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March 2004



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MONDAY, March 29th, 2004, AT 5:00 PM, PT

Doucet Stops Walters
At "Marconi Fight Night 6" In Tustin California
www.marconimuseum.org
Portions of this Article Came From William Trillo of www.fightnews.com

On Saturday night, March 27th in Tustin California, the Marconi's Automotive Museum hosted "Marconi Fight Night 6"

Which was a fund raising event for the Marconi Foundation for Kids and Miller Children's Hospital. On the card were 3 Pro Kickboxing bouts organized by Sugar Ray Leonard Boxing Productions, and 1 Pro Kickboxing bout.

Marconi's Automotive Museum owners Dick and Priscilla "Bo" Marconi along with our main contact, Midge Herbst, worked VERY Hard and did an excellent job on the event making it a GREAT Night! This was a "Black Tie Event" that was nothing short of "Impressive!" The fund raising activities included a Silent auction and a Live auction with the proceeds going to the Marconi Foundation for Kids and Miller Children's Hospital. Some of the items up for auction were signed and framed movie posters, autographed sports memorabilia and one of a kind Rock and Roll collectibles. The main attraction of the live auction was a beautiful Golden Retriever puppy. Last year one of his relatives fetched a $25,000 top bid.

About Mr. Martini:
Dick Marconi (Right with wife Priscilla) has a passion for many things in life. He is passionate about health and fitness and became one of the world's largest manufacturers of custom-made vitamins and food supplements. He is passionate as a collector. Over the years he has put together a collection of 75 cars from Indy racers to Porsche's and Ferrari's and built the collection to a value of 30 million dollars and then donated it to the Marconi Foundation for Kids -- because he's passionate about children.

When Dick opened the Marconi Automotive Museum in 1994 he was able to fulfill two of his biggest passions in life, collecting cars and helping kids. Through the rental of the Museum and other fund-raising efforts, the Marconi Foundation for Kids has proudly raised over a million dollars for its charitable organizations and has been committed to giving a large percentage of its net proceeds, generated from special events like this one, to local charities. As you visit the museum, don't be surprised if you see Mr. Marconi walking around the facility to give information about the special vehicles in his collection. And don't be surprised if he challenges you to incorporate into your own life, his father's mandate: "Learn, earn and return."

As the festivities began, Marconi himself got into the ring and announced, "Get ready for an evening of great fights, great food, meeting great friends, all for a great cause, because we are helping kids." His wife Priscilla then took to the ring to announce a staggering list of dignitaries who were in attendance from pro football stars like, Todd Lyght, Mike Sherrard, Deshaun Foster, Johnny Morton and many others. Among those from the Silver Screen were William Shatner and Matthew Broderick. And of course, Sugar Ray Leonard was in the house. Mrs. Marconi gave the former champ a special thank you and told him that all this could not be done without his expert help and advice. And while a fantastic dinner was being served, the spotlights went on and the fighters took the ring to do what they do best.

1. PRO BOXING
   In the opening fight of the evening Allen Green (11-0/8) went up against Willard Lewis (16-10-2/8) in a scheduled eight round light heavyweight attraction. After the fight went the entire distance Green was given the decision over a too tough for his own good Lewis by scores of 80-72 across the board.
   
   
2. PRO BOXING
   The next fight was in the featherweight division and pitted Ben Dunne (11-0/8) vs Angelo Torres (9-9-1/3). The fight went to the judges scorecards and they all agreed that Dunne took all the rounds and was awarded an 80-72 nod by all.
   
   
3. PRO WOMEN'S BOXING - CANCELLED
   After the second pro boxing bout was suppose to be the Pro Kickboxing. However since the Woman's Pro Boxing bout was pulled from the card, it left the event with only 4 total matches. Since we are known for reporting the facts and the truth, we thought an explanation was needed in regards to the Woman's Boxing bout which seemed to have plenty of mystery surrounding the reasons behind why it was dropped. From what were told, the decision to not let one of the woman fighters fight was made by the California State Athletic Commission doctors and Chief California Commission Inspector Dean Lohuis. The California State Athletic Commission doctors told us that they "Thought" she was sick. However, the truth to all of this has yet to be determined since there were conflicting stories from those involved. Regardless, there was no chance of changing the Commissions mind that seemed to have no actual medical proof, only an opinion, which is all they need to have in such a case.
   
   
4. IKF PRO KICKBOXING
   Raoul Doucet, Canada Vs Darren Walters, USA
   Due to the loss of the woman's bout, the bad news was an unknown change in the nights schedule. The pro kickboxing bout was scheduled to happen after the second bout, however no one thought it important to informed the Pro Kickboxers of this. So after getting all warmed up and ready to go, breaking their first sweat in the dressing room as all fighters do, they were told to sit down and relax for about 30 minutes. However again, the 30 minutes turned into well over an hour and when the time came for them to enter the ring after the raffle and auction took place, these fighters were called to the ring COLD!
   As all fighter know, its hard to get re-primed in a couple of minutes after already being ready over an hour before. This resulted in a very slow start for both.
   
   
   1. In round 1, although there was never any "POWER" shots landing or any threat of a KO by either fighter, Walters was more active which gave him the round on 2 of the judges cards 10-9 while the other judge saw Doucet winning.
      
      
   2. In round 2, the same was true but from different judges. At the end of 2, the scores were 19-19 even and 20-18 for Walker on judge Jerry Cobian's card.
      
      
   3. In round 3, finally the two looked warmed up, or at least Doucet did. We were surprised to see Walters actually look tired. This was especially evident after a slip midway in the round when he took some time standing up. Then at 1:15 of the round, Walters ducked down when Doucet was punching and Doucet hit him behind the ear with a punch that seemed to glance off and not hit with full power. Of course it was not an intentional hit to the back of the head but an accident due to Walters ducking. When Walters went down Referee Dan Stell thought it might have been another slip (Since there were two already) so he hesitated in starting his count. when it was clear Walters wasn't going to stand, Stell started his count. Walters came up to one knee, but shook his head to imply to all he was not able to continue. Stell, surprised as all of us continued and counted Walters OUT! Since Stell counted the full 10, it was ruled a knockout.
      
      
      • "Did Walters really get hit hard?" - "Was he too tired to continue?" Who knows. Afterwards, he had said to his trainer Tommy Alcozar, "I'm sorry, I should have trained harder." Which indicates to us, the need to train harder was to imply he needed to be in better shape, not be able to take a punch. Regardless, he showed up and fought, which is more than we can say about Stephen Thompson's opponent, James Wakefield... You can all read that story below...
        
        
5. PRO BOXING
   After the kickboxing bout was the 3rd boxing bout. However, this ended the night on a low note since the two butted heads which cut open one of the fighters head. The severe cut forced the ringside physician to stop the bout which ended in a "No Contest".

Although the final two bouts ended with little excitement, the night itself was a GREAT SUCCESS for the Marconi's Automotive Museum! For more information about Marconi's Automotive Museum you can call (714) 258-3001 or go to their website at www.marconimuseum.org

To begin with, tomorrow nights "Marconi Fight Night" is not your average fight event and more so because of the ticket prices for this event. The fighters on this event may not be expecting tons of their friends and personal fight fans to come see the action, but they can expect to be amongst the "Who's Who" in celebrities. The event will be held at the Marconi's Automotive Museum and is a fund raising event for the Marconi Foundation for Kids and Miller Children's Hospital.

