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DECEMBER 2001

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MONDAY, December 31st, 2001, AT 5:55 PM, PT

The Best Of The Best
In The IKF For 2001!
The Announcement of the 2001 IKF Hall of Fame Inductees!

Well, here they are, the 2001 IKF Hall of Fame Inductees! It was a GREAT YEAR for all of us and with our 10 year anniversary year coming up, we look forward to an even bigger year for the IKF World Team! One thing you may notice is that it was EXTREMELY Hard for us to select just 1 winner in nearly all the categories. More will soon be added yet as we await the final selections from our IKF European Director, Alby Bimpson and IKF Team Europe. One thing we'd like your help on though is the final selection of the Pro and Amateur Fighters of the year. Here are the requirements for these awards.

• AMATEURS
  • If from the USA, they must have participated in the 2001 IKF USA National Amateur Tournament.
  • They must be a ranked IKF Fighter.
  • They must have fought on at least "2" IKF Sanctioned events in 2001.
  • They do not have to hold an IKF Title but should at least be ranked in the top 3 of their rule style and weight class.
  • Be a Champion fighter in the ring and a lady or a gentlemen out of the ring.
  • Please pick one from each rule style (Male & Female) and your overall winner as IKF Amateur Fighter of the Year.
    
    
• PROS
  • Must hold an IKF Title.
  • Must have fought on an IKF Sanctioned event at least 2 times in 2001.
  • Must have a winning record.
  • Must be ranked in the top 2 of their weight class and rule division. If not, explain your thoughts.
  • Please pick one from each rule style (Male & Female) and your overall winner as IKF Pro Fighter of the Year.
    
    

2001 IKF All Around Pro Fighter Of The Year
Cast your Vote by clicking HERE!

2001 IKF All Around Amateur Fighter Of The Year
Cast your Vote by clicking HERE!

Thank you for your votes. Keep in mind that if we receive enough votes for certain individuals they could still be added to the list below of the 2001 Inductees. So now, without further delay, here are the
2001 IKF Hall of Fame Inductees!

More News Of 12-31-01

More News On The
Record...

Here's the latest news on the hit record for IKFKickboxing.com As of end of day yesterday, December 30th, 2001, the IKF website had a total of 660,235 Hits. We have 1 more day left in December so we'll see what the final count is tomorrow. So far we have an average of 22,007 hits per day, a slight drop from yesterday of the 22,131 hits per day average.

As we were yesterday, we were glad to see the average time on the site for December rose up even more to an average of 39.08 minutes as compared to an average of 36.40 minutes yesterday. Since May, when we first started tracking our hits on IKFKickboxing.com up to yesterday, December 30th, we have received a total of 4,294,632 Hits.

Well, we don't have all the IKF Hall of Fame winners yet for 2001 but we thought we'd give you what we have so far for the
2000 IKF Season.
Sorry they were announced late but still, here's the
2000 IKF Hall of Fame Inductees!

• 2000 IKF All Around Pro Fighter Of The Year
  
  
  • Dmitry Shakuta
    Minsk Belarus. In January of 2000, Shakuta defeated Fernando Calleros of Albq. New Mexico, USA by decision to win the vacant IKF Pro Welterweight MuayThai Rules Intercontinental Title in Minsk Belarus. On February 26th, 2000 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA he lost a Very Close majority decision to IKF MTR World Champion Kongnapa. On June 29th, 2000 he defeated Pramuenrit Sithsaeng-a-run of Thailand in Novosibirsk, Russia to win the IKF Pro Jr. Middleweight MuayThai World Title which was questionably vacated by Kongnapa's trainers who announced his retirement after his last bout. The very next month, Shakuta won another World Title when he defeat the 5 Time WAKO Pro World Champion Keinth Nathan (Pele).
    
