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MONDAY, June 30th, 2003, AT 9:00 PM, PT How Does An Event Police
Itself? There is a very hot topic running around the last few weeks and it's called SAFETY! The topic has come up from the most recent deaths in Toughman competition. A total of 14 now. One of the most recent deaths was a 30-year-old mother of two, Stacy Young of Florida. Young had no fight training but was encouraged on the day of the event to step into the ring to fight a younger (20) better conditioned and TRAINED competitor, Sarah Kobie. However, no one can blame Kobie for her death. Kobie was there to WIN, but the referee was there to "WATCH", and he wasn't watching out for the fighters safety. He was watching out for the promoter Art Dore to assure he would have a "3 Round Cat Fight" for the crowd to see. Even when Young dropped her gloves and stumbled to her corner while members of the audience called for the bout's end, the referee never even stepped in to break the two to separate. He just stood by and watched Kobie PUMMEL Young! Kobie landed punch after punch on Young who was visibly out of shape (At 240 lbs) and spent much of the fight backed into a corner trying to defend herself as best she could. At one point, the two fighters fell to the canvas and Promoter Art Dore yelled over the PA System, "A real cat fight!" Even though spectators yelled frantically at the ridiculous referee Dore had placed as the bout referee, he just stood there and watched it all without a care for fighter safety in mind. Again, he was making sure the audience saw a beating! And they did. By round 3, Young couldn't even hold her gloves up to protect herself. As she walked toward her corner before the match was over, Kobie punched her three times on the side of the head. The referee still didn't step in as Young went down on the third punch. Young absorbed 14 unanswered punches to her head. Twice, Kobie went after Young when Young's back was turned to her, and neither time did the referee intervene. Nobody knows which punch rendered Young brain dead but the last time she turned her back to Kobie, Kobie jabbed the back of her head with a left and then cocked her right fist and delivered a blow squarely on Young's brain stem, snapping Young's head from side to side. From the final blow, Young collapsed, and never got up. While Young was being fatally pummeled the ringside doctor (Hired by Dore) doctor was busy taking pictures as the event's official photographer. Young collapsed in the ring and suffered a seizure. Paramedics were on hand to treat her, but the fight doctor who was suppose to be there to protect fighters never tried to stop the match even though it was clear Young was being overwhelmed with punches and couldn't defend herself. As Kobie was punishing Young with blows, Dore is heard bellowing through the P.A. system, "C'mon ladies! Punch! Punch! Punch! Punch! Punch!" So Sarah Kobie continued to punch, even after Stacy Young turned her back and the referee gave no warning let alone put a stop to it. Toughman competitions have made Dore (Right) a millionaire while leaving some participants disfigured, brain damaged or dead. Fourteen fighters (13 men, 1 woman) have died in Toughman-style amateur fighting since the sport's inception in 1979 and at least five more have suffered brain damage. The fatality rate is more than quadruple that of organized amateur boxing and the sport's deadliness is directly linked to its loose rules and lack of regulation. "There's no regulation, no strong system to see if these people are physically capable of getting in and performing in such a rough, tough, combative physical sport," said boxing trainer Emanuel Steward, whose Kronk Gym in Detroit has more boxing champs than any club in history. So who was there to discipline the referee in Young's bout for such a TERRIBLE job? Art Dore of course. And who was there to oversee Dore? Art Dore of course. Wait a minute, "Art Dore?" How can he oversee his own events? Toughman competitor Scott Wood's was killed in January when the referee wouldn't allow him to give up. Jason Pyles of Michigan was Wood's opponent. He said Wood, who died of blunt force head trauma, indicated to the referee that he wanted to give up, but wasn't allowed to, which the referee denies. In some cases, referees are allowed to work bouts even when they don't meet the sport's minimal requirements -- described Dore only as, they have to have been "involved in so many fights in the past." In one fatal bout, the referee had worked only five fights. He has no system for hiring doctors other than recommendations from friends. In states where Toughman is not regulated, Dore appoints all ring doctors, refs, judges and cornermen. Its prefight exam tests only for blood pressure and alcohol; only those over the age of 35 need a doctor's permission to compete; fighters are responsible for their own medical expenses and must sign a waiver that frees Toughman from any liability; and there are no minimum requirements for referees or medical personnel. "We have some major concerns" about Toughman, said Marc Ratner, the executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. "Those concerns would have surfaced had Dore followed through and applied for a license renewal in Nevada, which he was going to do this past January. But when he got wind of Nevada's opposition, Dore pulled his request and hasn't surfaced here since." Welcome to the non sanctioned world of Art Dore, and sadly as well, 99% of all MMA events and a good majority of kickboxing events. In MMA, everyone seems to have their own sanctioning body, but they are also their own promotional company. Just like Art Dore. Art Dore, the founder of Toughman has policed his own events for years by his own sanctioning body. His association takes in more than the IKF and ISCF combined. Dore's non-profit "American Boxing & Athletic Association" took in nearly a million dollars over the last 2 years. (That was on paper, not cash intake from merchandise, ticket sales or any other cash sales.) According to tax records, Dore's nonprofit foundation, originally named the Art Dore Boxing and Athletic Association made just less than $1 million over the past two years. The foundation incurred expenses of more than $820,000, most of it in payments to Adoreable Promotions Inc., the company Dore founded and is now in the name of his daughter, Wendy Dore. Toughman has had a reported 14 deaths now in its organization. Dore has fighters sign a waiver beforehand. He also has them fill out an entry form that includes these words: "Wimps need not apply." He also promises that a doctor will be on hand. Some of these events have no doctor at ringside and some others have had a Chiropractor as the ringside doctor. In two of the Toughman deaths, the doctors Dore hired to monitor the fights were chiropractors. Some of the weight spreads are as much as 30 to 50 lbs. Toughman competitions have been banned in five states. Florida also intended to ban the events in the early 1990s, but Dore has been able to continue staging Toughman competitions because of a loophole in the state law. Because Dore does not offer more than $50 in prize money in Florida, the Toughman bouts aren't considered professional boxing and aren't regulated by the state. Boxers in professional fights are required to undergo strict medical evaluations and referees undergo rigorous training before they can judge a fight.
Although their questions and comments were mainly in regards to Dore's MMA Promotion desires, these individuals informed us that they will be crackin down on ANY and ALL events they will show on TV and support in their press from now on. They asked tons of questions and wanted to know where we stood on them. Questions such as our (IKF & ISCF) safety record (which is 100% clean) and where we sanction events. What MMA promoters we have worked with in the past and who we are working with now, and of course, how we felt about Art Dore wanting to promote MMA now and worse yet, his desire to do so in the state of Georgia. They wanted to know why not every MMA Promoter sanctions with the ISCF? The "ONLY" MMA Sanctioning body that does not promote their own events. Why so many MMA Promoters sanction their own events, etc. etc. Their main concern was about Art Dore though and his desires to do his new MMA Events in every state he could. We informed them that MMA in general, despite promoters sanctioning their own events, has a far better safety record than Toughman. However if anyone in MMA allows Art Dore to get involved in our sport, that safety record will get washed down the drain. It's not enough to sanction one of Dore's events. Fighters need TRAINING! Which is something Dore will never require. No matter what safety rules are applied or enforced, if an untrained fighter goes into ANY ring (Like Young did) they take the chance of serious injury or as in Young's case, DEATH! Those in the media and TV were clear about needing events sanctioned by a sanctioning body that was not promoting the event. But in defense of the groups that sanction their own events (UFC, King of the Cage etc.) they admitted they never thought of the issue we brought up, that sanctioning alone will not save every fighter. Training experience IS MANDATORY and cannot be bought for a $50 enrollment fee! It changed their thinking of the whole Dore issue altogether. Once thinking his events might be safe with sanctioning, we made them realize that sanctioning alone would not save unexperienced fighters who don't know how to protect themselves and fight back. However, a Qualified referee would have saved Young, or at least gave her a much better chance of survival. The issue of Liability has come up with them and they said they do not want to be a part of an unsanctioned event that has a major injury or worse yet, a death, with no sanctioning body to stand by them to assure that all safety measures were taken. Be aware MMA Fans, Dore is now trying to not just knock, but walk in your door, to your living room and on your TV, no matter what the costs of others like Stacy Young. For some interesting reading, CLICK HERE!
The following is a FREE Chapter from Charles Jay's award winning series Operation Clean Up. 55th Round CONGRESSMAN PLAYS A DANGEROUS GAME OF MONOPOLY Posted April 15, 2003 According to those officials, by just competing in that event, he forfeited his amateur status. I was at the "Badman" show, so I saw the guy fight. But I really didn't know about the rule, since the competition was billed as something that was essentially "amateur" in nature. So I put the kid into a pro show the next week. He wanted to be a fighter, so if he wanted to do so he had no real choice. He got knocked out, and that was basically the end of his career. The point is, these "toughman" contests - or any variation thereof - exist in this nether land between professional and amateur boxing. As far as some commissions are concerned, they are not professional contests and therefore don't fall under the same laws and/or regulations as professional fights would, and the bouts obviously don't go on anyone's professional record. For anyone but the winner of most of these events, there is no financial reward. But the amateur governing body - USA Boxing - doesn't want to come anywhere near it, beyond the extent to which it bans Toughman competitors from ever competing in amateur boxing - that is, if they find out about it. On June 13, 2002, a Michigan congressman proposed something he promoted as a solution to this dilemma. Rep. James Barcia, a Democrat, introduced H.R. 4929, which would "recognize the American Boxing and Athletic Commission as the official sanctioning body for amateur elimination boxing contests." This would have established the ABAA as the entity setting and enforcing standards for these types of events across the country. And I would assume that no one would be permitted to go forward with an "amateur elimination contest" without ABAA sanction and approval. For now, let's get away from semantics. Let's forget about the proposition that someone from this ABAA might walk into a courtroom, maybe even in the state of Michigan, and try to enjoin an event like the National Golden Gloves or the Olympic Trials because it could be argued that these too could be considered to be "amateur elimination boxing contests." For now, I'd rather focus on just exactly what the "American Boxing and Athletic Association" really is. In a letter sent to Barcia on October 16, 2002, Tim Lueckenhoff, president of the Association of Boxing Commissions, wrote, "As they are private entities, there may be more than one legitimate sanctioning body for such sports. To bless one with the designation of 'official' will unfairly give preferential treatment to a non-governmental organization over others in the marketplace, regardless of their proficiency or standards." It's actually much worse than that. In fact, it's worse than any sanctioning body one can imagine, because it's clearly set up as a promotional tool, designed to support one organization and one organization only - The Original Toughman Contest - to the exclusion of all others. There's a good explanation for that. You see, the "ABAA" is Art Dore. And Art Dore IS the "ABAA". The Amateur Boxing and Athletic Association is 501-C(3) non-profit corporation that is on file in the state of Michigan. The registered agent for the company is Arthur P. Dore. Dore, and Murray Sutherland, the former super middleweight champion who is one of his employees, are listed as officers on the Form 990 of this corporation, which was previously known as the "Art Dore Boxing and Athletic Association". The address is a post office box in Bay City, Michigan. James Barcia, the representative who introduced this bill, is from Bay City as well. And in case you're a little slow, what this means is that - unbelievable as it may seem - an elected public official actually engaged in a pro-active attempt to create a legal monopoly for one of his constituents - no doubt a constituent who arranged some "campaign financing" somewhere along the way. If this bill had gotten through the House Science and Commerce Committee and eventually passed, Dore could have effectively knocked out all opposition - not to mention all of his competition - in what would have been one of the all-time great end runs around any form of independent boxing regulation. Thank God it never got that far. Mercifully, for the sport of boxing, Congressman Barcia became a victim of redistricting and re-apportionment. The 2000 U.S. Census eliminated one of Michigan's seats in the House of Representatives for 2002, and Barcia was the casualty. So instead of working for the benefit of Art Dore in Washington, he now must do so from the Michigan State Senate, which he was elected to last year. But this should serve as a cautionary tale for anyone who contends that the solution to ANY of boxing's ills is to get a bunch of Washington politicians involved, because we have before us a textbook example of the potential disaster that can result. Barcia's office won't clarify it, but what we're presented with is one of two possible scenarios - either it was a case of a politician who was completely clueless as to the ramifications of legislation he was actually introducing, or a politician who was perfectly aware of the potential effects, and consciously proposed that kind of bill anyway, in the name of the public interest, with hidden motives we can only speculate on. Either way, it sucks. Likewise, either way, because this was his "brainchild", there's very little doubt as to where Art Dore's head is at, in terms of his long-term objectives. And that's a very dangerous place, even by the standards of professional OR amateur boxing. |
SATURDAY, June 28th, 2003, AT 4:10 PM, PT
England
Ready For Tomorrow Nights
Fight
Night - The Heat Is On!
IKF
England:
IKF England Promoters
Mark Wilson and John Rice will host a joint promotion with IKF European director Alby Bimpson tomorrow
night, Sunday the 29th June. The event entitled "Fight Night - The
Heat Is On" will take place at Barcleona on Renshaw Street in
Liverpool England. The event will feature all Amateur Kickboxing and Thai Boxing
which hopes to follow the great success of the last one there. For more info
contact Mr. Alby Bimpson or Jacqui Thompson at
jacquithompson@msn.com.
MORE
NEWS OF 6-28-03
IKF/TKO
USA National
Contests!