Along with the Pro Kickboxing there will be 3, Pro Men's boxing bouts and 1 Pro Woman's boxing bout all promoted by Sugar Ray Leonard Boxing Productions. Since the main purpose of this event is a "Fund Raiser" the tickets range from $350.00 (General) each up to $10,000.00 (VIP with Ad Package - Gold Ring Table of 10) and believe it or not, this event (Fight Night 6) has sold out "EVERY" year! So your wondering, who will be there? Well, the guest list already includes Pro Football players from the St. Louis Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers, San Diego Chargers, Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers, Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals.

So where does the IKF fit into all this? Well, the final outcome by no means reflects the hours of work put into it. Let us take the time to share with you what has transpired over the last few STRESSFUL weeks. You see, about 3 weeks ago, we were all confirmed with a strong fight card that featured 4 great fighters:

Number 1 IKF Pro Ranked FCR Super Heavyweight Raoul Doucet (Above)
Hawkesbury, Ontario, Canada
12-2-1/7, 6' 2", 229, 36
VS
Andre Walker (R)
Denver Colorado, USA
18-3/16, 220, 6', 29

AND

The Pro Debut of IKF Amateur World Champion Stephen Thompson
Simpsonville, South Carolina, USA
33-0/18, 184, 6',20
VS
Number 4 IKF Pro Ranked Stanley Dickenson
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
PRO KB: 30-2/18, AM KB: 10-0/7, BX: 7-3/2 , 5'9", 178, 31.

However, within a week, we had lost half our strong fight schedule. First on March 16th, it was Dickenson who claimed to have a foot injury that forced him to pull out of his bout against Thompson.

HOWEVER... Later that night we discovered something Dickenson had never told any of us at the IKF. That he had just fought last weekend and it was clear to us that in this bout was where he probably really suffered his injury. No, he wasn't suppose to be fighting in another bout this close to a scheduled bout FOR THIS VERY REASON. But, for whatever reasons, he did. The loss was drastic to the card since it appeared to be a big match-up against the first time Pro Thompson's in his Pro debut against a seasoned pro veteran of the sport. But it was not meant to be.

It was Thompson's second scheduled opponent that pulled out of the bout against him. The first was Semou Diouf of Las Vegas, Nevada who is originally from France. After first saying yes to the bout, within the week, he changed his mind to no. This is nothing new to the sport though. What pro wants to fight a 20 year old amateur with an outstanding record of 33-0 with 18 wins coming by KO/TKO? What PRO wants to take a chance at LOSING to a first timer? What PRO will be the first pro opponent for a fighter that has an opportunity to be the next Don Wilson or Rick Roufus? Apparently no one. Especially after last night... We will get to this below...

This was followed by the blow of the very next day, March 17th when trainer Sven Bean of Denver Colorado called us and told us that his fighter Andre Walker had to pull out of his fight with Doucet because he broke his hand in training. You can imagine how this went over... Although we received a medical slip for Dickenson, we are still awaiting one from Walker who will remain on the suspension list until we have one faxed (916-663-4510) to us to confirm the break. On the other hand, at least Bean was able to find a replacement fighter within a day for Doucet. Darren Walters (Sorry no photo on file) of Texas took Walkers place. He has fought in various fighting arenas having records of 28-12 with 15 KO's as an Amateur Kickboxer. A record os 54-2 with 25 KO's in Toughman style events and a Professional Kickboxing record of 2-2. But as for this bout, it gets better...

Tomorrow night Walters (212 lbs.) and Doucet (228 lbs.) will meet up "AGAIN" in a 5 round non title bout in Tustin, CA, USA. YES, "Again!" Two years ago in October of 2002 in Casper Wyoming these two met up for a scheduled 5 round bout that never saw the end. After being knocked down by Doucet twice in round 1, Walters fell and said he could not continue due to injuring his shoulder. The stop gave Doucet an unexcited TKO win. Some asked questions about Walters injury while others felt it was a lucky end for him, believing he was on his way to sure defeat.

This Saturday, the two will have a chance to settle the score and redeem themselves. Walters will be looking for a revenge victory and a chance to prove he deserves a spot in the top of the IKF Heavyweight division. Across the ring Doucet will use the 5 round non title bout to solidify his position as the true number one contender for the IKF Pro FCR Super Heavyweight World Title that could take place in England this June.

Regardless of the outcome one thing is certain. When two Heavyweights get in the ring, someones going to be doing some pounding! Hopefully we will see a little from both giving us all a great fight, since it will be the only kickboxing bout on the card...

Only???

It was only a couple of days ago that we were "Praising" the efforts of a fighter named James Wakefield (Right) who had stepped up to fight Stephen Thompson when everyone else was saying "NO Thank You!" We had written how we thought

"Wakefield proved to us all he is a "True Warrior" in taking the bout!"

Stephen
Thompson











Ray
Thompson

What a difference a few days makes...
Early this week Wakefield had several conversations with the Promotional Coordinator of the event and even Thompson's father, Ray Thompson (Right). In those conversations he was showing signs of questionability when he claimed he had no way to fax his fight contract to the promoters, didn't have a phone to call anyone (Only instant messaging on his aol account...), couldn't find any place that could do his bloodwork and physical, claiming he was feeling sick and... well you get the picture.

Each time the promoters, IKF or even Ray Thompson (Who brought him new fight pants to wear since he said he had none) would solve a problem a new one would come up. The problems were many, but ALL were solved one by one. The promoters changed his flight schedule to come in a day ahead of time to get his bloodwork done here since, for whatever reasons he couldn't get it done in his home town like all the other fighters. This was probably due more to a financial issue than a location of a physician issue. Keep in mind, the promoters paid for ALL THE FIGHTERS MEDICAL, BLOODWORK AND LICENSE FEES! So it wasn't like he was losing money on taking care of this in Louisiana. To accommodate him even more, IKF President Steve Fossum drove the 8 hours to Los Angeles a day early, leaving at 5:AM to meet Wakefield early enough Thursday to take him to the doctor to get his physical and bloodwork done by today. All to help him and save him the cost of the cab ride expense. So many people assisted Wakefield. The IKF even brought him new foot and shin pads to wear.

However, without the respect of a phone call or a "Heads-Up", Wakefield missed two different flights on Thursday morning. Wait, using the word "Missed" means one made an attempt. Since no attempt was ever made to catch either flight, maybe we should say instead, he "Blew-Off" both flights. However, none of us knew he missed any of these flights. We were all doing our part to make sure we were ready to assist him once he landed at the airport. It wasn't until about 11:00 AM Thursday all this was discovered and things begin to worry everyone even more. Especially since at this time, Wakefield used an excuse he expected no one to attack. That he was at the hospital caring for his sick child.

Lets make something perfectly clear here. We are not "Non caring" here. You see... If not for all the doubts, questions and red flags presented to us all, chances are, none of us would be questioning his claimed reasons for backing out now, less than 2 days before fight time. However, anyone could see that one of two things were happening. 1: That the pattern he was setting, matched this next move. Another planned preparation for his plan to tell us he wasn't coming or 2: That by now, after all that had transpired this week already, he had cried wolf so much, that by the time the "child in the hospital" story came up, it was just too much to believe to be true.

However, as the day progressed, things "Appeared" to get better. Wakefield had now changed his mind and told the promoters he was coming. Later Thursday afternoon more of our schedules were changed to accommodate his needs for Friday this time and another physician was found who could get his bloodwork done on time... Then, later Thursday evening the story resurfaced again. Wakefield's wife informed the promoters he was back at the hospital with his sick child again. The same hospital that couldn't do a blood test for him we presume... More doubts, worries. It wasn't long before Wakefield was back home, this time, saying he was back in the fight, for sure and would be on the first early flight Friday morning. This was followed by Wakefield posting on the message board (At 19:44 Eastern Time) again as he assured all he would be flying into LA Friday. Only one problem with his post though as you will read...