    
• 2000 IKF All Around Amateur Fighter Of The Year
  
  
  • Trisha Hill
    Lawerenceville, Georgia, USA. On March 10th, 2000 in Dalton Georgia, USA, Hill defeated Tracy Kuschel of Omaha, Nebraska, USA by TKO to win Kuschel's IKF United States Bantomweight International Rules Title. On July 29th, 2000 in Merraitt, Georgia, USA, Hill defeated Jacqueline Chavez of Los Lunas, New Mexico to win the vacant IKF Women's Amateur IR U.S. Featherweight Title. At the 2000 IKF USA National Amateur Tournament Hill won the FCR Woman's Lightweight National Tournament Title in impressive fashion with a spinning crescent kick KO at 1:09 of the 3rd round in what was "The Women's Bout of the Tournament over Katie Ehrhardt of Lake Zurich, Illinois, USA. Finally on December 2nd, 2000 in Monterey, California, USA Hill defeated Angela Rivera, Las Vegas Nevada, USA to win the vacant IKF Woman's MuayThai Rules U. S. Featherweight Title. It was Hill's 4th IKF U.S. Amateur Title win of the year which should clearly explain why we choose her IKF Amateur Fighter of the Year!
    
    
• 2000 IKF Pro Fighters Of The Year
  
  
  • 2 For MuayThai Rules: Dmitry Shakuta
    Minsk Belarus.
    
    
  • And (MTR): Kongnapa
    St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. After he retained his IKF World Title by defeating Dimitri Shakuta of Minsk Belarus by majority decision on February 26th, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, his manager announced his retirement. However, the announcement was questioned by Kongnapa who came back later in the year on November 10th, in Atlanta, Georgia, USA to defeat Pedro Villalobos of Atlanta, Georgia, USA by KO to win the vacant IKF Pro MuayThai Middleweight World Title.
    
    
  • International Rules: Fernando Calleros
    Albq. New Mexico. After being the only American fighter to go the distance against a fighter on the Minsk Belarus Team in Belarus in January, Calleros ended up losing the MuayThai bout to Dmitry Shakuta. But he came back to defeat Miguel Reyes of Tijauana, Mexico to win the vacant IKF Super Welterweight IR World Title on June 26th, 2000 in Sacramento, California, USA.
    
    
  • Full Contact Rules: Garnet John
    (No Picture Available) of England who on April 21st, 2000 defeated Jose Perez, Portugal to win the vacant IKF Pro FCR Lightweight World Title in Brighton, England.
    
    
• 2000 IKF Amateur Fighters Of The Year
  
  
  • Men International Rules: Kurt Hasley
    Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA won his opening round bout at the 2000 IKF USA National Amateur Tournament over R. J. (Robert) Bruland, of Omaha, Nebraska, USA by TKO at 1:13 of round 2. In the finals he defeated Edward Harrington, of Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, USA by TKO at 1:25 of round 1 to win the 2000 IKF USA National Amateur Super Heavyweight Title. On December 3rd, 2000 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada he defeated the 2000 WKA Canadian National Champion Keith Crawford of Calgary Alberta Canada by KO to win the IKF Amateur IR Super Heavyweight North American Title.
    
    
  • Men Full Contact Rules: Anthony McGaughey
    Norman, Oklahoma, USA won his first round bout at the 2000 IKF USA National Amateur Tournament over Frank Glover of Lake Zurich, Illinois by TKO at 1:59 of round 3. He went on to defeat Marc Mayfield of St Louis Missouri, USA by by TKO at 1:22 of the 3rd round to win the IKF USA National Amateur Tournament FCR Light Middleweight Title and stayed undefeated at 17-0 with 14 wins by KO or TKO.
    
    
  • Men MuayThai Rules: Derek Yuen
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. On February 26th, 2000 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA Yuen won the IKF Amateur Light Heavyweight Wisconsin State MuayThai Title over Brian Rood of Hudson, Wisconsin, USA. He later went on to win the IKF USA National MTR Light Heavyweight Title over Kevin Brown of Omaha, Nebraska, USA by TKO at 1:32 of round 2.
    
    
  • Women "ALL" Rules: Trisha Hill
    Lawerenceville, Georgia, USA.
    
    
• 2000 IKF Trainers Of The Year
  
  
  • Gary Brown
    Lawerenceville, Georgia, USA. The Trainer who made 4 Time IKF National Amateur Champion Trisha Hill what she was in 2000!
    
    
  • Evgeny Kotelnikov
    Minsk, Belarus. Trainer of IKF MTR World Champion Dimitri Shakuta.
    