You could be a winner without throwing a
kick or punch!
As the announcer would say on the long running game show
"come
on down
you're the next contestant on the Price is Right!" Well,
YOU could be the next winner of various prizes offered by the IKF.
The IKF
Marketing Department will start running various contest starting today and
leading up to this year's 2003
IKF/TKO USA National
Amateur Tournament. Prizes will range from IKF water bottles, T- Shirts, Kickboxing Training
Videos, Manuals, License Plate Frames and more!
Here's how it works: The IKF will
post trivia questions here on the News Page, Message Board and, or request you
to do certain things to further promote IKF
Kickboxing in your community. All you need to do is submit your entry and
increase your chances to win!
Contest #1
Send in a
recent article about you and your plans to attend the 2003
IKF/TKO USA National
Amateur Tournament. The article must be from your local
newspaper. You will receive an IKF Water
Bottle as a prize at the event. The article must be dated no earlier than June
23rd but no later than August 5th. You must have the IKF
letters and, or web site (www.IKFKickboxing.com) mentioned in the
article. Go to your local paper today and request a story!
Contest #2
Send a one
page essay (single spaced) stating why you love Kickboxing and what it
has done for you. How has it changed your life? How has it changed someone's
life you know? Make it compelling! The writers of the best three (3) essays
chosen will receive a free copy of the official IKF
Kickboxing Training Video. Essays must be received not later than July 25th to
be considered.
Send your newspaper article or essay to: IKF Nationals Contest P. O. Box 1205, Newcastle, CA, 95658, or you can submit them via e-mail to jd@ikfkickboxing.com. Yes, YOU are the next contestant! So enter Now and Win! Only those planning to attend the 2003 IKF/TKO USA National Amateur Tournament and have already pre registered are eligible to win.
FRIDAY, June 27th, 2003, AT 6:40 PM, PT
Two Time IKF
World Champion
Steele Back In The Ring!
Former
Two Time IKF USA National Amateur Champion
Erickson Also!
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IKF
Hawaii, USA:
The Blaisdell Arena was a famous place for other IKF stars such as Ramona Gatto (L) and another Hawaii legend, Dennis "The Terminator" Alexio (R) Both won their IKF World Titles at the Blaisdell. Gatto (Now retired), was a 3 Time IKF Pro Woman's World Champion. She became the first ever IKF Pro World Champion when she KO'ed Debbie Page of Albq, New Mexico, USA on October 16th, 1992. She won her other 2 IKF Pro World titles here in the states. Alexio won his IKF Pro Heavyweight title when he defeated Barrington Patterson of London, England by TKO at the end of the 5th round on May 31st, 1997. However tonight the spotlight will be on Steele who won one of his IKF Pro World Titles there at the Blaisdell on July 16th, 1999 when he defeated Miguel Reyes of Tijauana, Baja CA, Mexico by unanimous decision, 100-88, 98-91 and 99-91. Tonight Steele hopes to repeat history as he faces off in a 10 round non title main event against Jason Brees of Los Angeles California, USA. Also on the card will be former 2 Time IKF USA National Amateur Tournament Champion (2001 & 2002) Dan Erickson (L). This will be Erickson's second Pro fight having won his first last year and he will face no easy fighter. Erickson will match up against well known Hawaiian fighter Rodney Joseph. For more info on the event please contact |
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MORE
NEWS OF 6-27-03
Dubuque Kickboxing School
To
Represent IKF National Tournament!
Tomorrow, Lessei and his team will pass out leaflets and perform demonstrations during the annual Cedar Rapids Freedom Festival on June 28th. Their efforts for all of us are to illustrate what spectators can expect to see at the upcoming IKF/TKO USA National Amateur Tournament in Cedar Rapids Iowa this August. Here's More On Team Lessei Below
This Info Below was
Re-Posted Today From The 18th.
IKF
Dyerville, Iowa, USA: Kickboxing Instructor Dean Lessei (R)
of Dyerville, Iowa has been appointed to represent the International Kickboxing
Federation (IKF) demonstration team to
promote the August 16th and 17th IKF USA National Amateur Kickboxing tournament.
The tournament is the largest of its kind in the United States and will be held at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Over two hundred of the best kick boxers in the United States are expected to compete in the event. IKF USA Nationals Director of Marketing Johnny Davis says, 'This tournament is the Golden Gloves' event for Kickboxing and spectators will have the opportunity to witness some of the best fights ever!"
Lessei has been operating his Kickboxing School out of Dubuque, Iowa since 1990. On August 2nd they will "kick off" the popular Kernels baseball game at the Veteran's Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids with a demonstration of Muay Thai Kickboxing. Muay Thai Kickboxing (knee & elbow strikes to body and kicks to the legs allowed) is one of the three divisions that will feature juniors, men and women competing for the beautiful brass and leather IKF National Championship belts.
International Rules (No knees or elbows but kicks to the legs) and American Kickboxing (all kicks above the waist) will round off the other two divisions. All three styles will incorporate the art of Boxing to bring some of the most exciting Kickboxing action to the State of Iowa! For more information on the IKF National Kickboxing tournament Click HERE!
2003
IKF Nationals
Rule Changes,
REMINDERS & Other Info?
Please NOTE the Following Rule Changes, Reminders and or Adjustments for the 2003 IKF/TKO USA National Amateur Championships:
MORE
NEWS OF 6-26-03
Results From The International
Kickboxing Show
IKF
England Vs IKF Norway
Sunday, 22nd June, 2003, Standard Triumph Club, Tile Hill,
Coventry England, Promoter: Steve Donnelly IKF
England Fight Profile: Steve 'THE DON' Donnelly makes his comeback after 10 years out of the ring against the formidable Arild Mikalson of Norway. Whilst competing at British and European level Donnelly had a chance for another organizations World Title against their Featherweight champion (Ireland in 1992) Paul 'The Lemon Drop Kid' Lenihan. Unfortunately Donnelly broke his hand through an accident which put him into retirement. Donnelly then concentrated mainly on teaching and coaching. IKF Europe: Why are you (Donnelly)
making a comeback now? IKF Europe: Why go into the deep end
with a well established fighter? Why not a lesser opponent? Donnelly's fight record is 42 wins, 6 loses, 2 draws. Arild Mikarlsen's fight record as an amateur was 35 wins, 7 loses with 18 wins coming by TKO/KO. As a pro his record is 11 wins, 7 loses with 7 of his wins coming by way of TKO/KO.
It must be said that Donnelly could have picked a much lesser experienced opponent, but as we have said before Donnelly does not do anything by half measures, and was first to congratulate his opponent and thank the crowd. Steve has now gone on holiday to consider his future. He would like to say a |
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WEDNESDAY, June 25th, 2003, AT 1:20 PM, PT
IKF/TKO
USA Nationals
Championship Bouts
To Be
Filmed For
IKF/CSS
TV Program
|
IKF
Headquarters
Although all the bouts will not make it to the first show, the IKF plan is to use the Championship Fight footage of all the Championship bouts as added footage throughout the 17 week series that will run from September through the end of December. Beginning Friday night and continuing throughout the entire weekend the IKF/CSS Team will be scheduling special interviews with fighters, trainers and IKF Promoters. Interviews will be given to individuals from Brooks Mason (L), Steve Fossum (R) and others working as on air personalities of the TV Program. Interviews and filming will include visiting IKF PRO Champions as well. So make sure you not only bring your best to the ring amateurs, make sure you wear your best as well when you show up in Iowa this August to "Walk The Walk" and Bring It ON! For more info on the 2003 IKF/TKO USA National Finals CLICK HERE! |
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MORE
NEWS OF 6-25-03
St. Louis Is Ready To
Showcase Talent
IKF
St. Louis, Missouri The event will showcase fighters from Canada, Iowa, Oklahoma, Michigan, and Missouri. Once again showing the St. Louis fans why some of the best fighters in the United States come from the Midwest and some of the best fighters in North America come from our neighbor country up north. The fights will showcase many fighters that will be completing in this years 2003 IKF/TKO USA Nationals. The night will also be filled with plenty of action including a special exhibition fight and two fighters making their returns to the ring after some time off. In the main event Kevin "Boom Boom" Bozada is making his return to the ring after a short retirement. After leaving the kickboxing fight scene to become one of the head trainers of Finney's Championship Kickboxing and Martial Arts, one would think that he would want to come back slowly. Instead he is jumping back into the ring against Ken Keiser out of Windsor, Ontario Canada. The other fighter stepping back into the ring is no other than Marc "The Hammer" Mayfield. Mayfield has taken the last 8 months off after a injury that he received sparring. Now back in the gym and working hard, he will be coming out looking for a win. Standing in his way is Dwight Lee, out of Detroit, Michigan. There will be three ISCF sanctioned fights on the card. The first will "Mean" Mike Green, from St. Louis, Missouri up against Jaime Dawson, from St. Joseph, Oklahoma. Green has started to put together a good record since starting at Finney's. Green came to Finney's. to work on his stand up and has won some fights in FCR. The second ISCF NHB/MMA will be between Kyle Hancock, of St. Louis, Missouri and Manual Salato, of St. Joseph, Oklahoma. Hancock has been training at Finney's. for 6 months and has started to put together his stand up and ground techniques. The Last ISCF fight will be worth the price of the ticket. Up and coming "Brazilian" Mike Rothmeyer, of St. Louis, Missouri has started to make a name for himself in NHB. Now going into his third fight, he has shown that he has the power to stand up and also the patience to work from the guard. His opponent is Marty Daul out of Fort Wood, Ohio. Kevin "The Hitman" Engel... What more is there to say? No one will step into the ring with him. That is why he will be doing a Special exhibition with Ray Dardon. Dardon is the current KICK North American Pro Light Heavyweight Champion. Rounding out the fight card, will be a team from Waterloo,
Iowa. Russ O'Connell will be bring three of his fighters down to fight
three of Jesse Finney's fighters. The first one will be Josh Fisher,
from St. Louis, Missouri against Matt Bedard, from Waterloo, Iowa. Both
these fighters are starting there kickboxing careers. The last of the three fights will be a rematch. "Little" Matt Taff, from St. Louis, Missouri and Nick Anderson, from Waterloo, Iowa. These fighters have fought before with Taff winning by decision. One thing is for sure, we will see both of these fighters in Cedar Rapids in August at the 2003 IKF/TKO USA Nationals. For additional fight and ticket information call (314) 351-5226. Or email: finneys@finneyskickboxing.com. |
MORE
NEWS OF 6-25-03
Cowtown Rumble
Results!
Overland Park, Kansas, USA, June 21st
Cowtown Fight Promotions, Inc. headed up by IKF & ISCF Promoters Mr. Dan Tharp and Mr. Oren Gautreaux, presented the third installment of 'Cowtown Rumble'. Riding on the wave of two previous sold out shows the decision was made to find a larger venue that would allow for more seating and better show production. The Overland Park International Trade Center fit the bill. Mr. Tharp says of the move, "We thought it was a good thing to invest in making the show bigger and better so more people could recognize these sports and become fans of them. We did radio interviews, flyer distribution and some other marketing things. It was obvious that a lot of new people were introduced to these sports at our show. With about 1100 people at the show, the word is sure to spread. We also have received a lot of publicity through our Hooters sponsorship. They've been great to us and we look forward to working together in the future." On to the Fights
For more info please contact Mr. Oren Gautreaux at (816) 229-6611 or e-mail at Owen@cowtownrumble.com or contact Mr. Dan Tharp at Dan@cowtownrumble.com for event PICTURES, go to their website at www.CowtownRumble.com and click "PAST EVENTS" |
TUESDAY, June 24th, 2003, AT 6:50 PM, PT
2003 IKF
North Central U. S. Regional Championship A Huge Success!
56
Fighters Register To "WALK The WALK" At
Zbilski's Regional!
IKF Lake Zurich,
Illinois
Rob and Jim Zbilski of Z Promotions, who have hosted four successful
midwest events, selected KITS SPORTS CENTER to host this year's
IKF/TKO North Central Full Contact Regional
Championships that featured 24 high-caliber bouts of some of the
nation's finest amateur kickboxers.
The night provided participants and spectators alike with knockouts, toe-to-toe exchanges of tremendous kicks and punches and first-timers that performed like veterans in the heat of the moment. The big discussion after regionals was this years 2003 IKF/TKO USA Nationals in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
With the main event of the year approaching quickly the competitors are surely jumping right in to training to ensure that everyone is ready for the grueling competition that the national event always provides. Also in attendance at the event were some of martial arts and kickboxing finest champions. Take a look at some of these names!
Rob and Jim Zbilski and the entire Z Promotions team thank each and every competitor, trainer and their families who continuously support the sport of kickboxing and midwest martial arts. We hope to see everyone this year at Nationals. For more information on the regional event hosted by Z Promotions you can go to the Team Z web site at www.teamzs.com. See everyone in Cedar Rapids!
Fight Results: "Not in bout order"
Walkover fighters who did not have a fight at the event were, Amy Beck, Patricia Bradley, Jorge Rodriguez, Sean Crowe, Demetry Lewis, Jason M. Adams, Zein Al-Ziyadi, Anthony Linenfelser and Eric Medina. For more info contact Team Z at (847) 458-8333 or by e-mail at teamz@3di.net or go to their website at www.teamzs.com
MORE
NEWS OF 6-24-03
POSTED AT 2:15 PM, PT
Here's Our Terrible Tuesday News...