Posted by James on March 26, 2004 at 00:19:44:
"I will be there friday night! I will not respond to anything else I AM SICK AND GOING TO BED!!!"

Friday NIGHT?? Who said "NIGHT" would be OK? We had told him he needed to be in LA Friday MORNING so he could get his bloodwork done! What was he thinking? as the night got late, things suddenly changed AGAIN... This time it was the official news coming from Wakefield himself.
Posted by James Wakefield on March 26, 2004 at 00:44:51
Posted exactly as written by James Wakefield

"Ive spent the last 10 minutes reading all of the post on this board and on the iscf boards to find that no one cares for anything but there self or the disrespect they can give a fighter. FOr your information i have spent the last 2 days with my 6 month old son who has been in and out of the hospital with a high fever, constant vomiting and being dehydrated. Get your heads out of your asses and keep your mouths shut about something you know nothing about. After all of these post from nobodies i have decided that if the IKF and ISCF doesnt want me to fight for them again then that is fine with me. Alsxo if Lane wants to try and ban me from the WKA and ISKA then that is fine as well. It wont hurt me one bit. If you had a family then you would do the same. That is unless your as low to your family as you are to people on this board un that case then you need help. So in closing i want to say that dispite all of these post and the hate everyone has for me because i am being a father then each one knows where they can do. I dont have respect for people that dont respect what i had to choose to do."

So now he made his decision. A decision that seemed to be based more so from the comments on the kickboxing message board than from what was really happening with his family, or was it? Did he really have a sick baby? Who knows. Calls made to the various medical facilities near his hometown were unable to confirm or deny if or not Wakefield had ever visited them, let alone with any sick child. Several asked him on their own on the message board to fax any medical documents to the IKF for verification, but nothing was ever received. At this point, it's his words against everyone else. However, there will be a way to solve this.

James,
We know you are reading this so here is what the situation is:

1: If you can verify your visits to the hospital and medical condition of your son to the IKF through fax, followed up by verifiable documentation, and allow us to speak to the treating physician to confirm all of your claims then, WE WILL OFFER A WELL DESERVED FULL PUBLIC APOLOGY HERE ON THE IKF NEWS PAGE!

2: However, if this cannot be done, we will move forward with the promoters and take legal action if necessary to assure they are paid back for all related expenses for your bout (Thompson's travel, expenses, hotel, purse, your travel, etc. etc.) and the following actions of today as we all tried to "Scramble" to find either another opponent for Thompson or two completely new fighters (Phone calls, time and effort). The amount lost by the promoters for your actions and incurred expenses come to approximately $6,000.00.

This now makes the "THIRD" bout Wakefield has pulled out of. It's pretty clear for all of us the message you are trying to give everyone Mr. Wakefield. You DO NOT want to fight! Many here feel the same way Mr. Thompson feels when he posted him self on the message board saying:

"Needless to say you will NEVER fight on any of my shows and I will do everything I can to see that you NEVER fight again. It's jerks like you that give us all a bad name."

Or something else Mr. Thompson made a good point of:

"If you could not get a ride to the doctors to get your tests done how did you get your child to the hospital on two different occasions?"

You see, there are just TOO MANY suspicious issues surrounding this whole thing that make it more news than it really is. Well Mr. Wakefield, they say in politics that any press is good press. Maybe this will help you run for political office someday but as for now, until we can be proven of your claims of why you are not here in Los Angeles with the rest of us right now, we believe all this press will assure you of is,

NEVER BEING BOOKED ON ANY FIGHT CARD EVER AGAIN!
BY ANY PROMOTER OF ANY ORGANIZATION OF CREDIBILITY
ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD!

• SPECIAL THANKS...
  
  
  • We would like to offer SPECIAL THANKS to Zack Day of Atlanta, Georgia for trying to assist in finding Thompson a match today.
    
    
  • A SPECIAL THANKS to Jason (Fight Geek on the message board) who offered to pay for the full plane ticket for any fighter to come to Los Angeles to fight Stephen. Thanks Jason but heck, we couldn't even find someone to fight him let alone get to the flight arrangement part.
    
    
  • A SPECIAL THANKS to Abe Belardo, Benny Urquidez and Jim Mullen (Great speaking with you Jim! Keep in touch man!) for offering their fighter, Majid Raees (160lbs, any rule style) for a possible replacement match if we could match him with another already licensed fighter in California. Sorry guys, but we couldn't find a match.
    
    
  • And finally, A VERY SPECIAL THANKS to Vut Kamrack (Spelling ?) of Vut Promotions - www.vutmuaythai.com for inviting several of the IKF Officials as his guests to his event tonight at the Hollywood Park Casino in Inglewood, CA. Sorry we couldn't make it though as we were still dealing with issues related to the show above tonight. From what our friend Abe Belardo told us it was a GREAT SHOW! But what else would anyone expect from your great efforts promoting GREAT Muay Thai Vut!
    
    
    

Webber Takes Title From Rodriguez
On A.K. Promotions Platinum Live Kickboxing Event

IKF Studio City, California, USA: It was visible that this just wasn't the night for defending IKF Champion Raul Rodriquez of Bakersfield, California. Although he showed signs of the exciting and explosive Rodriguez we have seen in the past, those signs were simply not enough to out-point the more busy Gary Webber of Whittier, California, USA (5-2/2, 159, 5'9", 18, Christopher Mooring) who became the new IKF Amateur Full Contact Rules California Light Middleweight Champion by a close split decision victory, 48-47, 48-47 and 47-48.

In round one Webber was clearly the faster starter and the more aggressive as he out-kicked Rodriguez 14-7 however only 2 judges gave Webber the round, 10-9 while the other judge gave it to Rodriguez 10-9. In round 2, Rodriguez picked up his pace, tieing Webber in the kick count at 12. However, although his kick pace picked up, he paid for it by his lack of hands this time, losing on all 3 judges cards 10-9. By round 3 Rodriguez came alive, scoring on kick and hand combinations and out-kicking Webber 10-6 and took the round on all 3 judges cards 10-9.

When round 4 started, it was as if the two reversed rolls as Webber now became the more aggressive and landed more shots on Rodriguez, out-kicking him 13-8 in the round. All 3 judges saw it the same way as they scored it 10-9 for Webber. In round 5, both came out of the corners like bulls out of a shoot. By rounds end, although Webber had won the kick count 10-7, it was clear Rodriguez won the round 10-9. However it was simply too little too late. Rodriguez paid the price by starting out slow while Webber reaped the rewards of starting out in top gear. In the end, it was not a question of "Power" because neither fighter had the other in any trouble at all. As many know, if no one gets knocked down or knocked out, it's going to be about "POINTS" and on this night, Webber was more busy, which brought him the IKF Gold! Congratulations Gary!

Rodriguez (19-5/7, 158, 5'8", 22, Abe Belardo) now sets his training strategy on training to defend his International (Leg Kicks) Rules title in April against Mike Morello. After that, he plans to turn pro. Here are the results of the other two bouts of the night below.

• IKF IR:Super Lightweight Chris Fleming of Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (4-1/0, 135, 5'1", 17, Nick Bloomgren) defeated Leandro Manabe of San Francisco California, USA (1-1/0, 135, 5'8", 24, Tat-Mau Wong) by split decision, 29-28, 29-28 and 28-29.
  