    
• 2000 IKF Promoters Of The Year
  
  
  • Evgeny Kotelnikov Minsk, Belarus
    
    
  • Alby Bimpson
    Merseyside, England
    
    
  • Duke Roufus
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

IKF PRESTIGE AWARD
Awarded to 2 People For the Year 2000

The IKF PRESTIGE AWARD is Awarded to the Individual who did the most for the IKF during the year.
This one is judged by who has contributed the most to the IKF such as bringing new promoters, fighters etc. and helped the growth of the IKF the most.

Alby Bimpson
Merseyside, England
and
Evgeny Kotelnikov
Minsk, Belarus

Congratulations To Our
2000 IKF Hall of Fame Inductees!

Shakuta



Hill



Kongnapa



Calleros



Hasley



McGaughey



Yuen



Brown



Roufus



Bimpson



Kotelnikov

Cung Le

Last Saturday night, December 15th, UsH! Entertainment and G-Up Promotions hosted UNITED FOR THE CHILDREN. A Benefit Event for the The Twin Towers Orphan Fund and the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation at the San Jose Event Center in San Jose, California, USA.

A crowd of about 1,500 were treated to a great night of San Shou Style fighting which featured 12 San Shou fighters from East to West fighting for 6 IKF San Shou Titles. The Main event of the night featured the top ranked San Shou Fighter in the Nation, Cung Le (Left) San Jose, California, USA against top UFC competitor Shoni Carter (Right) of Chicago, Illinois, USA. This was a great bout that saw two warriors going at it toe to toe. Unlike some of Le's former opponents, Carter was much stronger and wasn't allowing Le any easy throws as we've seen in past bouts. Carter was strong in the clinch and had plenty of weapons from the outside as well. It was sure to be a true test of Le's fighting skills as well as Carters.

In the opening seconds of round 1, the two banged heads which resulted in a cut over Le's right eye. Immediately the cut started to bleed quite a bit which brought a worry to everyone at ringside, wondering if the ringside doctor was going to request the bout be stopped early due to an accidental injury. If so, the bout would have ended in a "No Contest", but this was not to be on this night. As the round ended, Le's corner did an excellent job of sealing the cut to insure the bout would continue. The first round saw Le ahead in total points on the 3 judges cards. Judge Jon Schorle scored it 18-10. Judge Susan Thomas Gitlin scored it 31-17 and judge Marcos Rosalas scored it 17-4.

NOTE: San Shou scoring is a lot like Amateur Boxing. Each strike that a judge sees as a scoring blow (Kick or Punch) the judge clicks a point on his/her judges clicker. Throw points are also added to the striking points. The throw points are awarded by the referee after each throw. Throw points are 1,2 or 3. All of these points make up the final round score. With this system, there will always be a vast difference in "Counted" points at the end of a round. In final scoring, only 1 point is awarded after each round which goes to the fighter with the highest point total. In round 1, Cung Le won on all 3 judges cards so he lead on all 3 judges cards 1 round to 0 after round 1.

Shoni Carter

In round 2, both fighters seemed to pull back a bit to re-think their strategy. In the end, Le was ahead on all 3 judges cards again. Judge Jon Schorle scored it 8-5. Judge Susan Thomas Gitlin scored it 23-14 and judge Marcos Rosalas scored it 9-4. As the bout continued, Le proved he was the one with the throwing skills. Carter on the other hand continued to keep his focus on scoring points in the stand-up fighting which was soon to be his downfall. Le scored on several of his throw attempts to win round 3 decisively. Judge Jon Schorle scored it 16-8. Judge Susan Thomas Gitlin scored it 34-17 and judge Marcos Rosalas scored it 18-7

In round 4 we saw a lot of the same. Carter continued his stand-up striking and tried to get at Le's cut over his right eye, landing a few good shots here and there. However, the points in the throw category continued to make all the difference as Le won round 4 with ease. Judge Jon Schorle scored it 14-7. Judge Susan Thomas Gitlin scored it 30-19 and judge Marcos Rosalas scored it 10-3.