STOP THE PRESS!
Ultimate
Athlete Magazine
Goes Under
IKF News Source
It was by far
the best magazine for Mixed Martial Arts and one of if not the best out there
for kickboxing news as well, considering there are no magazines for kickboxing.
However financial troubles and other issues have brought an end to a great
publication. As the saying goes, "You don't know what you had until
it's gone." Well everyone, Ultimate Athlete Magazine is GONE! But this
was no surprise to us as you will read below.
Back in late February early March we had announced that the IKF was teaming up with Ultimate Athlete Magazine (UA) to bring more media attention to kickboxing. There's a reason you didn't hear much more about this and today is the time to tell you about it. As many know, in mid January of this year we announced we were starting our own IKF Kickboxing Magazine. However on January 28th, we were presented with another opportunity that we thought would better fulfil our needs and the needs of the sport of kickboxing. This opportunity presented itself when Mr. John Pack took over All Operations at UA in January of this year. Pack sent an e-mail to us that stated, "As of Monday I have assumed the position of Editor as well as Publisher. I would like to discuss a long-term relationship between IKF & ISCF, I would especially like to put together a joint marketing agreement for 2003. This year I plan to step up the Kickboxing coverage in a big way and very much like to see how we can work together."
From Pack's e-mail we made the decision to hold off on publishing our magazine, mainly due to the promised distribution numbers UA had given us. To us, these numbers meant great exposure for not just the IKF and ISCF, but for our promoters, fighters and trainers as well. UA had made announced that ALL the 7-11 stores would carry the UA Magazine which promised a distribution of 82,000 + per month. We don't know about anyone else but we never saw UA in any 7-11 stores we visited. They also wanted us to be a part of their newsletter that claimed to be 12,000 per week and a website that boasted 150,000 unique visitors per month, yet never ranked on Alexa.com below 250,000. (These numbers are like Golf, the lower the number the more traffic the site receives. For more info, Click HERE.)
Since UA had offered to cover IKF Kickboxing we thought it better for everyone and the sport to hold off with yet another magazine that may compete with UA. This is why you have not heard much about the IKF Kickboxing Magazine in the last few months.
On February 7th, Pack sent an e-mail to the IKF that stated, "Let's get started. I want to expand my coverage of kickboxing online, in print and on video. I would like to structure an agreement between us that will allow me to market the hell out of you with massive coverage and lots of free advertising. I want to position my company as THE AP/ESPN of combat sports and want to do it through relationships. However to reach my goals I need to work very closely with you."
His enthusiasm continued when he sent another e-mail on February 18th where he said, "As a marketing partner with us, we'll provide you and your tournaments pre and post coverage as well as free advertising." However after we had already made an agreement and UA was placing IKF Ranking into the May UA issue, we received an e-mail from Pack on April 1st, announcing his resignation from UA. Of course we thought it was an April fools joke, but not so. In a conversation with him he stated how much financial trouble the magazine was in and doubted it would last more than 3 more months. Pack moved on to a better opportunity with his new venture, www.badbreed.tv.
After Pack left, we re-contacted the new Editor at UA, Dave Davis. Davis countered everything Pack said and assured us UA was in strong financial shape. He stated it would be better than ever and would continue. However Davis was not willing to fulfill the publication promises made to us by Pack. In fact, his reply to us was rather rude in a response e-mail to our agreement on April 17th which stated; "These promises of prostituting the magazine for ones benefit is not what the publication is about. We accept a lot of material that never reaches print. The content submitted is a group effort. This is the way it has to stay! No preferential treatment! We will be happy to accept your submissions, but that's as far as it will go."
From this e-mail we threw in our hat and to say the least, we were a bit offended by it. We had carried the UA link on both the IKF and ISCF front pages since January and all we got back was the IKF Rankings listed in UA one time, in the May issue. Well, good thing we didn't bet Pack on his claims that UA would only last 3 months at the most. Ultimate Athlete Magazine is GONE, and Pack is busy collecting on all those bets he made.
Now that you know what all happened we can assure you that we will re-focused back to our IKF Kickboxing Magazine in hopes to bring you "PRINT" media coverage of our sport and those who are in it. It may have been delayed but the wait will be worth it, and as well, you now have the full reason why there was a delay at all. Look for the new IKF Kickboxing Magazine at this years IKF USA National Amateur tournament in August.
MORE
ABOUT Ultimate Athlete
Phone dead, doors
locked, lights out.
May 30th 2003.
RIP
Press From
www.badbreed.tv
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.
Ultimate Athlete magazine made a great attempt at reaching a broader market by
offering the athletic side to combat sports in addition to the event coverage.
At least this was the initial plan when John Pack published the first
edition in October of 2001.
Beginning in April 2002 the magazine began to feel financial pressure from investors, experience internal bickering between editorial staff and investors and by February 2003 it had all come to a head. The first change was letting go of Editor Clyde Gentry and having publisher John Pack take over the additional responsibility. Then by April 28th with the mounting tension building over video rights, financial threats and pure frustration John Pack quits.
With the only remaining principals of Ultimate Athlete being former Sales Manager Dave Davis and the initial two investors: it was only a matter of time. 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.
NOTE: the writer called UA's Phone number at
MORE
NEWS OF 6-24-03
Fairtex
Deals With Legal Issues
Press Release
Bangkok, Thailand
NOTICE: FAIRTEX is a trademark of
Fairtex Equipment Company, Ltd. ("Fairtex Thailand"), a Thai
company with exclusive rights to the FAIRTEX tradename and trademarks in the
U.S. Fairtex Thailand owns both the FAIRTEX and TRAIN LIKE A THAI. FIGHT
LIKE A THAI marks, which are protected under U.S. common law, with federal
trademark applications pending. The FAIRTEX brand was established for garments
in the late 1950s in Thailand by the
Busarakamwongs family. Under the direction of Mr. Bunjong
Busarakamwongs, also known as
Mr. Philip Wong, the FAIRTEX brand was expanded to Muay Thai and boxing
training and related apparel and gear. Fairtex Thailand began operating Muay
Thai training camps in Thailand in 1975 under the FAIRTEX name and brought the
training camps to the United States in 1993.
You may have heard or read about offers to license the FAIRTEX mark for training in gyms, camps, cruise ships, and seminars in the United States. These licensing activities are NOT authorized by Fairtex Thailand. Further, trainer certifications issued and/or licenses granted by individuals or entities other than Fairtex Thailand are NOT recognized by Fairtex Thailand and infringe Fairtex Thailand's rights. If you have heard of any such unauthorized licensing activities or trainer certification, or if anyone claiming to be "Fairtex" has approached you with a licensing or training certification opportunity, please contact Mr. Anthony Lin IMMEDIATELY by fax or e-mail at Fairtex Equipment Company, Ltd. Anthony Lin President & CEO Fairtex Equipment Company, Ltd. Fairtex Worldwide Headquarters, Thailand 99/5 Moo 3, Soi Boonthamanusorn, Theparak Road Banplee, Samutprakarn 10540 THAILAND Web: www.fairtexbkk.com Fax: +662 385-5403 (Thailand number) E-Mail: anthony@fairtexbkk.com TRAIN LIKE A THAI. FIGHT LIKE A THAI. FAIRTEX®
MONDAY, June 23rd, 2003, AT 3:45 PM, PT
Selbee
Assists In Search For Suspects
IKF U.S.
Heavyweight Champion Weighs In For Home Invasion Victim
IKF Georgia, USA
More
than anything else, victims of crime want to know that someone out there cares.
Certainly, in dealing with law enforcement officers they see that, but what
often torments them is the sense of isolation they feel from their fellow
citizens. Thanks to IKF U.S. Champion,
Mark Selbee, (R) some of that pain on the part of one victim and
his family will be, in part at least alleviated. He has let them know that he
cares.
As reported in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Selbee, with the help of his employer, communications and billboard advertising company, Clear Channel Outdoor, spearheaded an effort to help find the suspects involved in still unsolved a home invasion, aggravated assault and murder, that occurred two-and-half years ago in East Point, Georgia, USA. What Selbee and Clear Channel did was arrange for the prominent posting of a billboard seeking information on the crime and offering a reward for same. It will stand for a period of six months, at a meager cost, only to cover the supplies involved in creating it.
Selbee and Clear Channel's philanthropy here is set forth in more detail in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's article on the matter as posted below. We at IKF and ISCF want to express our admiration and respect for this effort. Mark Selbee has, again, taken serious steps towards setting the kind of example for which true champions are renowned and has made strides to make his community a better place. Thank you again, Champ!
The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution: 6/19/03:
Sign Seeks Leads on Home Invasion
By BILL MONTGOMERY The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Assault victim Joe Wood put up a billboard in East Point to help find
the killers of his wife. Now he awaits "that call from someone who knows
something." Travelers eastbound on Camp Creek Parkway in East Point will
have a hard time missing the billboard announcing "$25,000 Reward."
The sign, 14 feet high by 48 feet wide near the Main Street (U.S. 29) overpass,
was installed Friday and will remain up for six months. It's the latest effort
by assault victim Joe C. Wood and East Point police to crack a home invasion
that left Wood's wife, Lourine, slain in the trunk of their luxury car.
The
attack occurred 2 1/2 years ago at the couple's antique-filled brick house on
Prince George Street. To Wood's surprise, and gratitude, the billboard company
charged only $350, to cover the cost of the vinyl lettering. "The
kindness these folks have shown sure does renew your faith in humanity,"
Wood said Despite the year-old reward from the retired service station owner
and the governor's office, authorities have no suspects or solid leads in their
search for the men who pistol-whipped Wood, 71, unconscious and killed his
84-year-old wife with blows to the head. Police believe the attackers used heavy
statuary. Wood said he had considered for several months buying a billboard to
publicize the killing and reward. He succeeded with the help of Mark Selbee,
senior account executive with Clear Channel Outdoor, the billboard advertising
arm of the radio communications company. "I was ready to give him
$1,200 for what the sign cost, and he insisted he wouldn't take a penny for it,"
Wood said. "I'm a salesperson, and my job is to sell advertising, but
it's not often you get an opportunity to help a person so deserving as Joe Wood,"
Selbee said.
Besides the reward figure, the billboard shows a
photograph of Wood and his wife, and the number to call East Point police with
tips: 404-761-2177. Police Lt. Russell Popham said investigators believe the two
intruders slipped into the house when Wood turned off the burglar alarm and went
outside to feed his cats. The killers overpowered him as he returned inside,
tied and beat him. They took $400 cash and Wood's large, size 17 Masonic ring,
but they ignored his checks and credit cards, items that could leave a paper
trail. A search of pawn shops as far away as Florida has been fruitless, Popham
said. Said Wood: "I must have gotten 15 calls from folks who know me and
have seen the billboard. But all I really need is that call from someone who
knows something. It just takes one, and I'm praying for it."
MORE
NEWS OF 6-23-03
POSTED AT 12:55 PM, PT
Fightatorium Sees Historic
IKF/TKO
"Big South" Regional Event
|
IKF
Richardson, Texas, USA The faithful took a moment to acknowledge a part of Texas' kickboxing history. With the house lights darkened for a few minutes, the arena PA system replayed the 'General Patton fight speech' made famous by George C. Scott in the opening scene of the Academy Award winning movie. As the speech came to a close, the house lights were turned up as the night's competitors paraded into the smallish fighting zone to the theme from the 'Patton' movie. Shortly thereafter, former World Title contender Steve Goin took the microphone and acknowledged the hard work of one of 'The Fightatorium' volunteers....non other than its workhorse referee Bobby Stovall. As he acknowledged Stovall's current work, Goin also mentioned that an 'injustice of sorts' had occurred more than 2 decades before; whereas Stovall was The Lone Star State's first ever lightweight kickboxing champion, yet had never been awarded a belt. At that cue, a lovely ring-card girl paced a beautiful "Big South" Regional Title belt into the ring, where Stovall's young son and daughter were there to help him place his overdue trophy around his waist. Stovall has been a mainstay for the Fightortorium in it's near 2 year history; having seen a total of 161 bouts, with Stovall refereeing 144 of them. As the classy Fightatorium crowd applauded both respectfully and enthusiastically, the house could then turn it's attentions to "matters-at-hand" and bring in the competitors for the first of several Regional Title bouts of the evening. Those bouts and their results are as follows:
In addition to those bouts listed above, congratulations are due to the 'walkover winners' in each respective division from the IKF/TKO BIG SOUTH Regional Tournament. Those walkover winners are as follows: Asher Best (2-0, age 10, 65 lbs) Boys' Jr Featherweight Allen, Texas. Chris Royer (0-2, age 14, 143 lbs) Boys' Teen Lightweight Richardson, Texas. Dusty Miller (6-1/ 3 KO's) Men's IR Heavyweight Norman, Oklahoma. John Vakidis (9-2 / 5 KO's) Boys' Teen Light Cruiserweight Mesquite, Texas For more information about Kingdom Kickboxing, 'The Fightatorium', or IKF-Texas please contact Chuck Best or Steve Goin at (972) 889-0129 or email Best at sirkikman@juno.com |
MORE
NEWS OF 6-23-03
IKF
Blasting On Message Board
Is JUSTIFIED!