  
• IKF IR: Super Heavyweight Brent Simms (aka Eloyhim) of Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (5-0/1, 241, 6', 37, Nick Bloomgren) defeated Mark Hoxie of Studio City, California, USA (0-1/0, 213, 6'1", 23, Self) by TKO when Hoxie informed referee Kris Adrian in the corner after round one that he no longer wanted to continue.
  
  

"Thanks to all who attended the event." Stated Promoter Johnny Davis (Right). "We had a tough time holding this card together due to some last minute fallouts and marketing issues. However, I chose to stick to the agenda and do the fight anyway for the fighters that had been training for it. In the amateurs sometimes you never know what you are getting in a match. However, I'm thankful to those that stepped up to the plate to fill the slots. We need the support of the fighter as well as family and friends to go to the next level. There were lessons learned from this and will be chalked up as experience. Thanks too to Miller Lite Beer for their support. Forward March!" For more event information or info on future A. K. Promotion events contact Johnny Davis at (916) 780-7483 or go to www.akpromotions.org

From Ray Thompson


Dear Fellow Martial Artists,
As a lifelong martial artist who believes in teamwork, I am calling upon all members of the martial arts community to contact the Senators and Representatives on the Georgia General Assembly and ask that they oppose (House Bill) HB 558. What we all want is the positive growth of the martial sports nationwide. That being the case, what happens in Georgia is important to all of us, no matter where we live. We here in South Carolina as well as people around the country have benefited from all of the great events and developments that have happened in Georgia in recent years. No one who cares about the future of the martial arts should let them slip away without making their voices heard. So please join me and tell the elected officials in Georgia that HB 558 should be stopped dead in its tracks. Please call, e-mail and write to them and let them know how we feel.

In the Arts.
Ray Thompson, President Upstate Karate, Inc.
For info on HB 558 Click HERE!

Ray Thompson

IKF/ISCF Fargo, North Dakota, USA:
First time IKF & ISCF Promoter Kris Ottem and her Northstar Fighting Association production company in cooperation with KO JAG Promotions will host their first Fight night this coming Saturday, March 20th entitled

"The Best Dam Fights"
At Playmakers Pavilion (2525 9th Ave. SW) in Fargo, North Dakota, USA!

Travis "Ironman" Fulton.
Fulton is no stranger to MMA/NHB with a fight record of 136-35-8. He's also a veteran of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championships) having been in UFC 20 and 21. He is also a former ISCF United States Champion. It's been said that he has more KOs than any other MMA/NHB fighter in the world. Fulton started training in submission fighting at the early age of 18. He brought a well grounded background together having been an Iowa-State wrestling competitor, a golden-gloves boxer, and an American Kenpo second-degree black belt. He is also a professional boxer and has competed in Brazil, Canada, Japan, Russia, Croatia, Holland, Denmark, United Arab Emirates, England, Guam, and Mexico. He will meet up with Joe Alvarez, of Canada

Marcello "El Condor" Aravena
Aravena is from Winnipeg, Manatoba, Canada and is a former Canadian Super Heavyweight Kickboxing Champion and started his career in martial arts when he was four years old. From the ages of four to fourteen, Karate was his sport of choice. When he was fourteen, he took up Muay Thai Kickboxing and has been with that ever since. At the age of 17, he made his kickboxing amateur debut. At the age of 20, he made his pro-kickboxing debut. Not only was this Aravena's first professional fight, he won and claimed the title of "Canadian Super Heavyweight Kickboxing Champion" (Organization unknown - Not IKF). His first MMA fight was last year and he is now currently 3-0 in MMA. He will meet up with Matt Blue of North Dakota, USA

Krzysztof Soszynski
At 6'1 260 lbs, Krzysztof Soszynski from Poland is someone who makes you shiver just in his eyesight. He was born in Poland while the iron curtain still cast its repressive shadow over much of eastern Europe. From an early age, Ivan's life was about fighting. Fighting in the preferred Russian Sambo martial arts form of Eastern Europe, fighting in the streets and fighting for his next meal, to say nothing of fighting a repressive, authoritative system of government. As a young man, Ivan escaped to Canada with his parents, and immediately took to the Canadian way of life, excelling in football, soccer, judo and weightlifting. While he adapted to many of our customs, he maintained the hard as steel edge and work ethic he had grown up with in Eastern Europe as a young man. It is this work ethic and cold determination that has led him to elevate quickly from the NHB training center to the most feared man in No Holds Barred wrestling. Certainly his size is impressive. Standing six foot three and weighing in at 275 pounds, Ivan, an avid weightlifter who won the heavyweight division of the Manitoba bodybuilding championships in 2000. He will meet up with Royce Luke from Minnesota.

Kyle Olsen
Speaking of intimidating warriors, lets not forget North Dakota's own, Kyle Olsen. Loaded with plenty of Mass and muscle, Olsen stands 6' tall and tips the scale at 195 lbs. 6'0 195 lbs. He is also a Freestyle Combat Champion.

• The Featured bouts on the night are:
  • ISCF MAIN EVENT: Marcello Aravena, Canada Vs Matt Blue, USA
  • ISCF SEMI - MAIN EVENT: Travis Fulton (Right) of Cedar Falls, Iowa, USA (Former ISCF United States Champion) Vs Joe Alvarez, of Canada (Former Canadian Super Heavyweight Kickboxing Champion).

the event will also include some IKF Amateur Kickboxing along with plenty more ISCF MMA/NHB Action! Tickets are $25 General Admission and $40 Ringside and are available at Playmakers or Online by Clicking HERE. Tickets purchased online will be waiting at 'Will Call' at Playmakers on March 20, 2004. If you have any questions, or would like to order tickets by phone, please call 1-888-262-6914. Doors will open at 6:PM and the fights start at 7:30 PM! For more info please contact Kris Ottem at (888) 262-6914 or by e-mail at ottem@krisottem.com or go to northstarfighting.com

IKF Studio City, California, USA
Come one, come all to an exciting evening of IKF Championship Kickboxing set for this Saturday in beautiful Studio City, California, USA! The Platinum Live Supper Club is ready to host an incredible combination of sports and music entertainment! Already known for hosting such legendary events as the Beatles press conference in the sixties and top musical acts of today. The Platinum Live is now hooked on Kickboxing and will be presenting its second edition of Platinum IKF Championship Kickboxing. This is not just another fight card but an electrifying show complete with digital sound, computerized lighting and hot music!

The show features some of the best kickboxers in the state along with some talented musicians, singers and dancers! Subtitled Feet and Fists of Fury, the event will conclude with the IKF Amateur California Light Middleweight Championship! Doors will open at 7:PM, those coming early to get the good seats will be able to enjoy delicious drinks, food and music as the final touches are completed to open the big show! Shortly after 8:PM famed announcer Jim Fitzgerald (Right) - www.thevoicebyfitz.com who has a voice you won't forget will open the show. The opening will be followed by a short welcome from promoter and President of A. K. Promotions Johnny Davis (Left). Next and to the delight of many of the male fans in the audience, there will be a performance by the talented and sexy Shiva and the Divas dancers.