In the final round the two continued the same pace. Carter still failed to score any throw points and managed little in the stand-up game as Le scored in both stand-up as well as throws. Although Carter was a strong opponent for Le, he was no match for Le's throwing skills. He was able to continue standing both times Le attempted his famous Scissor Sweep takedown but wasn't able to counter some of Le's other throws. At the end of the 5th, Le again won on all 3 judges cards. Judge Jon Schorle scored it 10-5. Judge Susan Thomas Gitlin scored it 27-14 and judge Marcos Rosalas scored it 19-5.

In the end, Le won on all 3 judges cards 5 rounds to 0 to be the first to capture an IKF San Shou World Title in the ring. Carter proved to be one of Le's toughest opponents. Although he didn't have the throwing skills to match Le, his heart and toughness kept him strong throughout all 5 rounds. Great fight by both!

Danny Steele



Rudi Ott

After this match-up, the question was asked, "Who has the San Shou Skills to match-up against Cung Le?" With that in mind it was clear to understand why many were saying that the future of not only Cung Le as a San Shou Style Fighter, but the fighting style of San Shou itself will be tested in the future competition of this rules style whether it be called San Shou or "Punch, Kick Throw." It's clear that Le is one of the Greatest San Shou style fighters in the World. He's proved this time and time again, but the question is,

"Who's Next?"

The Semi Main Event lost some of it's hype when IKF MT & IR World Champion Danny Steele (Left) of Los Angeles, CA, USA didn't make the weight cut off of 147 lbs for the vacant IKF San Shou Welterweight World Title. Steele made 149.5 but was unable to drop any more as he was nursing a groin injury he had suffered about 4 weeks ago. Because of this, Matee Jedeepitak (Right) of Ratchaburi, Thailand via Indianapolis, Indiana, USA was awarded the World Title by forfeit. However, both fighters agreed to fight anyway to assure some excitement for the event.

In round 1, Steele was hit in the head with a knee strike by Jedeepitak which dropped him to the canvas. Referee Marcos Rosalas didn't see the knee and gave Steele an 8 count instead. (Knees were not legal in any of these bouts) As if that wasn't enough to slow Steele down, he also re-injured his groin at the end of the round when he threw a kick. However, as many know, Steele wasn't about to have the injury stop him. Steele tried his best to fight toe to toe with Jedeepitak but it was not meant to be. Unable to move at will Jedeepitak picked his shots against Steele and landed them wherever he wanted to. After 1 the scores were, Judge Jon Schorle scored it 28-27 for Steele. Judge Susan Thomas Gitlin scored it 47-11 for Jedeepitak and judge Dan Stell scored it 29-8 for Jedeepitak.

Round 2 started strong as Steele tried to put more pressure on Jedeepitak. However Jedeepitak exploded back with an attack of his own. Picking his shots from a simple jab to explosive leg kicks, these two wouldn't get into any kind of Throwing game, but the stand-up action was explosive when they mixed it up. As round 2 continued the two seemed to do more standing around than fighting. Playing a waiting game to see who would commit first. When they did Jedeepitak seemed to always come away with the best. As in the Draka style of fighting Steele fought in the mid 90's, the "Point System" once again hurt Steele as his activity wasn't anywhere near Jedeepitak who scored and scored often with his hands and feet. In round 2, judge Jon Schorle scored it 17-9 for Jedeepitak. Judge Susan Thomas Gitlin scored it 25-14 for Jedeepitak and judge Dan Stell scored it 18-8 for Jedeepitak.

As the rounds progressed, it all looked the same. Although Jedeepitak was making a name off an injured Steele, the fact was, HE WAS MAKING A NAME! Everyone was impressed at his skill and technique. After round 3, judge Jon Schorle scored it 20-10 for Jedeepitak. Judge Susan Thomas Gitlin scored it 31-11 for Jedeepitak and judge Dan Stell scored it 22-9 for Jedeepitak. After round 4, judge Jon Schorle scored it 15-6 for Jedeepitak. Judge Susan Thomas Gitlin scored it 28-9 for Jedeepitak and judge Dan Stell scored it 14-6 for Jedeepitak.

when round 5 came around, Jedeepitak didn't want to leave any doubt in the judges minds or the fans. Steele was an injured animal with very little movement and Jedeepitak was out for his prey. He exploded with kick and punch combinations scoring at will and impressing everyone. After round 5, judge Jon Schorle scored it 25-5 for Jedeepitak. Judge Susan Thomas Gitlin scored it 37-7 for Jedeepitak and judge Dan Stell scored it 25-3 for Jedeepitak. When it was over, the IKF had no problem crowning Jedeepitak the IKF San Shou World Champion.