Steve Fossum, IKF &
ISCF
World President
IKF/ISCF Headquarters: Today we had a look at the Kickboxing Message Board and found the issue of pro's vs amateurs being brought to the attention of the IKF. The issue was directed to this last weekends IKF/ TKO South East Regional where we (IKF) allowed Pro MMA/NHB fighter but amateur kickboxer George Allen (Right) fight amateur kickboxer Yahoshua Yahudah. Allen is not ranked as a pro fighter in the ISCF Pro Rankings but has fought several Pro MMA/NHB bouts. In fact, he's not ranked at all in the ISCF Rankings. Amateur or Pro. Allen and Yahudah along with Chris Sasek had already won their registered divisions by walkover since they had no competition in them.
Since all three fighters wanted to fight still, we matched them up in a special 3 person fight bracket which included Allen and Yahudah fighting first and the winner would advance to fight Chris Sasek in the night show. All fighters knew who each other were (Including Allen's MMA status and experience) and all 3 agreed to the special bracket. In the first bout, Allen defeated Yahudah by a Head Kick KO at 1:47 of round 1. From what our sources told us, Allen's KO was so disturbing to fighter Chris Sasek (As it would be to anyone) that it made him decide he didn't want to fight Allen at the night event. He never told any of the officials or the promoter this, he simple didn't show up for the night event.
Now "AFTER" the event, we (IKF) are being attacked and questioned on the Kickboxing Message Board for allowing a "PRO" MMA/NHB fighter fight in our IKF Amateur Kickboxing Regional Tournament. To begin with, we would like to admit that we feel the questions and concerns here are JUSTIFIED! However, we feel it is important to inform those concerned here of the full history of this issue in hopes we can come to a final decision and conclusion on the ruling of this for future events.
We too questioned the status and acceptance of pro MMA/NHB fighters fighting as amateur kickboxers over 2 years ago. Our first stance on this was as many have suggested on the Kickboxing Message Board recently, "To NOT allow Pro MMA/NHB fighters to fight as amateur kickboxers." However, when we made the stance, we were attacked from other fronts from MMA/NHB fighters, trainers and promoters in California, Nevada, Indiana, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and other parts of the USA. These attacks brought focus to the beginning fighters in MMA that had not had a lot of amateur experience but were now considered pro mma fighters since they were getting paid to fight. Many of these fighters argued that MMA and Kickboxing were different sports. Their stance was mma had more ground fighting than kickboxing which made it more of a wrestling style of fighting. Their argument was to take the focus off the stand-up portion of the fight and focus on the so called "Ground and Pound" style of fighting they referred to as MMA/NHB.
The discussion and resolve on this issue took several months. During this time we had contacted several state athletic commissions to hear their stance on this. Of the ones we contacted, all of them took the side of the MMA/NHB argument, that the two sports were so different that they didn't care if a fighter had fought pro MMA/NHB, as long as the fighter had never fought in what they determined at the time as the "Big MMA" events which were UFC and Pride. With this knowledge, we finally agreed to a compromise, which was what the athletic commissions agreed to. That as long as the fighters had not fought in the major MMA/NHB events (UFC or Pride) we would allow them to fight as an amateur kickboxer.
As we know, MMA/NHB has grown and progressed greatly over the last year alone. Top fighters are now fighting in "OTHER" big events (Such as Allen in an event called "King of the Cage") and may never get to fight for UFC. Because of this, we are re-opening the case here and we can say at first glance, "This will be changed" and "PRO (PAID) MMA/NHB fighters "Will no longer be allowed to fight as an amateur kickboxer in the IKF."
Although we (IKF) will be the first to stand up to this rule and make this change, we can only hope that other kickboxing sanctioning bodies and their promoters will do the same. For example, over the past few weeks we know of several "PRO" MMA/NHB fighters that have fought as an amateur kickboxer on other sanctioning bodies events but they did not receive the attention this bout did due to the Kickboxing Message Board. It will be up to you, the peers as well as fans in our sport to, as one would say, "Blow the whistle" when you see this being tried again. Feel free to do so on the Kickboxing Message Board or the MMA Message board. This is what these boards are for. So YOU can have a voice in our sports.
More Importantly, we would like to add that we STRONGLY APPRECIATE and THANK those who posted their opinions (No matter how abusive towards the IKF they were written, we know how emotions can get heated on the board) about this on the Kickboxing Message Board board. NO ONE, including the IKF is above the law here and we as a sanctioning body for both kickboxing as well as our ISCF organization for MMA/NHB must LISTEN to our peers. When the complaint is justified, as we strongly feel this one was, we must stand up for everyone and make required changes in our sports for the better and move forward in a positive way for everyone.
Those of you who spoke up were "RIGHT!" What
may have been allowed in the past now needs to be regulated and watched more
closely in the future. The sport of MMA is growing rapidly and changes in
regulations such as this one will not be the last one. As in this case, there
will be times that individuals like those who posted on the
Kickboxing Message Board will be the voice of many.
Some of you feel they are wrong in attacking us, however, we feel they were
RIGHT, and we thank you for standing up and making a stand for what you feel is
right!
Sincerely,
Steve Fossum
IKF & ISCF World President
PS ADDITION: Now comes another question and another
issue of discussion as well as possible argument we must determine. The fighter
in question here, George Allen (Who is innocent in his actions here)
entered the IKF Tournament system under
the impression that his status in this event was allowed. He registered to fight
in the South East Regional event and has said he would like to now come to Iowa
to fight for the IKF National Title. With
the discussion now of this new regulation, what should Allen's status
be? Should he be allowed to fight in the IKF
National Championship Tournament in August or not? Please voice your opinion on
the Kickboxing Message Board.
Thank you.
SATURDAY, June 21st, 2003, AT 11:55 PM, PT
IKF/TKO
South East Regional
In Georgia ROCKS!
IKF Valdosta, Georgia, USA Speaking of Damage there was plenty of damage at the IKF/TKO South East Regional in Valdosta Georgia today hosted by IKF Promoter James Corbett which came in many forms. Some of the damage came in forms of kicks, punches and KO's. However sadly enough, some damage was done with some fighters who no showed as well as others who pulled out of fights just before they were ready to happen, leaving others without a chance to "Walk the Walk" in the ring! This was a 2 part event that finished with a "Standing room only" night time event. Here's a quick rundown below of the fight brackets and the results for all you eager to be informed fight fans.
There were several "Walkover" Champions who had no bout as well. They include Jessica Botha, Jason Barrett, Bobbie Brown, Avigail Yahudah, Rachelle Hart, Nathan McCall, Nicholas Finney, William Phillips, Damien Frost, Dallas Crowe, Justin Pickett, Jason Kuhn, John Greubel, Andre Camarena, Reginald Kitchen, Mark Adams, William White, Joe Laughlin, Bert Chandler, Jarel Bowman, Philip Petersen and Michael Bengochea. Other fighters who had scheduled bouts but were unable to attend due to various reasons were Billie Jo Grieswich, Dennis Waters, Scott Ward, John Ganner and Jin Kim. In all there were a total of 66 amateur kickboxers that registered to "Walk The Walk" at the IKF/TKO South East Regional. The event also featured some ISCF MMA Bouts. Here are those results below.
We would like to thank all the volunteers who helped make this event a great success. Without such TEAMWORK, these events would not be possible. GREAT JOB "South East TEAM!" For more information on this event, go to www.valdostamac.com/newregional.html or e-mail South East Regional Director, Mr. James Corbett at sensei@valdostamac.com or call (229) 245-8622. |
WEDNESDAY, June 18th, 2003, AT 11:15 PM, PT
THIS WEEKENDS IKF ACTION...
Z Promotions Ready For This Weekends
IKF/TKO North Central Regional!
IKF
Lake In The Hills, Illinois, USA
The IKF/TKO
North Central Full Contact Regional Championships are upon us. Over
the years the Midwest has produced many of the nation's finest Pro kickboxers
such as IKF Pro World Champions Mike
LaBree, Rick Roufus and Tommy Bach along with other IKF Pro title holders like Jason Robinson
and Jim Zbilski. And don't forget other Pro Champions like Brad
Hefton and C. B. Bunkholt. Many fighters like these have gone on to
win multiple national and world championships, all beginning with regional
tournaments that showcased their talents. The path to become a champion starts
here!
This weekend Rob Zbilski's Z Promotions will host their 4th IKF North Central Full Contact Regional Championships. Zbilski's have hosted this event all but 1 year when they took a brief break from the regional promotional scent. This weekends event will be at Jimmy Z's Fitness in Lake Zurich, Illinois and will play host to full contact rules fighters from Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, Indiana, Central & Eastern North Dakota ( Timezone Line east) and Eastern South Dakota (Timezone Line east) Fighters will be competing for top seeding positions at this years IKF/TKO USA National Amateur Kickboxing Championships in Cedar Rapids Iowa on August 15th, 16th and 17th.
The official event Weigh-Ins and Physicals will be Friday, June 20th from 5 to 7PM (Required to weigh-in to fight during the tournament). If necessary any preliminary bouts will be held at Jimmy Z's Ringside Fitness. On Saturday night, June 21st at 7:PM the finals will begin.
Event tickets prices start at $20 for general admission and $30 for table seats ($25 in advance). For more info contact Team Z at (847) 458-8333 or by e-mail at teamz@3di.net or go to their website at www.teamzs.com
MORE
NEWS OF 6-18-03
The BIG Eyes Of Texas Looks At
This Weekends IKF/TKO "BIG SOUTH" Regional!
IKF
Richardson, Texas, USA
The weekend will mark the first ever
IKF/TKO BIG SOUTH Regional Championships
held in the great state of TEXAS! Last year IKF
Trainer and Promoter Tommy Alcozer Sr. of Plainview, Texas put a lot of
time and hard work into promoting the first ever Texas Regional event. However,
thanks to an organization called TACKA and
David Mason, (Information we discovered weeks after the
event
was scheduled) they sabotaged his event which lead to the event being
cancelled. (See May 2002
News page for full story)
However Alcozar's work did not go un-noticed or unappreciated by any means. Alcozar went forward to bring a near record setting "NINE" fighters to the 2002 IKF USA National Finals and went home with 4 IKF National titles. Alcozar won't be able to attend this years regional event because his son, Tommy Jr is getting married the night of the event. We wish him the best as well as congratulations.
Because of the obstacles Alcozar faced, IKF Promoters Chuck Best and Steve Goin knew what to look out for as they embarked on the quest to host this years IKF/TKO "Big South" Regional event for the state of Texas. The two have already successfully promoted a vast amount of IKF Sanctioned events this year and this is sure to be yet another great one. Although we don't have a fully updated list as of press time tonight, here's a list of some of the event fighters;
Best and Goin are excited about this weekends event which will provide plenty of excitement for the fight fans of Texas. The event will be held at the Richardson Civic Center. For more info please contact Chuck Best or Steve Goin at (972) 889-0129 or by e-mail at sirkikman@juno.com
MORE
NEWS OF 6-18-03
RE-POSTED TONIGHT, JUNE 18th, 2003:
IKF/TKO
South East Regional
To Be Broadcast on Internet June 21st!
Live Audio with Video to Follow!!
IKF Valdosta, Georgia, USA As soon as possible after the live audio broadcast, Walls will broadcast a video feed of the evening finals. For the first time ever, IKF and ISCF fans will be able to watch free video via the Internet of some of their favorite fighters. This broadcast will include selected finals of the IKF South East Regional Kickboxing Tournament and the ISCF U.S. Super Heavyweight Champion, Jonathan Wiezorek in the main event. Walls is a Internet broadcast pioneer whose credits include BloodyKnuckles.com and RealityHosting.com. In 1999, Walls launched AggressionTV.com and began streaming entire Martial Arts Events over the Internet such as HOOKnSHOOT and SuperBrawl. A year later he launched AggressionRadio.com and began attending events live and streaming the live audio play by play over the Internet for fans to listen in. His broadcasts of the 2002 IKF South East Regional and the 2002 IKF National Tournament exceeded all previous records for listeners. IKF South East Regional Promoter, James Corbett (Right) says, "Again, I am both humbled and excited about Johnny's support of our event. We need IKF and ISCF Fans to make this broadcast break all records for Johnny." Steve Fossum, IKF World President, says regarding AggressionTV.com and the South East Regional, "As we said last year about the Internet broadcast of the event, this is another one of many great things for the sport of kickboxing through the IKF World Team. We are meeting a stated goal this year by having internet video to compliment our upcoming Cable TV Programming. Johnny and James are adding another aspect to IKF Kickboxing and it's a Knockout!" The friends and families of the IKF South East Regional competitors from Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Eastern Tennessee, and parts of Alabama, as well as IKF Kickboxing Fans WORLDWIDE, who are not able to attend the event in Valdosta this coming Saturday, June 21st, will be able to tune in on AggressionTV.com. Mixed Martial Arts and IKF Kickboxing fans who regularly follow AggressionRadio.com will again be able to hear IKF Kickboxing and still enjoy listening in on some mixed martial arts action. The audio show should begin broadcast about 8:00 AM, EST. Updates regarding the broadcast will be posted to IKF and the Valdosta Martial Arts Center website at www.valdostamac.com. |
MORE
NEWS OF 6-18-03
"COWTOWN RUMBLE"
In Overland Park, Kansas, USA!
