter in the World, Cung Le and the first fighter who was suppose to be fighting Hailong, Scott Sheeley. Both Sheeley and Le thought Fujihira was the best chance of defeating Hailong. Fujihira had already impressed many in the San Shou world but there were a few who doubted his skills too saying he had not had enough pro experience to face Hailong. Regardless of what everyone thought, it was time to "Walk the Walk" and see who would take home the IKF Gold.

In round 1, Fujihira appeared more than just enough to hang with Hailong. In fact, the power he was throwing on his punches looked like he may even have a chance at a knockout. He wasn't just throwing a couple, he was coming with the heat a lot! To us, Fujihira clearly won round 2 by a large margin but not according to both Chinese judges who scored it 3-2 each for Hailong while the USA judge scored it 7-3 for Fujihira. His punches looked fast and powerful yet few landed and those that did were answered back with something from Hailong. As rounds 1 and 2 played out, the thoughts of a knockout for Fujihira by anyone may have been wishful thinking. Hailong, like the other Chinese fighters was able to slip Fujihira's punches enough to either back away or tie him up inside. At the end of round 2 the match looked to be more of a strength and endurance game instead of the previous skill game as the other two bouts. but don't let these words fool you, "SKILL" played an important part from here to the end...

At the end of round 3, Fujihira looked tired. His eyes seemed to droop and he just wasn't on. He seemed to be so tired he just stopped moving around the ring and simply took Hailong on toe to toe, a mistake he paid for over and over again. His lack of movement allowed Hailong to catch him flat-footed and score with strikes and sweeps as well as a few kicks and punches. Was it possible Fujihira had punched himself out in the first 2 rounds? Possible yes, but we can't say for sure. All we knew was that from round 3 on, this was all Hailong, at least he made it look that way. Again as in the previous two bouts, there were no dynamic throws but Hailong, like the other Chinese fighters simply stepped to the side and past Fujihara by as he fell to the canvas, frustrated and tired.

As rounds 4 and 5 went by there was no question who won this bout. Hailong showed why he is one of China's best in the style of San Shou and added to his trophy case and resume, IKF San Shou World Champion as he defeated Fujihira by unanimous decision, 5 rounds to none on both the Chinese judges *score cards while the USA judge gave Fujihira one round and another a draw with the remaining 3 to Hailong.

(*) At the head judges table, the chief China Wushu Association judge saw round 2 the same way we had, or at least partly. So much that he elected to 'change' the scores of both of the Chinese judges who had given the round to Hailong. He changed the score to 4-2 in favor of Fujihira on one judges card and 3-3 on the other. Although this was gracious of him to do for Fujihira, we (IKF) do not over-rule bout judges at ringside and although they changed it on their master score cards, we choose not to change it on the IKF Master Score sheets so we left it as scored by the judges. Our only worry at the time was hoping this question mark of scoring wouldn't create an issue at the end of the bout. But it never even came close to being an issue.

Again, knowing that the USA judge scored more for strikes, here are the judges scores for the bout, round by round.

Many had thought the China fighters would throw all three of their opponents around like wet noodles, this was not to be true at all. The China fighters won by doing what they had to do and it was not by dynamic throws, but by slight shifts of their bodies to miss attacks and leave their opponents striking air, tied up in a clinch or on the ring floor. We never saw any fighter totally dominating their bout, but we did see a clear control of the bouts by all three of the China fighters. No one dominated in the "Power" game because from what we saw none of the fighters were ever hurt with any strikes. The China fighters simple fought and won with superior skill and technique and as someone said when we were there, "They knew how to score the points in San Shou." It was a great show of expert skill by the Chinese fighters against fighters who were more experienced in another styles of the fighting sports. This was no fault of the Chinese fighters or an excuse for the other fighters, it was simply a fact, they were out played. They were chess games to watch, not brawls with devastating blows where you would see several standing 8 counts. In fact, there wasn't a single standing 8 count in any of the three bouts.