Two fighters out of the Santa Barbara, CA, Joe Maxwell and Chris Cope will do a special kickboxing "Exhibition/Demo" to help educate those not familiar with the rules of kickboxing. Round one the two will demonstrate Full Contact Rules (American Kickboxing) and in the second round they will do International rules. Natalie Azerad who will later sing the National Anthem leading into the main event will perform a song before the first fight of the evening. (bout order subjected to change)

To start the night's action, Super Lightweight Chris Fleming of Las Vegas, Nevada who trains out of the One Kick Nick Gym will demonstrate his skills in an International Rule (leg kicks allowed) bout against Brazilian native and now a resident of San Francisco Leandro Manabe. Manabe trains with well known instructor Master Tat Mau Wong of San Francisco, CA. Next to take center stage will be the Crescendo Ward Street Dancers who are known for their amazing performances around the United States. The dancers combine Hip-Hop dance steps with martial arts acrobat that are sure to set the ring on fire! More info at www.streetdance.net

CHANGE...
Fight number two was planned to be a middleweight contest between L.A. County resident and martial arts trainer Marvino Hawks (Right). However, just this week Hawks pulled out of his scheduled bout against Julian Lugo (Below Right) of Bakersfield, CA by saying he strained a muscle in his back while training. As of press time, Hawks had not sent in any signed Medical Report to confirm his injury by a licensed MD. Although Hawks has the "LOOKS" of a star in a photo, it appears we won't see if he has "Star" ability as a real kickboxer in the ring. Apparently, dealing with the seasoned Julian Lugo was more than he wanted... At least for now. As we do with all fighters now that suffer a bout canceling injury Hawks has been placed on a 30 day/doctor release "Medical Suspension".

Promoter Johnny Davis has been trying to find a middleweight opponent to replace Hawks but as of this writing, Lugo is still without an opponent. If there are any takers, please contact Davis at (916) 205-4762.

Also, a special tribute to the late and great Mr. Barry White will be performed by local balladeer Sire. We've been told that when Sire sings, simply close your eyes and its clear that the spirit of Barry White lives on! The Jennifer Phillips Demo Team of Sacramento, CA is a group we met only a few months back and the connection has been a good one. Their outstanding martial arts performances are awesome and if you were at the last show, you already know that you are again in for a treat! World champion Anthony Atkins (pictured at top left of article performing a flip) is amazing as he kicks, screams and flips his way through a form showing why he's a world champion! Isaiah Polstra uses the Bo Staff as though it is an extension of his arms. Each time we see the 15 year old, he seems to have gotten better with each passing day! This outstanding team will offer two performances throughout the evening. Shortly after the intermission, the second half of the show will kick off with songs by hot new singing sensation Jenni Martin! (Left) www.jennimartin.net

Super Heavyweights! This weightclass lets you know there will be some real fireworks in the ring for the next match up! Studio City resident Mark Hoxie 220 lbs (Left) contacted the A. K. Promotions office after the last show at the Platinum Live January 17th of this year. He said he was "ready to do battle" and will get his opportunity! He plans to take his one boxing win and years of martial arts experience in against the big, tough and undefeated Brent Simms (Right - aka Eloyhim) 230 of Las Vegas, NV.

More dancing by Shiva and the Diva's, world class martial arts demonstrations by the J. Phillips Group of Sacramento, CA and the singing of the National Anthem by Natalie Azerad will lead us into our main event of the evening!

The main event will feature a rematch! The first bout ended in a close and disputed decision win by the current champ Raul Rodriquez of Bakersfield, CA. (Left) The challenger is the hungry Gary Webber of Whittier, CA (Right) who wants revenge and the opportunity to be the new IKF Amateur California Light Middleweight Champion! The dual title holder Rodriquez has other things on his mind as he plans to successfully defend this and another title he holds next month. If both title defenses are met to his satisfaction, he wants to move on to the pro ranks. This five round bout should be a great conclusion to an exciting evening of the best in music and sports entertainment in true Hollywood fashion!

Equipment provided by Hits training gear - www.kickboxingtools.com

The show will also be sponsored by Los Angeles, CA' Hot 92 Jams Radio Station and Miller Beer! RESERVE YOUR TICKETS NOW at www.highsierratickets.com or call (866) 463-8659. Make dinner reservations at www.Platinumliveusa.com or call (818) 753-1771. Ticket prices from $35 to $100 and will also be available at the door. For more information contact A. K. Promotions at (916) 780-7483 or go to www.akpromotions.org. See You There!

As many promoters know, when a fighter drops out of a high profile fight inside 2 weeks before their event, it's "SCRAMBLE TIME!" However, thanks to some individuals who "Stepped Up To The Plate", the March 27th, Tustin California event is still moving forward.

A couple of days ago we announced that Stanley Dickenson of Providence, Rhode Island, USA had dropped out of his scheduled March 27th bout against Stephen Thompson due to a foot injury suffered during a sparring session. The bout was considered "High Profile" for two reasons. 1, this is a very prestigious event and 2, this was "The Wonderboy's" Pro debut. A debut a lot of people were looking forward to!

However, thanks to Louisiana fighter James Wakefield (Right), Thompson's pro debut will go on as scheduled as Wakefield proved to us all he is a "True Warrior" in taking the bout! He is known more for his experience in the MMA/NHB, wrestling and submission fighting arena as compared to "Stand-Up Fighting". His experience includes 6 Years NHB/MMA Experience, 8 Years Muay-Thai, 10 Years Wrestling and 10 Years total of Martial Arts training. Because of this kickboxing will be quite an adjustment but his efforts here may prove to be his best "Stand-Up" performance yet as he stepped up and accepted the bout against Thompson!

Cheers to you James for making the commitment to step in and "Walk the Walk" with Thompson. We look forward to seeing you in action.

For those wondering...
Earlier today fighter Stanley Dickenson faxed to the IKF a medical slip from the North Providence Medical Services Inc. in North Providence Rhode Island from Dr. Stephen DeAmato who diagnosed Dickenson as having a "Foot Trauma". Dr. DeAmato noted he "Told him to not train or fight for 2 weeks - minimum." As required by the IKF Rules and Regulations to verify a medical condition (This is required in hopes to assist the promoters to attain a refund for the 2 round trip plane tickets that were purchased for Dickenson and his trainer.), we called the Medical Service company to inquire of the severity of the injury. However they person we spoke to (Sue Mariotti) declined to discuss any of the particulars with us so as for now, lets hope the slip Dickenson sent in will be enough to assist the promoters in attaining a refund for the plane tickets. If not, Dickenson will be responsible for the expense of them because he fought in a bout just last weekend which obviously aggravated or caused the injury in the first place.

Later today we had a very positive talk with Dickenson's manager Don Rodriguez (Right). Rodriguez was sincerely apologetic towards the situation and assured us, for those considering it, that there was nothing political related to the situation and that there are absolutely no negative feelings that he knows of between IKF, USKBA and the organizations he works with, WAKO (World Association of Karate/Kickboxing Organization, Which he is the USA President of) and the KRANE Karate/Kickboxing organization (Which he is the Vice President and Co-Owner of)

Some here questioned the motives behind what we wrote about when we first released this news and said it was negative to the sport. However, in our defense, we were seeing the side of the other two parties involved. Stephen Thompson and the Promoters. Sure, we agree that "Things Happen" and fighters are forced to pull out of bouts. We truly sympathize for them when this happens, but we are required to be the "Mediators" under such circumstances. It is our job to take the middle ground to determine what to do from the facts we have been presented with. We made you, our readers, aware of the facts we had, as we have here. From the looks of the message board, it seemed easy to "Pick a side" quickly by many. However, we are not given such a luxury. We are required to be the judge and jury in such cases and we must be able to weigh all the facts and come to a conclusion. This conclusion is never easy but as of now, the action we have taken has been placing Dickenson on a 30 day/doctor release "Medical Suspension". In addition, we may seek additional medical information "IF" the promoters are denied a refund of the 2 plane tickets they purchased for Dickenson and his trainer. Lets hope we don't need to go any farther than that.