IKF Kansas, USA
This Saturday night
IKF and ISCF Promoters Mr. Oren Gautreaux and
Mr. Dan Tharp will host "COWTOWN RUMBLE" at the Overland Park
International Trade Center in Overland Park, Kansas, USA. Although there are no
title bouts scheduled for the event there is sure to be plenty of IKF Kickboxing and
ISCF
Mixed Martial arts Action. Here's the nights scheduled fight card:
For more info please contact Mr. Oren Gautreaux at
(816) 229-6611 or e-mail at Owen@cowtownrumble.com
or contact Mr. Dan Tharp at
Dan@cowtownrumble.com
or go to their website at
www.CowtownRumble.com
Cowtown Fight
Promotions, Inc. was formed in 2002 by Dan Tharp and Oren
Gautreaux. CFP, Inc. is the Midwests newest fight promotion that showcases a
truly mixed martial arts show. Kickboxing, Muay Thai, and Extreme Fighting are
the centerpieces of each show. CFP has also set a new standard for event
professionalism and style. Each event is held in a clean, respectable venue and
a safe, friendly atmosphere. Thru the help of our sponsors and fans CFP desires
to constantly improve the quality of show and the level of the Combat Sports
showcased.
MORE
NEWS OF 6-18-03
POSTED AT 4:25 PM, PT
FALSE E-Mail!
IKF
Headquarters
If anyone reading this received an e-mail
entitled "K-1 report" and had the following in the content:
OK, well be changing the whole story today,
adding the times etc.
Thanks.
Sincerely Steve Fossum
IKF World
President
IKF World Team Kickboxing: "The Game Has Changed!"
IKF
Web Address:
We need to inform you "DO NOT OPEN THE ATTACKED FILE!" Mr. Fossum NEVER sent out this mail. It is unknown how this e-mail was circulated. There was also another e-mail that was circulated ahead of this one with the following content;
Hi Alex,
A question,
Andrey Dudko
(Chicago via Russia, Left, 6'6, 225) defeated Tomasz Kucherzewski (Right, 6',
225 - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada?) To win K-1 USA.
However, you don't have hi
The return e-mail addresses were ikf@nifty.com and ikf@pop06.odn.ne.jp. There was no address visible from a sender. We thought we should make you aware of this if you received such an e-mail.
TUESDAY, June 17th, 2003, AT 8:55 AM, PT
Mother
Killed In Toughman
Fight
Should Toughman's New Slogan Be
"Are
You Tough Enough to DIE?"
Sarasota, Florida, USA
Police investigate woman's
death in Toughman
fight Police Probe
Toughman
Contest That Left Woman On Life Support: See what others are saying about this at mma.tv, CLICK HERE! Some quotes from individuals at
mma.tv: Was the State of Florida
in the wrong? So who is Responsible?
Someone added: "mixed feelings here, but she chose to get in the ring,
shes an adult, as long as the reffing was competant I dont think
Toughman
is responsible." IKF Addition: A few weeks back, an IKF associates out of Michigan sent us some very interesting facts about Toughman. A was 4 full pages all about Toughman and their organization. Toughman founder Art Dore's non-profit; "American Boxing & Athletic Association" took in nearly a million dollars over the last 2 years. (That was on paper, not cash intake from merchandise or any other cash sales) The article pointed out that at that time, Toughman has had a reported 12 deaths in its organization, make it 13 now. Some of these events have no doctor at ringside and some others have had a Chiropractor as the ringside doctor. Some of the weight spreads are as much as 30 to 50 lbs. In the article it told of a female fighter named Kelli Hochmuht who weighed 145 lbs who had to fight a girl who was 199 lbs in an Idaho Toughman contest. NONE of the Toughman officials are required to be trained by certified officials unless the state oversees their events. Where does this happen? In only 2 of the 50 states, Ohio and California. |
MONDAY, June 16th 2003, AT 8:20 PM, PT
31 Fighters Register To "Walk The Walk"
At Mullen's
South Central Regional!
But Only
6 Get Matched Up To Fight!
IKF
Memphis, Tennessee, USA
IKF
Promoter Jeff Mullen has sent the results of his IKF South Central
Regional that took place in Memphis this last Saturday night, June
14. Although 31 fighters registered to "Walk
The Walk", the disappointing thing was that only "SIX"
of them matched up in divisions and were able to have a fight.
The jury is still out as to what to do for those fighters who register at regional events but do not get a fight. Two years ago the IKF gave these fighters (And will continue to do so) a discount when they register for the Nationals. However some question whether this is enough. "It's not like boxing where everyone is doing the same rules." Says IKF President Steve Fossum. "However, it bothers me greatly to see a fighter register to fight and when the time comes, he or she has no opponent."
Over the last 2 years some have questioned whether the regional promoters have tried hard enough to get everyone an opponent to fight. However on the other side of the coin and in the defense of the regional promoters, it's hard to find enough fighters in a single region to fill every weight class in every rule style. "In the promoters defense, there are 17 weight classes for each rule style." Says Fossum. "Multiply them by the three different rule styles, now double it for men and women and add even more brackets to fill when you add in the Junior (8 years old to 17) divisions. That's a lot of brackets to fill!"
Of all the Regional Promoters, North Central Regional Promoter Rob Zbilski may have the best chance of having the most bouts. The reason is Zbilski will only feature the "Full Contact Rules" style at his regional this weekend in Lake Zurich, Illinois.
South East Regional Promoter James Corbett looks to be able to match up nearly 30 bouts at his Regional Seeding event this weekend in Valdosta Georgia. Corbett has well over 60 fighters registered for his event and only found himself short of MuayThai rules fighters this year. Last year Zbilski had set the record for the most fighters in one rule style at a regional event (62 Fighters) while Corbett had the record for the most total fighters at a regional event which was *98 Fighters. This year Corbett had an increase of International Rules fighters from 6 last year to 10 this year but lost the number of total fighters in the other rule styles. He only has "7" MuayThai fighters registered as compared to the 30 he had last year and only 46 full contact rules fighters as compared to his 62 last year.
(*) Includes fighters who registered but no showed at the event
Although Mullen's had few fighters match-up for bouts he still had plenty of action. Here are the results below.
For more info please contact Mr. Mullens at (901) 406-2460 or by e-mail at jmullen@memphis.edu
MORE
NEWS OF 6-16-03
K-1
Paris Report 2003
By Alex MacDonald - IKF
Japan
On June 14 in the French capital, Alexei Ignashov won the K-1 Paris 2003. Unlike the K-1 Las Vegas and the K-1 Basel which each had 4 fighters from the host country, the K-1 Paris only featured 2 French fighters, Tony Gregory and Cyril Abidi.
Alexei Ignashov vs. Pavel Majer
Ignashov of
Belarus came into the spotlight in 2000. Many hailed him as the next Peter
Aerts. He had a killer instinct and confidence beyond his years. In 2001, he
won the K-1 Nagoya tournament to qualify for the Grand Prix and lost in the
semi-finals to Francisco Filho. In 2002, he came one fight away from
qualifying for the Grand Prix. This year, instead of automatically qualifying
for the K-1 Osaka, he had to enter this tournament.
Pavel Majer of
the Czech Republic won the K-1 Czech 2001 and 2002 earning him a place in the
K-1 Osaka 2001 and K-1 Las Vegas 2002 respectively. This year without a
preliminary tournament in his home country, he entered and won the K-1 Italy
2003 to earn a place in the K-1 Paris 2003.
Without
the use of knees, both fighters had to make use of their other
weapons. Ignashov fought like a new man using a sharp jab and following
it up with solid punches. Majer, on the other hand, took a warning for
bringing up the knee. In the first round, Majer took an 8 count. In the
second, Ignashov got rocked by a high kick but had the composure to
shake it off without taking an eight count. In the third, Ignashov sent
his own high kick through Majer's porous defense scoring a knockout.
Ignashov by KO-3.
Tony Gregory vs. Alexander Ustinov
Tony
Gregory of France won the K-1 France in both 2002 and 2003. His 2002
championship qualified him for the K-1 Las Vegas 2002 where he made it to the
semifinals only to lose to Michael McDonald. Winning the K-1 France 2003
qualified him for the K-1 Paris 2003 and loaded a ton of high expectations on
his shoulders.
Alexander Ustinov of Russia made it to the finals of
the K-1 Ukraine 2002 and this year won the K-1 Russia 2003 to qualify for this
tournament.
Gregory was in the fight until the second round when
Ustinov connected fully with a low kick. The second down that dropped
him ended the fight due to the 2 knockdown rule. Ustinov
by KO-2.
Cyril Abidi vs. Aziz Kattou
Cyril Abidi
of France seized the spotlight when he knocked out three time Grand Prix
champion Peter Aerts in one round. He then reached the finals of the K-1
Yokohama 2000 after beating both Aerts and Sefo. This was the
peak of his career and he was only 23 years old. Since then, he lost to both
Aerts and Sefo in the Grand Prix 2000 and added a string of
defeats to unheralded fighters like Andrew Thompson, Quinton Jackson and
Bob Sapp. Here, representing his country, he hoped to put his fight
career back on track.
Aziz Kattou of Belgium is a relative unknown
coming into this fight. His most recent K-1 fight ended in a no contest against
K-1 Netherlands 2002 champion Errol Parris.
The fight went to the
judges after three rounds. In a close fight that most would have thought had
gone to the Belgian, the judges opted for the hometown favorite who has a fan
following in Japan. Abidi by three round decision.
Chalid DieFaust vs. Pele Reid
Chalid
DieFaust of Germany has not had a highly visible career until now. He did
travel to Japan to fight Yanagisawa, a fight which he won easily, but
other than that this German is relatively unknown.
Pele Reid of the
United Kingdom is credited with knocking out boxing superstar Vitali
Klictsko in a kickboxing match years ago. Since then, he himself has made a
living on the British boxing scene and earlier this year traveled to Japan to
fight Ray Sefo. Reid looked sharp and skilled and may have what it takes
to be an FCR contender but if he wants to take the K-1 path seriously he'll have
to make a major overhaul on his stance. Reaching with the jab Ali-style is a
huge faux pas when leg kicks are part of the game.
After three rounds of
booing fans, the judges picked the fighter who brought the most fight, the
German. Chalid DieFaust by three round decision.
Semi Finals
Alexei
Ignashov vs. Alexander Ustinov
In a very close technical fight
that ended in a split decision, Ignashov escaped elimination and made it
to the final. Ignashov by three round decision.
Cyril Abidi vs. Chalid DieFaust
It appeared
that DieFaust's quick hands would get the better of Abidi's
hollow defense. Abidi, however, proved one thing about the unorthodox.
One good hit sometimes is worth more than 10 good ones. While getting peppered,
he got a solid high kick through that changed the tide. He then chased the
German into the corner and collected a second knockdown to end the fight. Abidi by KO-2.
FINAL
Alexei
Ignashov vs. Cyril Abidi
With better technique and faster
strikes, Ignashov used Abidi as target practice throughout the
first two rounds. The Frenchman made a few wild charges but his odd style wasn't
frustrating anyone but himself this time. A few clean low kicks at the end of
the second round exposed a weakness that Ignashov would then target in
the third. As soon as the next low kick landed, Abidi's corner threw in
the towel to prevent a serious injury. Ignashov by
TKO-3.
Winning the K-1 Paris 2003, Alexei Ignashov has now qualified for the K-1 Osaka 2003 where he will join the winners of the K-1 Las Vegas (Carter Williams), the K-1 Basel (Jerrel Venetiaan) and the K-1 Melbourne which will be decided next month. There they will join the 7 athletes who fought in the K-1 Grand Prix 2002: Stefan Leko, Ernesto Hoost, Ray Sefo, Peter Aerts, Mark Hunt, Jerome LeBanner and Bob Sapp. The K-1 matchmakers will then select three proven fighters to bring the number up to 14. The seven matches at the K-1 Osaka will therefore decide which 7 fighters will qualify for the Grand Prix 2003.
SATURDAY, June 14th 2003, AT 3:15 PM, PT
The Eagle Academy
In
Casper Wyoming Making News!
Eagle Academy
Scores World Class Boxing Coach
The
Eagle Academy in Casper Wyoming owned by
IKF North Mountain representative and
promoter David Smith (Left) has signed Jesse Rodriguez
as head boxing coach. Mr Rodriguez is a former lightweight world
contender and veteran of 74 professional fights. He has over thirty years of
coaching experience and has produced many champions on the west coast. Mr
Rodriguez will serve as Director of Eagle
Academy's Boxing program and as Assistant Director of Kickboxing.
Eagle Academy
Announces Resident Athlete Program
The Eagle Academy in Casper Wyoming, home of Paul Wood ( Right - 2002 IKF USA National Bantam Weight International Rules Champion) announced today the formation of a program to help College Kickboxing & MMA Athletes. The new program, the Resident Athlete Program is designed to provide living quarters to College Kickboxing & MMA Athletes. Any active athlete willing to attend Casper College or University of Wyoming at Casper College and be an active member of Eagle Academy's Team is eligible.
The athlete if accepted will live and train at Eagle Academy's 11,000 square foot facility in Casper at no cost. Athletes must submit an application which will be reviewed by Eagle Academy's scholarship board. Eagle Academy hopes this opportunity to live and train at a first class facility, have access to an excellent college and compete as part of a growing team will attract motivated young athletes. These athletes will be provided support such as travel and expenses for competitions, many opportunities to fight in the weekly event held at Eagle Academy, and a chance to focus on their training. Program applications and information are available from Eagle Academy by calling (307) 265-2589 or by e-mail at eagleacademy@qwest.net.