The China fighters knew this game, this style, and proved it in every possible way keeping all their opponents frustrated, off balance, and questioning what they could do. Nothing seemed to work for them as desired let alone planned. This is no disrespect or down talk of Marinoble, Calleros or Fujihira, it's just that on this night, they met their match. None of them were "Beat up," but they were clearly out-skilled and out pointed in a game the China fighters knew well. This was China's night to shine with Gold, and they did so proudly in front of millions of their fans. We will surly see them again, maybe even some re-matches here. There are so many to praise here for such a great event. From the promoter, Dr. Yong Yao to all those of the Chinese Wushu Association and the "MANY" in between, you all deserve applause from the San Shou and kickboxing fans around the world. Our hat is tipped to all of you for being such gracious hosts and showing the world what real San Shou is like, played on a fair and remarkable stage. As for all the fighters, all of you "Walked the Walk" and we are proud of all of you in both victory and defeat.

As for now, it's time to get some rest but look for follow-up articles about some of these fighters and San Shou later this week. For more info contact Dr. Yong Yao and his staff at e-Commerce Technology, Inc. at (408) 777-9821 or by e-mail at marketing@ec-t.com

MORE WEEKEND RESULTS COMING TOMORROW...

This Friday Night On IKF Kickboxing On CSS!
Friday Nights, 11:PM EST - 10:PM CST

Due To Popular Demand, We are having a re-run of Show Number 7

1. FIGHTS
   • Justin Lawerence, Pacific, Missouri, Vs Andre Camarena, Norcross, Georgia.
     (2003 IKF/TKO USA National Light Atomweight FCR Title: 13 Year Olds.)
   • John Castle Indiana Vs Chuck Baxter, Iowa.
     (2003 IKF/TKO USA National MTR Heavyweight Title Bout
   • Tom Grimmer, Pewaukee, Wisconsin vs Andy Hoffman, Hanna City, Illinois.
     (2003 IKF North American MTR Super Middleweights Title.
   • Jeremy Harminson, Lerna, Illinois, vs Chris Weitz, Dubuque, Iowa.
     (Pro MuayThai)
2. SEGMENTS
   • Corner Talk
     • Trent Tompkins, (Right) Waterloo, Iowa
       IKF Amateur FCR Super Heavyweight World Champion.
   • On The Road
     • Ryan Blackorby, Peoria, Illinois
       IKF Promoter and Trainer.
     • Jeremy Harminson, (Right) Lerna, Illinois
       IKF Pro MuayThai Champion.
   • Hits & Highlights
   • Final Round

Liu Hailong



Bao Ligao



Han Yuzhu

IKF Headquarters, USA
Across the Pacific Ocean is the country of China. Known for sites such as The Great Wall, Tian Anmen Square, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, and Temple of Heaven, this Sunday night, December 7th in Beijing, it will be the site of a TRIPLE IKF San Shou World Title event. Many have warned us here at the IKF that this will be "China Vs USA" in EVERY sense of the way. Not just the fighters, but with the officials and others we will work with too.

We have been told that China has no idea what a "Sanctioning Body" is and that the letters IKF won't mean a thing when we step off the plane. Whether this is true or not, we will need to see ourselves. If so, we need to remind those involved in China that we aren't going to China to simply offer an IKF World Title Belt and internet advertising. The goal of any IKF Sanctioning is to represent "ALL" the fighters, not just those we travel with. More importantly, we represent the promoters, officials and the event itself as a whole to assure everything runs as scheduled and to assure all involved act fairly and abide to all the official IKF Rules and Regulations. We do not sanction events so we can throw our weight around or be on a power trip. IKF Sanctioning is is best summed up in this quote, "With great power comes great responsibility." and it is the duty of the IKF to be responsible for everything about an IKF Sanctioned event.

This "IS" an IKF Sanctioned event. The IKF has already made clear that we will appoint the official IKF Referee for ALL 3 IKF World Title Bouts and in this case, it will be the IKF Head of Officials, Mr. Dan Stell. This has always been a rule and regulation for IKF World Title bouts and will continue to be so. We are also bringing over 1 IKF Judge, Mr. James Wong, who is also an associate with the California State Athletic Commission. The IKF event Representative in charge of the event will be IKF President Steve Fossum.