As If One Wasn't Enough...

As if one drop out on the Tustin CA event wasn't enough, yesterday trainer/promoter Sven Bean (Right) of Denver Colorado called us and told us that his fighter Andre Walker (Left, 18-3/16, 220, 6', 29) had to pull out of his fight with Raoul Doucet of Hawkesbury, Ontario, Canada because he broke his hand in training Tuesday night. You can imagine how this went over...

Well actually, a lot better than the Dickenson situation.
As quick as Bean told us Walker was out he had another name in our ear to replace him. Being a promoter himself, he realized what was taking place in the promoter and matchmakers minds, especially after the article the day before about Dickenson dropping out. In an e-mail to us here at the IKF, Bean expressed his situation respectfully in saying;

"Being a promoter myself, although I accept the risk of injury as part of the game, I still can really feel for the promoter when a fighter drops this close to Go Time."

Although we were looking forward to seeing a "Walker - Doucet" bout, the one Bean gave us might be even better. Coming out of well know trainer Tommy Alcozar's gym in Texas is Darren Walters. Walters has already fought Doucet and had been stopped in the third round. However, it was told to us that it was the ring floor that stopped him more so than Doucet. Walters fell to the ring floor and upon impact, he dislocated his shoulder. At 6'3, 210 lbs, he and Doucet should be a great match-up. Walters has fought in various fighting arenas having records of 28-12 with 15 KO's as an Amateur Kickboxer. A record os 54-2 with 25 KO's in Toughman style events and a Professional Kickboxing record of 2-2.

We here at the IKF would like to say "CHEERS" to Sven Bean, Darren Walters and Walters trainer Tommy Alcozar for "Stepping-Up" assisting in the positive outcome of the Tustin fund raising event for the Marconi Foundation for Kids and Miller Children's Hospital!

As for Walker, he still needs to fax in (916-663-4510) his Medical Statement from a licensed MD to the IKF for verification of his injury. Along with it, as we do with all fighters now that suffer a bout canceling injury, because he has a broken bone, he has been placed on a 45 day/doctor release "Medical Suspension". We here at the IKF wish both Dickenson and Walker healthy recoveries and we look forward to seeing them both in the ring in the future.

Rodriguez



Bean

Injury Forces Dickenson Out Against
"The Wonderboy!"
IKF News Team

IKF Headquarters
A few hours ago the IKF was informed by the Marconi Automotive Museum Promoters in Tustin, California that Stephen Thompson's (Right) opponent Stanley Dickenson (Providence, Rhode Island, USA, PRO KB: 30-2/18, AM KB: 10-0/7, BX: 7-3/2 , 5'9", 185, 31) had dropped out of their scheduled March 27th bout due to a foot injury suffered yesterday during a sparring session. Upon notice the IKF made a call to Dickenson who explained his injury to IKF president Steve Fossum. "Stanley told me that during a sparring session he felt some pain in the arch of his right foot that forced him to cut his workout short" explained Fossum. "After a trip to the doctor, he was told he had what is called a 'Dropped Arch.' He mentioned he had the same injury some time ago but thought it had healed."

As always, many question the motives of any fighter that drops out of a fight so close to fight time, especially such a high profile bout as this one. Although the IKF has not uncovered any questionable actions surrounding the situation, there were some issues surrounding the confirmation of Dickenson. According to sources, some of those issues included Dickenson's wife questioning the fact that he would miss a day of work since he was scheduled to return home on Monday due to available flights for him. However the promoters were already prepared to cover any additional stay-over expenses such as hotel and meals. Adding to this, despite having been sent his fight contract well over a week ago, Dickenson had still not signed it and sent it back yet. The plane tickets for him and his trainer have already been paid for which along with missing the bout (At this time anyway) is another big loss to the promoters. As requested by the IKF since this is a pro bout, Dickenson will be faxing in a medical conformation report of his injury signed by an MD sometime tomorrow which is all that the IKF has requested at this time.

Before the IKF reached Dickenson directly they (Mr. Fossum) also spoke to his trainer Charlie Sampalis. (Right) Sampalis said Dickenson was not sparring at his club but somewhere else when the injury occurred. He was unsure of when it occurred, just that Dickenson had called him to say he got injured. Sampalis is well known as a trainer with female boxers too such as Christina Rondeau and Missy Fiorentino. In 1999 he was the first ever USKBA Representative and became a USKBA Promoter in Rhode Island, USA. A call was also made to Dickenson's manager, Don Rodriguez (Right) however it was not returned to the IKF by press time. Rodriguez is the USA President of WAKO (World Association of Karate/Kickboxing Organization) and the Vice President and Co-Owner of the KRANE Karate/Kickboxing organization.

Some had questioned the shaky or questionable relationship between WAKO (A European Sanctioning Body with no North American activity other than point karate through Rodriguez) and the IKF as a reason Dickenson dropped out. Or circumstances related to the 1999 IKF Mass Destruction event in Massachusetts when issues arose about who would be the event officials and the KRANE organization. However since the IKF had been having very positive discussions with Dickenson, such claims were quickly dismissed. "I see no reason that any issues of the past would relate to the present or we would have never booked Stanley in the first place." Said IKF President Steve Fossum. "I would be very surprised and disappointed if this was related to any 'Politics' and not a real injury and such a suggestion is not valid to us here at this time."

However, could Mr. Fossum be a little naive? Possibly... Adding to the above, late tonight the IKF was informed that Dickenson just fought a week ago on a USKBA/PKF co-Sanctioned event on Saturday, March 6th at the Rhode Island Indoor Sports facility in Warwick Rhode Island and scored a very questionable majority decision over a fighter namedJose Sulsona. The surprise here is who promoted it.. His own trainer, Charlie Sampalis. The IKF was also informed of others there that had negative issues back on the 1999 Mass Destruction event such as Bruce Marshall. Could there be more to all this? Neither the IKF or the promoters were ever informed of the March 6th Rhode Island bout which violates the Pro Contract rules of booking bouts inside 45 days from one another. In addition, Dickenson never mentioned the bout in his conversation with Mr. Fossum earlier today either. At the Rhode Island event Dickenson wasn't quiet about his bout with Thompson. In fact he made sure to draw attention to it by passing out fliers that were asking for Sponsorship. We were faxed one of these fliers tonight and along with the photos of Dickenson on it, it read:

Sponsor a Champion!
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
KICKBOXING CHAMPION
Stan The Hitman
DICKENSON
He will be challenging World Champion Steven Thompson
in Los Angeles
MARCH 27th, 2004
(Note he didn't say that Stephen is an "AMATEUR" World Champion making his Pro DEBUT...)

Added to this was
"$100 Sponsorship Includes
*NEWS PAPER RELEASE MENTIONING SPONSORS*
*PERSONAL APPEARANCE AND PRODUCT ENDORSEMENT OPPORTUNITIES*
For Information Call
XXX-XXX-XXXX

Could someone who has negatives feelings towards the IKF have talked Dickenson into pulling out of the bout with Thompson? Could his lack luster performance in a questionable win over Jose Sulsona make him believe he was not ready for the Wonderboy? Could Dickenson have been threatened with something such as "You will never fight up here again if you take this bout!" Strange? Far fetched? Not at all. All of us in this business have seen things like this happen before. Lets just hope for the sake of those involved that we are wrong in thinking such a thing...