FRIDAY, June 13th 2003, AT 11:15 AM, PT
Up
Close and Personal with
Dean Lessei
It wouldn't take long for you to discover that instructor Dean Lessei of Dubuque Martial Arts out of Dubuque, Iowa is committed to his art form of Muay Thai. As earlier as yesterday we took note of a post stating his commitment to another IKF Message Board writer. Anyone could see his words were passionate and with the intentions of nailing his point home! I Love Muay Thai!
Being that the IKF sanctions several styles of Kickboxing, we thought it would be a good idea to feature a few trainers and their specific Kickboxing art forms and perhaps allow you to get to know them up close and personal. We had a chance to speak with Dean in the past couple of days to find out more about his past and present. We already know that he is an excellent trainer of the Muay Thai art form because he has spun several IKF National champions in previous tournaments. (2001 Champions shown below at right)
Moreover, the IKF Marketing team ask Dean to assist in some Kickboxing / Muay Thai demonstrations in the Cedar Rapids area to promote the August 2003 IKF/TKO National tournament. He gladly stepped up to the plate to offer his services. In fact, Dean and his team will march in the annual Freedom Festival that has about ten thousand spectators on Saturday, June 28th. They will perform another demonstration at the start of the local professional Kernels baseball game on August 2nd . The game normally has about two thousand spectators in attendance. The Lessei team will also pass out August 2003 IKF/TKO National Tournament flyers and talk about all aspects of the event.
We here at the IKF are proud to have Dean's supports and are thankful for his commitment to his art and his assistance in taking the sport to the next level.
Introducing
Mr. Dean
Lessei:
Dean Lessei is the owner and Chief Instructor of
the
Dubuque Martial Arts Group located in Dubuque
Iowa. D.M.A.G.
has been in operation since 1990. Dean began his formal martial arts
training back in 1982 with Tae Kwon Do. His first exposure to the Filipino
Martial arts came by training at a seminar with Tom Sipin in Doce Pares
around 1985. Eventually his close friend and training partner Tim Mousel
introduced Dean to Sifu Rick Faye late in 1986. From then on
Dean began attending seminars and training camps as well as making trips
to Minneapolis to train under Rick Faye.
Through hard work and determination Mr. Lessei achieved instructor credentials in Jun Fan Martial Arts, Filipino Martial Arts, Muay Thai, and Jun Fan / JKD Grappling. Dean also ventured out on the competitive level in Muay Thai and Kickboxing becoming a 3 time T.B.C. heavyweight champion. Additionally Dean is a 2 time W.E.K.A.F. national champion in full contact Escrima.
In the past several years Mr. Lessei has been busy
training his students producing several regional and national champions in Muay
Thai and Kickboxing under the IKF. Dean
has produced many regional and national champions as well as world medal winners
in full contact Escrima in W.E.K.A.F. events.
Dean's focus has been
in working with the younger generation developing the "juniors" at his
gym. He also continues to teach around the Midwest through seminars and camps on
women's self defense, Muay Thai and Kickboxing, Kali and Jun Fan / Jeet Kune Do.
In addition to being a martial artist and school owner, Dean is a
husband to his beautiful wife Danielle, father to his wonderful children
Savannah, Luke and Brooke and works full time as a designer of
light gauge steel and wood roof and floor trusses. Dean has an extensive
background in computer aided design and is a journeyman tool and die mold maker
as well.
Dubuque Martial Arts is located at 3430 Dodge, lower level, Inn Plaza, Dubuque, Iowa. Their phone number is (563) 588-1012 or you can e-mail Mr. Lessei directly at dalessei@Cascade-Mfg-Co.com. For more information on demonstrations for the 2003 IKF/TKO National Tournament. or the Up Close and Personal segments contact IKF Marketing Representative Johnny Davis at (916) 780-7483 or by e-mail at johnnyd@netwiz.net.
MORE
NEWS OF 6-13-03
IKF
Kickboxing &
Mixed Martial Arts Return to Memphis!
IKF
Memphis, Tennessee, USA
IKF
Kickboxing & Mixed Martial Arts return to Memphis, Saturday June 14 when Mid
South Martial Arts host the IKF South Central Regional kickboxing
Championships. Tournament promoter Jeff Mullen is a long
time member of the IKF team having
produced the first ever IKF regional
kickboxing tournament in Memphis in 1999.
A total of 31 fighters registered to "Walk The Walk" however with the 3 different rule styles and the numerous weight classes to fill, only 6 fighters matched up in actual regional bouts. The others will receive a direct walkover placement at the 2003 IKF/TKO USA National. However, several of the walkover were matched up in bouts for the evening to gain more ring experience. In addition to the IKF tournament the fight card will feature 2 heavyweight MMA matches. Feature fights include (In no particular order)
The tournament will be held Saturday at 8:PM at the New Daisy Theater on historic Beale St. in downtown Memphis. For more info please contact Mr. Mullens at (901) 406-2460 or by e-mail at jmullen@memphis.edu
THURSDAY, June 12th 2003, AT 6:55 PM, PT
This Weekend In The IKF...
Mullen's
IKF/TKO
South Central Division #1 Regional!
IKF
Memphis, Tennessee, USA
IKF
Promoter Jeff Mullen is ready for his fourth IKF
Regional event this weekend at the New Daisy Theatre on Beale Street in Memphis,
Tennessee, USA. The event is the second of 5 IKF/TKO
USA Regional events that will determine seeding for the amateur
kickboxers at this years
2003
IKF/TKO USA
National Amateur Championships at the U. S. Cellular Center in Cedar
Rapids Iowa August 15th, 16th and 17th.
Mullen's regional is the South Central #1 and includes the states of Central & Western Tennessee (Break is at the Timeline) Arkansas, Mississippi, Southern Missouri, Louisiana, Alabama (Sharing with South East #1).
The event weigh-ins are Friday night from 6:PM to 8:PM at Midsouth Martial Arts Center at 2771 Clark Road in Memphis and Tennessee.
For more info please contact Mr. Mullens at (901) 406-2460 or by e-mail at jmullen@memphis.edu
MORE
IKF THIS WEEKEND...
The
ICEMAN
Cometh!
Montreal, Quebec,
Canada:
This Saturday night legendary kickboxer Jean-Yves
Theriault and Kyoshi John Therien will host another night of the
exciting "ICEMAN Kickboxing Circuit" Amateur Kickboxing in
Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Jean-Yves "The Iceman" Theriault needs no introduction to the kickboxing world. He is a 23 time World Kickboxing Champion, who was recently named a member of Ottawa's prestigious Sports Hall of Fame. Kyoshi John Therien has been synonymous with Jiu-Jitsu in Ottawa for the past 34 years, making Therien Jiu-Jitsu and Kickboxing a leader in the Martial Arts and fitness arenas. Kyoshi John Therien and Jean-Yves Theriault are also respected internationally for their dedication and contribution to the Martial Arts Industry and its practitioners. For more info on this event please contact Jean-Yves Theriault or Kyoshi John Therien at (613) 746-5402.
TUESDAY, June 10th 2003, AT 2:30 PM, PT
Harminson
Retains IKF Title
And Yelle
Wins Vacant Title!
At RE/MAX
Kickboxing Invitational, RiverPlex Sports Arena,
Peoria, Illinois, USA
By Brooks Mason
RE/MAX Kickboxing Invitational.
IKF
Peoria, Illinois, USA
The fights in Peoria, Illinois started
the way you would like to see all fights start with an honor guard in the ring
and the national anthem. IKF Promoter Ryan
Blackorby out did himself with the card, the venue and the professionalism
of a seasoned promoter. Job well done Ryan. The Riverplex, a beautiful
sports center on the river, was packed to the gills with fight fans and they
were not disappointed. To the fights.
Great fights, Great times. Thanks to Remax for their sponsorship and Ryan Blackorby for a job well done. Dean Lessei, I will see you at the Nationals. I have another bet for you. This is Brooks Mason coming to you from Mick Doyle's Emerald Mongoose Muay Thai Camp in Omaha, Nebraska. The Home of Kickboxing.
For more info contact Mr. Ryan Blackorby at (309) 444-1512 or by e-mail at blackorby@bitwisesystems.com.
IKF NOTE: Due to the experience level of the referee at the event, IKF Event Representative Brooks Mason took over to referee the final 3 bouts. When he did so, he appointed IKF Associate Representative Kurt Podany as the IKF Event Representative for the remaining 3 bouts.
FRIDAY, June 6th 2003, AT 4:00 PM, PT
OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
OF
THE BIG
NEWS!
IKF TV IS
HERE!
Comcast Sports
South East (CSS) And The IKF Team Up!
|
IKF
Headquarters, Newcastle, California, USA
Starting the first Friday in September (September 5th, or quite possibly as soon as August 29th, if our production schedule is quicker) CSS will air IKF Kickboxing on a weekly basis at 11:PM to nearly 4 million households. The agreement is done in sections and this first run will be 17 straight weeks (September 5th, 2003 through December 26th, 2003) of an exciting 1 hour program of IKF Kickboxing! During the run, there is a very good possibility of some "LIVE" event broadcast as well. What will make this program more exciting than any other past programs for the sport of kickboxing will be the shows format. Not only will the "Weekly" programming be a first for the sport since the 80's, the format will bring more attention to those involved in the sport. The show segments will include things such as fighter profiles, training tips, special guests, gear and product reviews, gym visits and of course, plenty of exciting IKF Kickboxing Fights! The CSS region includes (See map at right) nine Southeastern states. The only bad news, (for now anyway) is that the IKF Kickboxing program will only be seen in these 9 South East USA states (Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina & North Carolina). However, don't get too discouraged. The IKF is already in the works with bringing the IKF Kickboxing program to the rest of the USA very soon with affiliates of CSS. There is a pretty good possibility that some of those regions may be confirmed by the September 5th air date. One thing about the structure of the program is that the shows programming will come from IKF associates and events around the Globe. "Although this program will only air in the South East, we will not limit programming from the South East only." Says IKF President Steve Fossum (Left). "Our goal is to bring attention to as many regions around the world as we can that are associated with IKF Kickboxing. This includes Alby Bimpson's work with IKF Europe. This has been a long time coming for the IKF but an even longer time coming for this great sport. Right now I'm pretty excited for everyone in the IKF. I guess this is where I say 'I'm going to Disneyland!'" The including of promotions and associates around the IKF World was a very important part in establishing this program for the IKF. They wanted to be assured that they could include as many IKF Promoters, Trainers, Fighters as well as Officials as possible. "There will be no 'One Promoter show' here" continued Fossum. "We have grown as a Team and we will grow more as a TEAM!" "On behalf of kickboxing we take this opportunity very seriously," Says IKF World Ambassador Brooks Mason (Left). "With the help of the IKF team (trainers, fighters, promoters and our officials) we will make good on this opportunity for the benefit of kickboxing and the kickboxing industry. Our goal in this endeavor is to bring real purses to the professional kickboxing ranks and real futures to up and coming young fighters." Mason will be part of the IKF Commentating Team as well as one of the broadcast reporter on the sit down portion of the program. "A lot of credit here goes to IKF Promoter Ray Thompson." (Left) Says Fossum. Thompson was the person who brought the CSS idea to the IKF when he had them film the 2002 IKF North American Amateur Championships last November. "This is yet another new day for kickboxing." Says Thompson, (Right). "The Comcast IKF Team will surly make for exciting events and future stars of our sport. As a promoter and trainer, I am not just excited for myself and our own program here but for the many other IKF Teams of Trainers and Promoters around the world. This brings something to the table for all of us in the sport and the way the IKF Team plans to organize it, we are sure to see a little of everyone in the IKF on the IKFKickboxing Program soon." "As I mentioned to someone the other day on the Message Board, never give up and never lose site of the plan!" Says IKF Promoter Johnny Davis (Left). "Several of us have been working for years to close such a deal. We flew from South Carolina to L.A. meeting with TV executives and continued to come up short. Now, the day has come and its up to all of us to help keep it through even better local promotion of your events, fighters and the IKF! Forward March! " "This is the break we have all wanted to take our sport to that next level we have all strived for." Says IKF Head of Officials Dan Stell (Left). "It is great that CSS, has given us this opportunity and we all need to thank for it by tuning in and making this one of their highest rated programs in the SouthEast. We hope they will not just be pleased with our shows but be proud to have us a part of their programing as well." So there you have it Kickboxing Fans. For those of you not fighting this weekend, go ahead and relax for a couple of days because come Monday, The work begins AGAIN! Get your game faces on and get ready to "Bring It ON!" A partnership between Comcast Corporation and Charter Communications, launched September 3, 1999 as a 24-hour regional sports network. CSS programming includes live and re-aired NCAA football, basketball and baseball games; weekly coach's and preview shows; minor league hockey and baseball; stock car racing; outdoor shows and ESPN NEWS. Currently, CSS has approximately 3.9 million subscribers across nine Southeastern states. For more information, contact CSS Public Relations Manager Kate Whitaker at 865-862-5117 (office) or at kate_whitaker@cable.comcast.com. For a 1 Page Printable Version of this Posting |
MORE
NEWS OF 6-6-03
POSTED AT 10:15 AM, PT
New York Continues Attack
On
Martial Arts!