It has been advertised as America Vs China, but there will be one fighter coming from Brazil to step into the ring against china's very best in the Light Cruiserweight division. Eduardo Fujihira (Right) He Started at 3 years old to practice Judo and took part many competitions and winning most of then. At the age of 7 started to practice Kung-fu with Chan Kwon Wai, the North Shaolin style. At this time practicing both Judo and Kung-fu twice a week each. At the age of nine started playing soccer in one of the main Brazilians teams (Sao Paulo) and stopped with the Martial Arts training. At the age of 14 stopped with soccer because it was interfering in the studies, so he started to practice Kung fu with Chan Kwon Wai best student Nereu Graballos, who was at the time coach of Brazilian Sanshou Team (now he is the vice-president of the Pan American Wushu Federation and president of Brazilian Confederation.)

In 1993, at the age 17 years old, he had his first state competition and won the state, (Sao Paulo) and National Championships (Brazil). In 1994 he again won state and National Championships and won the Pan American Wushu Championship in Toluca, Mexico, and the Pan American Koushu Championship in Lima, Peru. In that same year he started to studied Business Administration.

In 1995 first took 4th place in his first World Championship, where he beats Singapore and Kazakhstan but lost to the winner of the tournament from Romania in the semifinals. He won the World Koushu Championship at 1996 in Taipei, Taiwan. In 1997 he won another tournament in Orlando, Florida, USA, and fought against Scott Shelley in a PPV match, and won. In 1999 he took part in the World Championships, where he won his first fight and lost his second. In 2000 he stopped fighting and concentrated all energy on working in the field of financial business. In 2001 he had his best result, being 1st place in World Wushu Championship in Armenia. In 2003 he fought against an MMA fighter Steve Headden (Current ISCF MMA World Champion) in a PPV event and won by TKO in the 2nd round. Eduardo, is also the captain of the Brazilian Team and is considered one the best Brazilian Fighters. He has brought the most valued tittles to the Brazilian Shanshou Team.

Across the ring though he will face off against Liu Hailong of China (Above Left, 50-4 with 11 KOs) . Hailong is the raining China Kung Fu King Champion. he also won the Thailand Vs China competition and was 1st World Cup San Shou Champion. We have not been told a lot about Hailong but we are assured, he is the favored fighter in this match-up.

The fighter the China Promoters have featured most though has been "The Madman!" IKF FCR Middleweight World Champion Dave "The Madman" Marinoble (Right, 19-1-2 with 8 KOs) of Roseville, California USA. Born In Roseville Marinoble has dedicated his life to the Martial Arts. Since his humble beginnings of Shaolin Kung Fu taught by his Grandfather, Glen Richardson, he has always loved the martial arts. Dave has been involved in the art of Modern Bok Fu for over 15 years, earning his 4th Degree Black Belt from Master James Kane. He has also earned his 3rd Degree Black Belt in Jujitsu, as awarded by Professor LL Cary. Recently he was awarded his Black Sash in Wing Chun Kung Fu by Sifu, Eddie Chong, and is currently studying Bak Mei Kung Fu and the Inosanto style of Escrima Stick Fighting.

Not only has Marinoble earned many Black Belts, he has also earned numerous local, state, national, and international titles. He has represented the United States twice as a member of the United States Sport Jujitsu Team helping propel the US team into the top three in both competitions. He also won the Middleweight Continuous Point Fighting title in 1999 at the USA International World Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is known in the kickboxing world as the "Madman." Given the nickname because of his relentless style of fighting, he has refined himself into one of the sport's most well known fighters.

Dave Marinoble



Eduardo Fujihira



Fernando Calleros

Since beginning to fight as an amateur in the early 1990's, he had one goal in mind, to be the Professional World Champion. He won the IKF United States Light Middleweight, IKF Middleweight, and IKF Super Middleweight titles before turning Professional. Since turning professional in 1998, he has torn through the Middleweight division. He won his first professional title (IKF United States Middleweight Title) in a 10 round unanimous decision over Larry Jarrett of Florida. He won the IKF North American Middleweight title against Thomas Downing of Canada on December 17,1999, on his way to his ultimate goal when he won the IKF Middleweight World Title against then Champion Tommy Kimber. It was in July of 2000 when Dave stepped into the ring against Kimber in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. After standing toe-to-toe for 7 rounds of back and forth action, Marinoble let loose with a vicious combination sending Kimber to the canvas, thus making Marinoble the new IKF World Middleweight Champion. His only loss was for the IKF Middleweight World Title when he lost to Rudi Ott. However, in a rematch several months later Marinoble got his redemption in a 5 round decision win against Ott, however the promoters did not want to put Ott's IKF World Title up.