Dickenson is Thompson's second scheduled opponent after Semou Diouf (Left) of Las Vegas, Nevada who is originally from France, had tentatively took the bout, only to turn it down a week later. Hopefully The "Wonderboy" won't continue to have this kind of trouble now that he and trainer/father Ray Thompson (Right) have made the decision to turn Stephen pro after taking so much flack from various individuals who said he no longer should fight amateurs since no one can beat him at the amateur level. This isn't just bragging. The 20 year old Thompson is 33-0 with 18 wins coming by KO/TKO and has NEVER turned down ANY Challenge from ANY fighter.

At this time, the IKF is assisting the promoters in finding a replacement opponent for Thompson who will, as mentioned, be making his Pro Debut. The Promoters have requested a fighter from the western region of USA due to the high cost of plane tickets so close to fight time now. However, if need be, another opponent could be considered. If you are a trainer (Or fighter) with a fighter in the 185-190 lb. weight range that does Full Contact Rules and are interested in this 5 round bout to take place on March 27th in Tustin, California, please contact the IKF as soon as possible either by phone at (916) 663-2467 or by e-mail at main@ikfkickboxing.com

Still in place will be an exciting 5 round IKF Pro FCR Super Heavyweight bout between two great fighters! Raoul Doucet (Left, 12-2-1/7, 6' 2", 229, 36, Giovani Mucciarone) of Hawkesbury, Ontario, Canada will meet up with Andre Walker (Right, 18-3/16, 220, 6', 29, 3-D Gym, Sven Bean) of Denver Colorado, USA.

This is not your average fight event and more so because of the ticket prices for this event. The fighters on this event may not be expecting tons of their friends and fight fans to come see the action, but they can expect to be amongst the "Who's Who" in celebrities. The event will be held at the Marconi's Automotive Museum and is a fund raising event for the Marconi Foundation for Kids and Miller Children's Hospital.

Along with the 2 scheduled Pro Kickboxing bouts will be Pro Boxing promoted by Sugar Ray Leonard Boxing Promotions. Since the main purpose of this event is a "Fund Raiser" the tickets range from $350.00 (General) each up to $10,000.00 (VIP with Ad Package - Gold Ring Table of 10) and believe it or not, this event (Fight Night 6) has sold out "EVERY" year! So your wondering, who will be there? Well, the guest list already includes Pro Football players from the St. Louis Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers, San Diego Chargers, Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers, Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals.

Sampalis



Rodriguez









Thompson

On March 6, 2004, Nicole Hess (Right with father/trainer Mike) & Umear Haq (Below) traveled to Virginia Beach, Virginia for the King of the Ring 8 and won two more titles for the Mi-Ki-DO Team. Their competitors had top billing in the event. Sixteen year old "THREE" Time IKF National Amateur Champion Nicole Hess from Alexandria, Virginia was the main event and she did not disappoint. She displayed her Kickboxing abilities beautifully by controlling a very tough and scrappy opponent. Nicole threw some amazing head kick combinations, which included spinning back kicks and front leg hook kicks. The crowd went wild! Her hand combinations and Muay Thai techniques were also very effective. She landed a great number of head kicks and knees to the body. She won by TKO at the end of the third round in a scheduled five round title bout.

Nicole has made her mark in the Kickboxing World by becoming one of the few competitors in the world (along with her brother Brent Hess) to hold titles in the three different Kickboxing styles in different organizations (IKF, WKA & ISKA) Full Contact, International Rules and Muay Thai rules.

Umaer Haq, (Left with Nicole) also 16 years old from Alexandria, Virginia won the King of the Ring 8 Muay Thai title by majority decision in a five round title bout. He showed great ability and stamina. He is an up and coming champion in the Mi-Ki-DO Team Camp. He is also the IKF 2003 Jr. USA Bantamweight International Rules Kickboxing Champion. For the Mi-Ki-DO Team it was a great experience being treated well by the promoters of KOTR, which was a well run event.

Over the past 4 years the Mi-Ki-DO Team has attained 22 titles and numerous wins on the road to the titles. The Mi-Ki-DO Team's chief trainer is Mike Hess who will be busy this year competing throughout the US with invitations from various promoters. Mike, an Army veteran himself, was very pleased that the hometown crowd of Marine and Navy soldiers supported the Mi-Ki-DO Team and the biggest surprise of all was when a battalion ran past the hotel room Sunday morning in Virginia Beach singing at 6:AM in their morning run. We support our troops! We would like to take this opportunity to thank our sponsors for this past events in Virginia Beach: M. Cherry & Associates, Five Guys inc., Jerry & Janie Murrell & Joe Russell. Thank You for Believing in Us!

MORE ON THE Mi-Ki-DO Team

The Mi-Ki-DO Amateur Team placed 1st in seven weight classes at the 2004 IKF East Coast Kickboxing Classic in Virginia Beach on February 21, 2004. Master Mike Hess received many compliments for his coaching and leadership abilities that reflected in his well trained Team. sixteen year old Nicole Hess (10-0/5) won by TKO in the first minute of the first round with a beautiful spinning kick combination. Team-mate Umaer Haq won by TKO in the second round. Joe Lilly won an exciting championship bout by stopping his strong opponent in the second round after having a tough first round. Joe Coffie won by TKO in the first round bringing his record to 2-0. Newcomers Nick Pisciotta won by TKO in the 2nd round and Gaeez Shpoon won a unanimous decision over his opponent. Sam Aydlette won on an stoppage. Ben Russell won his first bout by TKO and advanced to the finals where he lost a close decision in an exciting match. Other members of the team that competed for the first time were Nick Fenton & Diego Menjivar.

The Mi-Ki-DO Team is coached and trained by one of the best trainers in the Nation, Master Mike Hess and managed by Maria Hess. Mi-Ki-DO Team is one of the best Teams in the USA. For more info on the Mi-Ki-DO Team call (703) 922-5147 or go to their website at www.mikido.com

2004 IKF Amateur
North American Classic
The True Test for All NORTH AMERICAN
Amateur Kickboxers!

After weeks and months of weighing out the various offers from dozens of cities across the USA, we have finally made the decision on where this years IKF Championship Tournament will be. However before we tell you, we need to inform you of what all we discovered during our exhausted search for the "Best Location for everyone". Several past participants and their trainers were requesting us to place this event in another city such as Atlanta, St Louis, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Orlando etc. etc. So, we spent the extra time researching venues and hotels in these cities. In the end, what we found was, when we (IKF) got a good rate on a venue room (Arena, ballroom etc.) it was the fighters and trainers who would lose out. This was because in these cases, the hotel fees ranged between $99.00 to $149.99 per night. When we found a location where the hotel fee was lower ($89.00 was the lowest we found in these cities) the venue cost us an arm and a leg (For example, $25,000 was the requested fee that came back for a weekend use of a ballroom at the Adams Mark in St. Louis) Every one of these larger city locations had parking charges between $12.00 and $32.00 per day, even if you stayed in the hotel. All of them also charged for an airport shuttle fee of between $12.00 and $35.00 for "ONE" way, stating that there would just be too many people needing rides, that they needed to charge.

To say the very least, the research and decision making has been terribly exhausting for us here and we can now finally rest our minds from weighing out all the particulars in trying to please everyone. There was indeed 1 advantage to having the event in a larger city. The cost for plane tickets. However, when you added in all the airport shuttle fees, the difference was minimal. With that being said, we are excited to announce to you all that this years 2004 IKF Amateur Championship Finals location is once again, the U.S. Cellular Center Arena in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA.