David Ross, IKF New
York, USA
A04415 is now under consideration in the committee
on higher education in Albany (held on 6/3). It proposes to license all
martial arts instructors and schools in New York State. Not only will this mean
more hidden taxes in the form of "fees", but the criteria
could well put many out of business. Remember the NYSAC "approved list"?
The
following is a list of people on the committee with phone numbers, many are New
York City and Long Island people. Feel free to call them and express your
disapproval of A04415. You can call ALL of them. This (their phone numbers)
is public information, on the assembly web page, so you can circulate it.
Debrah Glick 212 674-5153, Richard Gottfried 212 807-7900, James Conte 631 271-8025, Patricia Eddington 631 207-0073, Steve Englebright 631 751-3094, Steve Levy 631 589-8685, Michael Fitzpatrick 631 724-2929, Nick Perry 718 385-3336, Anthony Seminero 718 847-0770, Scott Stringer 212 873-6368, Mark Webrin 718 428-7900, Ron Castrari 518 455-4474, Darryl Aubertine 315 786-0284, Mara Butler 518 762-6486, Kevin Cahil 845 338-9610, Joan Christensen 315 449-9536, Brain Kolb 315 781-2030, Barbara Lifton 607 277-8030, William Magee 315 361-4125, Joel Miller 845 463-1635, Joseph Morelle 585 467-0410, Amy Paulin 914 723-1115, Robert Prentiss 518 877-7113, Call and express you opposition before this becomes a law!
THURSDAY, June 5th 2003, AT 2:55 PM, PT
IKF/TKO
USA NATIONAL FINALS
-"ATTENTION AMATEUR FIGHTERS!"-
Don't Miss The
National Finals
Registration
Deadline Of July 5th!
This is a reminder that the National Finals Registration Deadline is July 5th for this years Finals Event. As most should know by now, this years IKF/TKO USA National Amateur Championships will be August 15th, 16th & 17th in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA. If you have already competed at one of the IKF/TKO USA National Amateur Tournament Regional Events, you are "NOT" automatically registered for the National Finals. To Register for the National Finals, go to this form HERE!
FIGHTERS PHOTOS DON'T MISS THE DEADLINE(S): Any fighter who's Registration form is RECEIVED (Not Postmarked) here at the IKF Headquarters AFTER JULY 5th, 2003 will be charged additional Late Fees. All Late Fees must be paid along with your registration. If not, you will be charged this fee when you weigh-in on Friday, August 15th. These Late Fees are as follows;
Coach & Trainers
Pass.
We urge everyone to book their hotel rooms as soon as
possible also. The Host Hotel, Crowne Plaza Five Seasons Hotel. The number is (319) 363-8161. The Hotel is connected by hallway to the event venue, the US Cellular Center and connected by 12-block skywalk system to numerous shopping and dining options and 2 theatres, the Theatre Cedar Rapids and the IMAX Theatre. The hotel is located 10 minutes from the airport and they do have free shuttle service. All 275 rooms in the 16-story hotel feature cable TV and in-room movies, coffee maker, hair dryer, ironing board/iron and there are non-smoking rooms available. Hotel offers concierge level, business center, fitness center, indoor pool, and sauna. Top of the Five rooftop restaurant and Front Street Lounge, serving lighter fare, are both open 7 days a week. The room rate for our event is $79.00 Please use our event code when booking which is IKF. For more info for the |
MORE
NEWS OF 6-5-03
POSTED AT 10:45 AM, PST
Here Comes The
RE/MAX Kickboxing
Invitational
RiverPlex Sports Arena, Peoria, Illinois, USA
IKF Peoria, Illinois,
USA:
This Saturday June 7th, IKF
Promoter Ryan Blackorby will present yet another night of exciting IKF MuayThai action. Returning for the third year as
part of the Classic Sports Festival, the Blackorby's
Peoria
Athletic Club teams up again with
RE/MAX Unlimited to present the RE/MAX Kickboxing
Invitational. Kickboxing has grown in popularity for one reason, "EXCITEMENT!"
The IKF sanctions 4 different styles of
kickboxing. This weekend at the RE/MAX Kickboxing Invitational. fans will see the style
of IKF Muay Thai at it's best!
The main event is a rematch. The hometown favorite is Illinois native and current IKF Pro MTR Middleweight U.S. Champion Jeremy Harminson of Lerna, Illinois, USA. Harminson has a fight record of 19 wins, 2 loses and 1 draw with 14 of his wins coming by way of knockout. He stands 6' tall and is 31 years old. His opponent will be Kwame Stephens from Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Stephens pro record is 24 wins, 6 loses with 21 of his wins coming by way of knockout. He has an amateur record of 10-1 with 6 wins by KO/TKO as well. Stephens as well is 6' tall. The last time these two athletes met in the ring it was a battle; this year looks to be an all out war as both men want to take home the IKF U.S. MuayThai Rules Middleweight Title.
On the undercard will be the quest for the vacant IKF Amateur MTR Northern Midwest Title. The first fight fighting for the vacant title is number 2 IKF ranked Light Middleweight and 2002 IKF USA National Amateur Tournament MTR Light Middleweight Champion Ben Yelle of Marquette, Michigan, USA (9-1/1, 155, 5'6, 20). Yelle won his IKF National title last year after he defeated Philip Botha of Atlanta, Georgia, USA in the final by split decision 29-28, 29-28 & 28-29. His opponent will be Brian Medlin of Illinois. Sorry but no info was available on Medlin at press time.
Last year over 600 fans witnessed the event at the RiverPlex Sports Arena. This years event has a solid amateur undercard of ten fights and as noted, a fantastic main event. With all this, this RE/MAX Kickboxing Invitational promises to be one of the most exciting events of the Classic Sports Festival.
The RiverPlex Sports Arena is located at 600 Water Street, Peoria. Doors will open at 6:PM and the event starts at 7:PM. If you are interested in attending, please contact one of our ticket outlets: The RiverPlex (309) 282-1700, Peoria Athletic Club at (309) 672-3090.
For more info contact Mr. Ryan Blackorby at (309) 444-1512 or by e-mail at blackorby@bitwisesystems.com. The IKF Event Representative for this event will be Mr. Brooks Mason and the IKF Event Referee will be Mr. Dave Rogers. Ryan Blackorby is the owner and head muay Thai Kickboxing coach at the Peoria Athletic Club. Ryan has been actively promoting amateur and professional kickboxing for the last four years. For more info go to www.peoriaathleticclub.com
MuayThai: MuayThai allows the athlete to kick, punch and knee his opponent. (Sometimes, elbows are allowed as well.) With so many offensive weapons, the action never stops. The origins of Muay Thai kickboxing date back over 2000 years. This combat sport started off as a martial art, when the Thai nation was fighting for its survival in the midst of hostile neighboring countries. In the 1930's Muay Thai was transformed into what many consider modern day kickboxing. The United States has stayed somewhat behind in the promotion of this fighting style, following Japan, Europe and Australia in fan support and popularity.
MORE
NEWS OF 6-5-03
Working Together, Bimpson
& Jessop Make Show a Success!
25th May, 2003, Ormsby Institute, Miiddlesborough, England, Promoter
Steve Jessop
Reported By IKF
Europe
|
IKF
England It was a day show due to commence at 1:PM. One club with 3 competitors failed to show, and several fighters failed to make their weight, weighing in heavy or too light. The bout list was rearranged, with several demonstrations arranged for the first half giving the competitors the opportunity to show their skills and make up for the disappointment of not having a competition bout. All Officials were in place including the Official Senior IKF Europe Doctor, the crowd had been very patient with the delay in commencing, but were in good spirits anticipating a great show of Full Contact Kickboxing, when the paramedics failed to show. This was due to a break down of communication, during the debate when the show was going to be cancelled for not having the doctor present. IKF European Director Alby Bimpson then had to explain to promoter Steve Jessop (Left) that the IKF could not allow the show to continue, and made the decision to pull the sanction. After further discussions with all IKF Officials present, it was agreed a semi contact show could go ahead. All fighters and trainers were called back to the meeting room and the situation was explained and to give any competitors the opportunity to withdraw if they did not wish to take part, after which one competitor with drew. Jessop announced the decision to the crowd, who were a little disappointed, but understood the implications of the risk of injury, and having no paramedics present. The show commenced with some of the best demonstrations we have seen for sometime, and the crowd was thoroughly appreciative of this, including an introductory demonstration of grappling (mixed martial arts) educating the crowd in the various techniques and submissions. During this time Jessop was constantly on the phone to contact the paramedics and came up trumps. They would arrive for the second half of the show allowing all the original bouts to be changed back to Full Contact. The bouts and results are as follows:
The IKF Officials on
this event were |
|
WEDNESDAY, June 4th, 2003, AT 9:00 AM, PST
Champion
Vs Champion!
Two
IKF Amateur Women National Champions Battle It Out
For PRIDE!
By
Jade East
Council Bluffs, Iowa,
USA
It was billed as fight number 6 of the night for Mick
Doyle's promotion last weekend at
Harrah's in Council Bluffs Iowa. Kornelija
Numic (Left) of Dallas, Texas vs Leslie McNamara (Right)
of St. Louis,
Missouri. Both had won their divisions
at last years
2002 IKF USA National Amateur Championships
and both have had a very successful winning career. Here's the way IKF reporter Jade East saw it.
This was the fight of the night and I think the fans would agree. McNamara is not the first from Finney's camp to fight against Numic. Numic beat McNamara's teammate Jena Repa for the 2002 IKF USA National Amateur Title. But McNamara was also 2002 IKF USA National Champion as well. It was exciting to see these two IKF Champions battle it out to the very end.
For more info on this event please contact Mr. Mick Doyle at (402) 498-9592 or by e-mail at Thaiboxusa@cox.net.
MORE
NEWS OF 6-4-03
Leiker's
22nd Annual
Tornado Internationals A
Success!!
IKF Kansas City,
Missouri USA
IKF
Promoters Bob
and
Jill Leiker are happy to announce another successful
"Tornado
Internationals" that was held on May 23 & 24 at the
Hyatt Regency Hotel & Convention Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
This was their 22nd annual event that featured IKF
Amateur Kickboxing on Friday nights and a full scale martial arts tournament
through the weekend. Here are the kickboxing results below.
For more info please contact Bob or Jill Leiker at (913) 432-2787 or by e-mail at wchampkarate@kc.rr.com. or you can go to the event website at: www.tornadointernationals.com
TUESDAY, June 3rd, 2003, AT 4:00 PM, PST
Who
Will Carter Williams Face In Japan?
Part
Of That Is Answered As Jerrel Venetiaan Wins
K-1 Basel Tournament
Reported By Alex McDonald
- IKF Japan
The second major international tournament is sending one man to Osaka and the other 7 challengers packing. Like the K-1 Las Vegas, the K-1 Basel had four fighters from the host country entered in hopes of sending a local kickboxer to the K-1 Osaka 2003 on October 11th. Unlike the K-1 Las Vegas, all the homegrown fighters, as well-schooled as they were, were considered underdogs to win the talent-packed tournament. The tournament winner, Jerrel Venetiaan (Left) of the Netherlands beat 3 Swiss hopefuls in his drive to go to Osaka.
Bjorn Bregy vs. Donovan Luff
Those who follow the K-1 closely might remember Luff from the
K-1 South Africa 2000 tournament where he made it to the finals only to be
stopped by Andrew Thompson. Since then his career has been low key.
Switzerland's Bjorn Bregy, on the other hand, has had a few big name
fights where he tried to match his size (202cm 120kg) against the talent
and experience of Lloyd Van Dams, Alexei Ignashov and Remy Bonjaski.
Although he looked good early in these fights, his size and stamina were his
undoing after the first round. Bregy was hoping the hometown crowd would
help keep the fire burning.
This match, however, failed to even materialize
into a fight. A low blow by Bregy rendered Luff incapable to
continue in the bout and in the tournament. What would normally be considered a
no-contest ended up being declared a KO win for the Swiss fighter who advanced
to the next round of the tournament. Bregy by first round KO.
Azem Maksutaj vs. Larry Lindwall
Larry Lindwall
of Sweden may not be well known outside of Europe but that is not because he
lacks anything in the ring. In fact, Lindwall is one of those fighters who can
do everything in the ring. In both of his appearances at the K-1 Scandinavia (2001
& 2003), he won all three fights by knockout. His tournament win in 2001
was supposed to earn him a berth in the K-1 Nagoya 2001 but injuries kept this
expert kickboxer in Sweden. The victory in 2003 earned him a place in this
tournament.
Maksutaj, who fought lighter fighters such as Orlando
Weit and Taiei Kin a few years ago, has come way up in weight to
earn K-1 purses. He fought in the K-1 France 2002 & 2003 making it to the
final match each time to lose the decision to French champion Tony Gregory.
Although no one will draw the Swiss fans like the late Andy Hug, Azem
seems to be a current favorite among his countrymen.
Making use of not only
his skills but also his size, Lindwall was able to eliminate the first
Swiss representative from the tournament. Lindwall by 3 round decision.
Xhavit Bajrami vs. Jurgen Krut
Jurgen
Krut of Sweden has managed to survive at the top of the tough European
scene. He won the K-1 Croatia 2000, made it to the final of the K-1 Netherlands
2001 and won the K-1 Netherlands 2003. His victory in 2000 earned him a place in
the K-1 Fukuoka 2000 where he lost to Mike Bernardo. In 2001, he
replaced an injured Jerrel Venetiaan in the K-1 Las Vegas and lost to
Maurice Smith. Winning the K-1 Netherlands this year earned him a place
in this tournament.