Marinoble's opponent will be Bao Ligao (Above Left, 48-6 with 5 KOs) of China. Ligao is the current China Kung Fu King Champion in the Super Middleweight division and won the Thailand vs China bout too. We don't know a lot about him as all the China fighters but the bottom line here is, he "IS" a TRUE San Shou Fighter who has only fought San Shou. With that being said, he will be the favorite on the China books going into the fight but many who know Marinoble expect to see him surprised by the "Madman's" fighting ability, even in San Shou.

Rounding out the Triple World Title event will be the quest for the vacant IKF Light Welterweight San Shou World Title between Fernando "Cool" Calleros (Above Right, 29-6-2 with 16 KOs) of El Paso, Texas USA and Han Yuzhu of China. Calleros is the current IKF Pro International Rules Super Welterweight World Champion. He is also a certified black belt in both Kenpo and Tae Kwon Do with years of championship fighting experience. He has been involved in the martial arts since he was 11 years old and became a successful amateur kickboxer. Under the tutelage of Master Bill Packer he moved forward towards a successful professional career as well. His goal is to continue to represent the USA in a positive way. He has fought the world's best including Kamel Chouaref, Danny Steele (2 Time IKF World Champion) and Dimitry Shakuta (Former IKF World Champion). He has fought in Japan, China, Italy, Russia, France, Canada, Mexico and throughout the USA. A victory in China will add to his accomplishments and help to re-introduce himself to the Chinese people whom he respects and wants to gain their approval. He has fought in all rule styles which include, full contact, kickboxing, Muay Thai and Draka/San Shou.

Fernando's opponent will be Han Yuzhu (Above Left, 17-8) of China.Yuzhu is a new san shou star. Like a "black horse" in the "2003 Chinese Wu Shu San Shou Match", he gains the challenger qualification here against Fernando.

Its clear to Fernando Calleros, Dave Marinoble and Eduardo Fujihira that the Chinese Team doesn't want them to know much about them. This is apparent by the info you have read above. Whether this be one of their tactics to keep their opponents from gaining any insight to them or just because there isn't much to tell, we won't know until the night of the event. At least IKF Kickboxing TV viewers will get a chance to see the bouts themselves since all 3 bouts will be later televised on the IKF Kickboxing TV Program.

As an investment group and online promotional partner, e-Commerce Technology, Inc. along with the IKF, China Central TV Station (CCTV), China Wushu Association, and Chinese Kungfu King Company will present this historical event to millions of kickboxing and martial art lovers from the City of Beijing. The event doors at the Beijing Worker Gym will open at 6:PM and the bouts start at 7:30 PM. the 3 IKF Pro San Shou World Title bouts will be supported by a full undercard. For more info please go to www.ec-t.com/kickboxing or contact e-Commerce Technology, Inc. at (408) 777-9821 or by e-mail at marketing@ec-t.com

POSTED AT 11:30 PM, PT

IKF Point Kickboxing©
Roseville, California, USA

This Saturday, December 6th, A.K. Promotions Presents
IKF Point Kickboxing© Grand! II
The First Step Out of the Gym!

IKF Point Kickboxing© is a Semi-Contact- Continuous Fighting Point Tournament with Cash Awards and Trophies (Trophies up to 4th Place). There will be Teams competition too. The event will be held at Lord's Gym, 702 Atlantic Street inRoseville, CA. Registration starts at 8:AM and Officials and Tourney Meeting at 10:00 AM, All Must Attend. Elimination bouts start at 11:00 AM.

Team Competition is $25 per member. Registration at the door is $35 for indivisual competitors. A Great Event To Stay In Shape, Spar Diverse Styles and Increase Timing! Spectators Fee is $5, Under 4 years old FREE. Contact Strictly enforced! No Knockouts! For more Info call (916) 780-7483 or go to www.AKPromotions.org

PAST IKF NEWS - CLICK HERE!

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