To give some of you the info who were not there last year, the arena has a total of 16,200 square feet on the actual arena floor and 30,000 square feet total making plenty of bleacher seating for spectators. We split the floor in half giving half of the room for warm-up area and the other half for the actual event itself with 2 rings set up. There are also 4 locker rooms for the participants.

Out of "ALL" the arenas and ballrooms we looked at the U.S. Cellular Center Arena was in our opinion, the best venue for everyone. Although we will be paying around $10,000.00 for its use and all the particulars that go with it (Staffing of ticket takers, ushers, security, staging, lights, sound, chairs, tables, clean-up, etc. etc.) we selected it because it was the BEST place for "The Fighters!" Which is what they deserve! That $10,000 fee could have been almost double though if not for Mary Lee Malmberg, Director of Sports Tourism at the Cedar Rapids Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. Mary Lee and her team donated over $6,000.00 towards the U.S. Cellular Center Arena fees.

The main reason though we selected Cedar Rapids was the Host Hotel and the man in charge! The Crowne Plaza Five Seasons Hotel (Right) and the manager, Mr. Donovan Stephens. The hotel is an elevator ride away to the U.S. Cellular Center Arena and connected by a 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 have a 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. Believe it or not, one of the Atlanta Hotels we were looking at, Hyatt Regency Atlanta, had no Sauna. The hotel also has a good restaurant for everyone, The Top of the Five rooftop restaurant and also the Front Street Lounge, serving lighter fare. Both are open 7 days a week.

What we liked about the Crowne Plaza Five Seasons Hotel were many things as far as we were concerned. To begin with, the rate they gave us for our participants of $79.00 a night for a double room. We "NEED" all participants to stay at this hotel this year because of some problems we had last year in finding certain trainers and fighters. Expect there to be "Incentives" for participants to stay there as compared to selecting another hotel.

What else the Crowne Plaza Five Seasons Hotel offered us was a great deal for all of our chief officials rooms, IKF Head Offices and some other things (Over 20 rooms). Hotel Manager Donovan Stephens did a GREAT job in putting together the BEST package for us here at the IKF. We also wanted our main man, "Uncle" Brooks Mason to have his MASSIVE two level Suite (Presidential Suite on the 15th floor...) again so he can entertain his guests when he does his promoter and trainer forums this year. The main IKF Headquarters will be based in the CEO Suite also on the 15th floor. Donovan also supplied us the Penthouse Ballroom (We used it last year) for Sundays after event party. We promise to have "FOOD" there this year.

Something NEW For This Event...THE NAME!

By now you noticed the new name and format of this event. Let us explain why so you all know the story... For the first/last 5 years, this has been known as the IKF USA National Amateur Kickboxing Championships. However, after last years event there was a lot of discussion about expanding the regional boundaries of the event to include more fighters and better competition. We had even suggested calling this event the IKF "WORLD" Classic.

However, as we discussed it, the word WORLD and the registration of fighters who we could not confirm had never fought pro made this idea fall away. It's clear that not everyone in the WORLD would be able to attend this event. It's clear not everyone in America and North America are able to attend due to travel costs, work and school schedules etc. etc. We did not want a winner to believe they were a "WORLD" Champion after fighting in a tournament with the final bout being 3 rounds. Thus we left the "BIG" Amateur title fights to be 5 rounds. Adding to this, we had a lot of discussion about making this "Tournament Title", different than a title that is fought for and defended throughout the year. All of these arguments for the "Tournament Title" being separate from regular titles fought for and defended throughout the year made major sense. In the end, we knew we wanted to expand the tournament boundaries, but we also wanted to be able to keep check on the fighters to assure they were amateurs and had never fought pro. Thus the decision to now name this event, the

IKF
Amateur
North American Classic!

Last years event (The 5th year of this event) hosted 200 kickboxers from around the USA that showed up to "Walk the Walk". Of the actual 200 who had a fight once there, 112 were above the waist Full Contact American rule style Kickboxers, 17 were International leg kick rules and 29 were MuayThai fighters. They fought a record number, 146 bouts over 2 days to determine the best amateur kickboxers in America in their perspective divisions. In the end, there were 55 IKF USA Championship Title Belts awarded.

The 2003 event was a huge success as fighters and trainers came from all over the United States to "Walk The Walk!" Some would be victorious in their quest to be called the 2003 IKF USA National Amateur Champion, while others would need to say at least they gave their all amongst the best. This year we will welcome amateur kickboxers from not just the USA but from Canada and Mexico. Based on the five years the event has been held, not only has it more than doubled its number of competitors, but it also has become the standard assessment for amateur kickboxers in USA. We hope to expand that now to all the Amateur Kickboxers in North America.

The IKF Amateur Championship Tournament is a unique event for kickboxers and is the kickboxing equivalent to the golden glove tournament for amateur boxers. The event is the incubator for the future of the sport. The fighters compete at regional events held throughout North America to determine their seed/ranking for the Championship Tournament. Those competitors that do not compete in a Regional Event will have to start from the bottom and fight their way up to the championship match. In this process of elimination, competitors could fight up to three to four times over the weekend before winning a championship. Each match is three rounds in length and two minutes each round. The competitors pay an entree fee to help cover tournament expenses and also pay their own travel expenses to attend the event.

Most competitors don't mind the expenses and are even more motivated to try harder knowing that winning one of the $230.00 hand made Brass & Leather IKF Title Belts is worth it all! The Champions also receive beautiful black hooded jackets with the IKF Tournament logo and a pair of autograph boxing gloves also embossed with the IKF Tournament logo, supplied by Ringside Inc.. All the 2nd place finishers received a finalist medal. And everyone will receive a Wipps Brainpad/Mouthpiece courtesy of Wipss Products! They can also rest assured that the tournament has fair judging and safety precautions, therefore rules of competition and headgear like in amateur/Olympic boxing is strictly enforced.

MONDAY, March 1st, 2004, AT 1:00 PM, PT

EAST COAST
CLASSIC
Brooks Mason's
PART ONE

MORE NEWS OF 3-1-04

Quick Results From Kansas City's
"WAR IN WESTPORT"
IKF Kickboxing & ISCF MMA!

As Reported by Brooks Mason

1. IKF Full Contact Rules
   Freddy Walker defeated Abe Kuhl by TKO round round
   
   
2. IKF MuayThai Rules
   Jeff Rumigio defeated Vincent Nye by TKO at 30 seconds of round 3.
   
   
3. IKF International Rules
   Eric Fernandez defeated AJ Gross by unanimous decision.
   
   
4. ISCF MMA
   David Snyder defeated Jason Hoeke by Tap Out.
   
   
5. IKF MTR
   Joe Mabin defeated Tim Gorham by decision.
   
   
6. ISCF MMA
   Farrone Otis defeated Mike VanMeer by decision.
   
   
7. ISCF MMA
   Zack Lennon defeated Tommy Ebone.
   
   
8. ISCF MMA
   Bobby Volker defeated Demi Deeds by KO at 22 seconds of round 2.
   
   

For more info please contact Mr. Dan Tharp at (816) 560-1964 or by E-Mail At: Sicarii67@aol.com - For spelling corrections or other corrections of above please e-mail IKF/ISCF at: main@ikfkickboxing.com

PAST IKF NEWS CLICK HERE!

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