His opponent, Xhavit Bajrami showed a lot of
promise in 1999 by defeating Mirko Filipovic and Lloyd Van Dams
in a Grand Prix qualifying tournament. Since then his best performances were at
the K-1 Croatia where he made it to the finals only to be defeated by Jurgen
Krut in 2000 and Petar Mjstorovic in 2002. With his home country
watching, he hoped to get revenge and put his career back on track.
Xhavit
did just that albeit with an overtime decision. Krut's stamina problems
once again came back to haunt him. Bajrami by 4 round decision.
Petar Mjstorovic vs. Jerrel Venetiaan
Undefeated
Venetiaan trains out of the same gym as the sensational four-time K-1
Grand Prix Champion, Ernesto Hoost. Amazingly, he won the K-1
Netherlands 2001 despite breaking a bone in his wrist early in the first match.
His MMA career and a injuries have kept him from gaining the international
attention and match ups he deserves.
His Swiss opponent, Mjstorovic
has had his ups and downs. On the upside he won the last K-1 Germany in 2001 and
the K-1 Croatia in 2002. On the downside, he was the victim of one of the most
devastating knockouts ever seen at the hands of Remy Bonjaski.
These
two showed a lot of respect for each other in terms of how much defense they
brought into the ring. Neither was willing to get into a wild brawl considering
the skill level of the man in the opposite corner. After 3 rounds it was the
Dutchman Venetiaan who had scored the most points.
Semi Finals
Bjorn Bregy vs. Gary Turner
No
sooner had K-1 United Kingdom champion Gary Turner won his reserve match
than he was told to get back in the ring as a replacement for Larry Lindwall
who had aggravated a hand injury in his opening round match. Turner
handled the much bigger Bregy with relative ease but if there was ever a
case for the dreaded hometown decision, this was it. Turner, a pure
gentleman, smiled at the decision then congratulated Bregy and his
corner. The crowd jeered and whistled when Bregy's name was called and
cheered and applauded when a special thanks was mentioned to Turner. In
doing so, the people of Basel made it clear that fair play must come first
without exception. Bregy by 3 round decision.
Jerrel Venetiaan vs. Xhavit Bajrami
The
bout started even in the first round until Bajrami rocked Venetiaan
with a solid right. Sensing an opportunity the Swiss fighter chased the Dutchman
down and scored a knockdown. After the count, Bajrami tried to take
advantage of the two knockdown rule but Venetiaan had no plans to touch
the canvas again and the round ended. With the first round scored 10-8 against
him, Venetiaan needed to win the next two rounds just to draw against
the hometown favorite. He came out of the corner ready to show the world how the
undefeated react to great challenges. He took the fight to Bajrami and
clearly won the next two rounds. As expected, an overtime round was called and
Venetiaan took that too. Venetiaan by 4 round decision.
Final
Jerrel
Venetiaan vs. Bjorn Bregy
On paper this would appear to be an
easy fight for Venetiaan. One, however, should always read the fine
print. These two are training partners at Vos Gym. This means that Bregy
not only learned the skills of kickboxing but also the art of fighting against
Jerrel Venetiaan thanks to the hours they spent in the gym sparring
together.
To make matters more unusual,
Bregy had an injured right ankle. He would throw a kick and either
retreat in pain or fall to the canvas. Being the final match of the tournament,
the three knockdown rule was back in effect. Bregy went down once in the
first round and twice in the second. He got up and fought through incredible
pain despite being so far behind on points that only a knock out would give a
victory. In doing so, he earned the respect of the crowd, respect he had
tarnished earlier in the evening with the foul and the dubious decision. As they
chanted "Bregy. Bregy," they saw one man defend his
undefeated record and another win his own test of courage. Venetiaan by
3 round decision.
Jerrel Venetiaan will join the K-1 Paris Champion, the K-1 Melbourne Champion and the K-1 Las Vegas Champion and former IKF USA National Amateur champion, Carter Williams (R) in Osaka in October. There, these four international tournament champions will meet the seven non-Japanese fighters from the Grand Prix 2002: Peter Aerts, Ray Sefo, Bob Sapp, Ernesto Hoost, Mark Hunt, Stefan Leko and Jerome LeBanner. The K-1 match makers will also select 3 proven fighters to give a total of 14 fighters. In 7 singles matches, seven of these fighters will earn passage to the K-1 Grand Prix 2003 in Tokyo on December 6th.
MORE
NEWS OF 6-3-03
POSTED AT 2:30 PM, PST
Will
Regan
Vs Marinoble
EVER
HAPPEN?
IKF
Champion Regan To Concentrate On Boxing
As Reported By Jim Jenkins, Bee Staff
Writer
|
Sacramento, California, USA,
Courtesy Of The Sacramento BEE
As a conventional boxer, though, Regan (21-0, 14 KOs) is gradually moving up the ladder to respectability and better paydays. His three-knockdown, second-round, technical-knockout victory Wednesday night over Ron Weaver (29-13, 22 KOs) of New Orleans at the Radisson Hotel in Sacramento, CA was his third win over a veteran with more experience against quality competition. "It's the best Eric has ever looked," said promoter Don Chargin, who once doubted Regan could adjust from kickboxing. "Everybody was telling him Weaver would give him a tough fight, but he was confident from the start and never let the guy warm up." Regan's next bout is tentatively set for early August. His opponent and the venue have yet to be determined. In the interim, the 6-foot-4, 160-pounder, ranked No. 29 by the WBC, World Boxing Council, will vacation in Europe for a few weeks with his longtime girlfriend who has relatives overseas. "Then it's back to the gym," said Regan, 27, owner of the IBA, International Boxing Association Continental title. "No slacking off." *IKF Addition: Both Regan and Marinoble won multiple IKF titles as amateurs and as the two progressed in their pro careers, Regan won the IKF Pro FCR North American Super Middleweight title and later went on to capture the ISKA Pro Middleweight World Title. Along with his IKF World Title, Marinoble also holds the IKF Pro FCR North American Super Middleweight Title and arm fulls of IKF amateur titles. Many locals have wanted a unification bout between the two area middleweights but the money was never there. Due to their recent performances, both would request in the neighborhood of $10,000 for such a match-up and both are well deserving of such a purse. Now only time will tell if this bout ever happens. Regan is enjoying a successful boxing career and a possible title shot in his future while Marinoble is busy full time with a very successful martial arts school and takes fights when they come. Not to mention his time and dedication in training several of his own IKF kickboxing champions. Hopefully this won't be remembered as one of those Dennis Alexio Vs Rick Roufus bouts that everyone wanted to see but never happened due to $$$! |
MORE
NEWS OF 6-3-03
POSTED AT 1:45 PM, PST
Kickboxing
Returns To
Harrah's!
By Brooks
Mason (R)
|
IKF
Nebraska - Iowa, USA Friday night's fights brought in the crowd and confirmed Kickboxing is back where it belongs. Mick Doyle did a great job and spared no expense for the nights entertainment. To The Fights.
Until next time, this is Brooks Mason (R) coming to you from Mick Doyle's Emerald Mongoose Muay Thai Camp is
Omaha, Nebraska. The "Home of Kickboxing", |
MORE
NEWS OF 6-3-03
Brain Pad
On
CNBC TV
National,
June 9th at 8:20 AM
The Gear Guru will be telling the nation about the revolutionary Brain Pad Ultimate and LoPro mouthguards on On CNBC TV, National on June 9th at 8:20 AM.
Patrick Netter, "The Gear Guru," is committed to providing you the most up-to-date information on sports, health and fitness products to improve your performance, safety and comfort. All the best to help keep you active and happy!
The Gear Guru, and his team of experts search out, review and unveil the latest gear to millions of viewers on television news and morning shows such as The Today Show, Good Morning America, and the Fox News Channel. His first book, the best selling High-Tech Fitness, became the favored resource among discerning sports and health enthusiasts. His upcoming consumers' buying guide titled, THE GEAR GURU'S BEST: Breakthroughs in sports health and fitness products that enhance performance and enjoyment at every level, is schedule for release Fall 2003.
MORE
NEWS OF 6-3-03
MONDAY, June 2nd, 2003, AT 8:00 PM, PST
Steven Simmons
Of Colorado Is First To Register To
"Walk The Walk"
At The
2003 IKF/TKO
USA National Amateur
Tournament Finals
Last year the first registration we received for the 2002 IKF USA National Amateur Tournament was on May 20th. This year the first registration we received for the 2003 IKF/TKO USA National Amateur Tournament Finals was today, June 2nd. The fighters name is Steven Simmons (Left). Simmons (200, 5'7", 19, International Rules Heavyweight Division) is a walkover registration out of the Central Mountain Division. His hometown is Greenley Colorado, USA. We first met Simmons back in August of 2002 when he travelled all the way to Northern California to fight at the Win River Casino in Redding California. In the bout Simmons fought a fighter by the name of (Mohamad) Ali Baaloucch of Roseville, California, USA trained by Nasser Niavaroni. It was the first fight for both fighters. Baaloucch defeated Simmons by unanimous decision 30-27 on all 3 judges cards. However, he hasn't tasted defeat since going 2-0 in his next 2 bouts in preparation for this years 2003 IKF/TKO USA National Amateur Tournament Finals. His first win was on April 26th, 2003 when he defeated a fighter by the name of Lonnie Hill in Waterloo Iowa on another IKF Sanctioned event, this one promoted by Russ O'Connell. Hill had good boxing skills but had never kickboxed. Simmons leg kicks were to much for him as he took the TKO win in round 2. His next win came on May 24th in Dallas Texas over opponent Sean Stoval. Both of his wins were by KO/TKO. Like many amateur kickboxers in the USA, Simmons knows that the road to THE TOP for amateur fighters is through the 2003 IKF/TKO USA National Amateur Tournament. The question is, "What other fighters think they're good enough to 'Walk The Walk' and take their claim as The Best Amateur kickboxers in the USA?" We'll soon find out at this years 2003 IKF/TKO USA National Amateur Tournament Finals! |
IKF
IOWA RESULTS
COMING TOMORROW!
SUNDAY, June 1st, 2003, AT 12:15 PM, PST With Parker
Out It Left Just Fairfield, California,
USA With Parker vs Rodriguez off the card the focus turned to the vacant IKF International Rules Amateur Light Heavyweight California Title between Glenn Hailey (San Jose, California, USA, 5-0/4, 174, 6', 31, ranked number 6) and Floyd Savoy (San Francisco, California, USA, 4-1/3, 178, 5'10", ranked number 7) for the main event. This was nothing short of a WAR! Although he was in Iowa overseeing Mick Doyal's event last night, the thoughts and words of IKF Ambassador Brooks Mason seemed to be echoed in these fighters heads, "Don't leave anything in the ring!" These guys followed this message to the "T!" This was 4 rounds of toe to toe action. Hailey, trained by Gil Acusta and Savoy, trained by the Fairtex Team went punch for punch, kick for kick. This was without a doubt one of those bouts you were glad the judging was left in someone elses hands. It was clear Savoy had no desire to ad another loss to his record and yet Haley didn't even know what the word "Lose" was, as he kept focused to keep his undefeated record in tact. In the end, judge Susan Gitlin Thomas thought Savoy had brought and left a tad more to the rings as she scored it 39-37 Savoy. A view from another side of the ring saw judge Allen Reyes feel the same way, but about Haley as he gave it to him 39-37. From yet another view, judge Marcos Rosalas seemed to see both bring a lot and both leave plenty in the ring as he gave 2 rounds to Haley and 2 rounds to Savoy scoring it a draw at 38-38. It was a split decision DRAW! Neither would go home with the IKF Brass this night but after it all, both assured us the brass would go home with them next time. This looks to be a rematch on Stell's July event. We'll see if this happens! Great fight gentlemen! Here's how the other bouts on the night ended
The night was nothing short of current and former IKF Champions either. They included 2 IKF Pro World Champions, David Marinoble and Enn Fairtex. Also present was IKF Pro MTR North American Champion Jongsunan Fairtex. Former 2001 IKF USA National Amateur Champion and current K-1 North American Champion Carter Williams. Former IKF Pro USA Champion, Randy Bussart, former IKF Amateur Middleweight Champion Jerico Lane. For more info on the Stell's Saturday night event please contact Mr. Tim Stell at (707) 290-8102 or Mr. Dan Stell at (707) 372-0882 or by e-mail at Bambamstell@aol.com ATTENTION We won't say what fight it was at the event above but in one of the Full Contact Rules bouts, a fighter came to the ring in shorts. In Full Contact Rules, this is no different than coming to the ring without foot pads and is considered Missing Equipment. Although we allowed the fighter to fight this bout, (Only because he "CLAIMED" he didn't know and wasn't told so in matchmaking) the trainer was strongly reminded of this being a MANDATORY rule in IKF Full Contact Rules. Let this notice be a STRONG AND FINAL WARNING to ALL Full Contact Rules fighters, their trainers/cornermen as well as event matchmakers/promoters that when you have a Full Contact Rules bout on your IKF Sanctioned event, "If you are in an IKF Full Contact Rules (All kicks above the waist) bout and you come to the ring in shorts, you will be Automatically DISQUALIFIED!"
Nevada Considers Mandatory MRI's and the
| ||
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