What we would like to see though is 2 things. 1, a rematch with a healthy Steele, but more important, for Jedeepitak to challenge IKF World Champion Khunpon (right) for his IKF MuayThai Rules Welterweight World Title. This would be a Great Match-up!

Before the two Pro World Title bouts was the challenge for the vacant IKF Pro San Shou Intercontinental Title between IKF Pro US San Shou Middleweight Champion Rudi Ott (Left) of San Jose California, USA against Peter Kaljevic (Right) who was born in Montenegro, Yugoslavia but currently resides in New York City, New York, USA.

This bout was a strong match for both fighters. However, Ott, as Le in his bout, proved to have all the throwing skill in this match-up. Kaljevic entered the match with plenty of experience having a record of 47 wins, 15 loses with 18 wins coming by KO or TKO. He also proved to have a heavy right hand as well, but in comparison, Ott proved he had a chin as solid as a rock. On several occasions, Ott dropped his left hand and Kaljevic saw the opening and went for it, landing several times. However Ott never staggered and answered back with a sort of "That was a good shot" smile but take this as he threw Kaljevic around the ring. After round 1, judge Jon Schorle scored it 20-6 for Ott. Judge Susan Thomas Gitlin scored it 45-11 for Ott and judge Marcos Rosalas scored it 29-7 for Ott.

This fight was clearly the "Rudi Ott Show" as he used nearly every throw in the book scoring often as if Kaljevic never knew a counter. At the end of round 2, the judges scored the round, judge Jon Schorle 29-12 for Ott. Judge Susan Thomas Gitlin scored it 41-21 for Ott and judge Marcos Rosalas scored it 18-6 for Ott. In round 3, judge Jon Schorle scored it 32-10 for Ott. Judge Susan Thomas Gitlin scored it 39-13 for Ott and judge Marcos Rosalas scored it 23-7 for Ott. In round 4, judge Jon Schorle scored it 20-11 for Ott. Judge Susan Thomas Gitlin scored it 31-16 for Ott and judge Marcos Rosalas scored it 20-12 for Ott. In the final round 5, judge Jon Schorle scored it 15-7 for Ott. Judge Susan Thomas Gitlin scored it 20-11 for Ott and judge Marcos Rosalas scored it 17-5 for Ott.

This was Rudi Ott's title to win and he did so with a strong effort. Although the scores didn't sound close, Kaljevic made a great fight out of it. In the win, Ott was awarded the vacant IKF Pro San Shou Intercontinental Title.

Matee Jedeepitak



Peter Kaljevic






Khunpon

Before the Pro bouts were 3 IKF Amateur San Shou Title Bouts. Here's how they scored;

1. IKF Amateur San Shou California Cruiserweight Title
   Brian Madigan defeated Brian Kuhn by majority decision.
   
   
   
2. IKF Amateur San Shou Light Middleweight U.S. Title
   Although Santos Soto (Right, 11-2/8, 151, 5'9", 17) of San Jose, CA, USA came in under the title weight limit of 153 lbs, the fight continued and he went on to defeat Chris Overby (13-2/7, 157, 5'9) of Bellefontaine, Ohio, USA by TKO at 1:55 of round 3 to claim his second IKF Amateur San Shou U. S. Title.
   
   
   
3. IKF Amateur San Shou U. S. Bantamweight Title Defense
   Jenna Castillo (Below - Left, 7-0, 5'5, 123, 19) of San Jose, CA proved once again that she IS THE WOMAN OF SAN SHOU!
   Castillo successfully defended her title and continued her undefeated streak by defeating Christine Yandolli (9-3/0, 5'7, 20, 123) of Smithtown, Long Island, New York, USA by unanimous decision.
   • NOTE: To respond to some of the fans comments about the IKF not having a belt to present to Castillo after her win, the reason was because her camp forgot to bring the Title Belt she was defending to the ring. This was not the fault of the IKF.

Ush Entertainment has announced that they would like to promote 3 San Shou style events for the 2002 season. If all are as exciting as this one, we all look forward to seeing more.

For more info on this event, please contact Monica Ortiz at (415) 643-9109 or by e-mail at; monica@unitedforthechildren.com.

Net proceeds from United for the Children are being donated to the US Marine Corps' Toys for Tots Foundation and the The Twin Towers Orphan Fund. Toys for Tots has been a fixture in holiday charity for needy children since 1947. Although more recently founded, The Twin Towers Orphan Fund is a volunteer organization founded to support the orphaned children of the September 11th rescue workers and victims. All funds are being independently handled by the San Francisco CPA firm Shea, Labagh, Dobberstein.

Cung Le



Danny Steele



Rudi Ott



Christine Yandolli

This Saturday night, December 15th, Cung Le's UsH! Entertainment and G-Up will Present UNITED FOR THE CHILDREN. A Benefit Event for the The Twin Towers Orphan Fund and the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation at the San Jose Event Center in San Jose, California, USA.

There will be 3 Elements that will make this a very special night for everyone. Of course the IKF Title Fights are an element we like to talk about in this article and we will, but probably the most important part is who will benefit from this great event, The Children. The third element that makes this such a special night will be all the individuals involved.

The United For The Children (UFTC) event will combine some of the world's best martial artist with Hip Hop sounds and Hollywood style staging. Ush Entertainment has brought together not only some great kickboxing action ("The American Fight Sport") but also some of the areas best DJ's, hip hop dancers and R & B singers who have prepared quite a show. Unlike a lot of fund-raising Benefits, UFTC will be donating 100 percent of the event net proceeds to The Toys for Tots Foundation and The Twin Towers Orphan Fund. Everyone in the USA as well as around the world has been touched by our national crisis and are aware that holidays are the hardest time for children in need. Because of this, UFTC has organized this event as a way of providing needed funds for the Children at the Holidays.

The Main Event will feature San Shou Superstar Cung Le (Left) of San Jose, California, USA against Shoni Carter (Right) of Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Le's, who's impressive career includes being a Light Heavyweight World Champion and Three Time Captain of the US National San Shou Team has been considered by many as one of the greatest fighters on the planet. On the other side of the ring will be UFC's #2 Ranked Middleweight and former Collegiate All-American Wrestler, Shonie "Showtime" Carter. The two will be fighting for the vacant IKF (International Kickboxing Federation) Light Heavyweight San Shou World Title.

Both Le and Carter are 29 years old. Le stands 5'10" to Carter's 5'9". Both plan to weigh in at about 177 lbs. Le's "Overall" fight record is 38 wins and 2 loses with 26 of his wins coming by KO or TKO. Carter's record is 40 wins with 7 loses and 16 wins coming by KO or TKO. Le's fierce style and athletic prowess is catapulting him and "The American Fight Sport" into the mainstream, prompting Black Belt magazine to proclaim him "San Shou Kung Fu's Top Fighter" in January 2001. Carter is a fighter with power, versatility, and style and is known for his over the top, in-your-face bouts with the toughest competitors in the UFC.

The other co-Main Event will be for the vacant IKF Pro San Shou Welterweight World title and will feature 2 Time IKF World Champion Danny Steele (Left) against #1 IKF Ranked Matee Jedeepitak (Right) of Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, via Ratchaburi, Thailand.

Steele, who was Born in Saigon, Vietnam and raised in Hawaii currently lives in Los Angeles, California, USA and has a fight record of 37 wins with 9 loses and 2 draws with 28 of his wins coming by KO or TKO. He's obviously one of the best fighters on the planet with knockout power in both hands and leg kicks that could drop a tree. His skill has earned him a total of six world titles in five weight divisions and a nickname to go along with his proven toughness, Danny "Hard As" Steele!.

Steele's opponent on the other side of the ring will be top contender Matee Jedeepitak who sports an extensive record of 123 wins with 52 loses, with 38 of his wins coming by KO or TKO. He's ranked #1 in the world in the IKF MuayThai Welterweight division and a former Featherweight World Champion. He's been considered one of Thailand's best fighters. His nickname "Left Dragon Leg" was coined after the many knockouts he has delivered with that leg.

Steele is 32 years old, Jedeepitak is 29. Both stand 5'7" tall and plan to weigh-in at 147 lbs. these are two "POWERFUL" leg kickers and because of this, we may not see a lot of throwing in this bout.

Before the two Pro World Title bouts will be a Pro Intercontinental Title between IKF Pro US San Shou Middleweight Champion Rudi Ott (Left) of San Jose California, USA against Peter Kaljevic (Right) who was born in Montenegro, Yugoslavia but currently resides in New York City, New York, USA.

Ott's overall fight record is 25 wins, 3 loses with 7 wins coming by KO or TKO. Kaljevic has a record of 47 wins, 15 loses with 18 wins coming by KO or TKO. Ott is a Three time member of US the USA National San Shou Team and the Current Captain of the US National San Shou Team. He's a versatile and dangerous fighter who has solidified himself as one of the best in the USA. Saturday night he hopes to take another step towards proving he's one of the best in the world, but Kaljevic's extensive ring experience will be his strong point in his attempt to make the headlines in Ott's hometown.

The event will also feature 2 US National Team members and IKF U.S. San Shou Champions, Santos Soto (IKF Amateur U.S. San Shou Super Welterweight Champion) and Jenna Castillo. (Right - IKF Amateur Woman's San Shou U. S. Bantamweight Champion.

Soto's was first booked to fight challenger Arturo Ortiz but Ortiz suffered a broken hand in training last week. A quick fix was made when Chris Overby of Bellefontaine, Ohio, USA (13-1/7, 5'9) accepted the bout just today. A special thanks goes out to Chris for saving this bout. The two will be fighting for the vacant IKF Amateur San Shou Light Middleweight U.S. Title.

At only 19, Jenna Castillo will be defending her IKF US Amateur Title is already making her mark as one of the best young female fighters in the United States. Her strength in the ring center around her fierce competitiveness and her unflinching focus on her opponent. Castillo, (Right, 6-0, 5'5, 19) is a 1999 Pan American Game Competitor and member of the US National San Shou Team. She will face challenger Christine Yandolli (Left, 9-2, 5'7", 20) of Smithtown, Long Island, New York, USA has won an Amateur World Title, the USKBA North American Title, Tri-State Title, New York State Title and a Long Island title.

The other element that will make this event such a great "SHOW" will be the stars who are involved. We won't give out the guest list but expect to see some very well known faces at ringside. The halftime show that is being produced by Hip Hop.com and the International Turntablist Federation promises to be just as star-studded as the nights fight action, featuring New York's Hip Hop dance legend Crazy Legs and the Rock Steady Crew and music's top DJs Apollo, Vin, and Ajaxx. In addition will be D'Wayne Wiggins, (Right) top neo-soul/R&B vocalist, composer, arranger and producer who will be headlining the halftime show.

Wiggins' career has taken him to the top of the music charts with platinum selling albums as a founding member of the legendary group Tony, Toni, Tone and recently with his solo debut "Eyes Never Lie," which included collaborations with Carlos Santana and Darius Rucker of Hootie and the Blowfish. Wiggins was responsible for originally signing multi-platinum artist Destiny's Child to Columbia records and has written and produced several songs for the group. An accomplished and sought after musician, songwriter, and producer, Wiggins has composed hits for Tony Toni Tone, Jody Watley, Tevin Campbell, Karyn White, Too Short, Lighter Shade of Brown, E-40, Richie Rich, and most recently Destiny's Child, India Arie, and Alicia Keys.

Shoni Carter



Matee Jedeepitak



Peter Kaljevic



Jenna Castillo



D'Wayne Wiggins,

As a member of the Tonyies, Wiggins co-wrote movie tracks for "Boys in the Hood," "Beverly Hills Cop III," "The Mask," and "Panther." As a soloist, his soundtrack credits include songs for "Sugar Hill," "Men in Black," and the TV comedy hit "Living Single." He now adds Movie Producer to his list of titles, as Executive Producer for the feature film "Me & Mrs. Jones". The film is scheduled for release in 2002 and stars Brian White, Wandachristine, Victor Williams, and Kim Fields. Considered the creator of "neo-soul", Wiggins deftly combines classic soul vocals, a live band, and a distinct lack of studio-created sounds, making his on-stage performances very personal, unique experiences. His performance is going to be the highlight of United for the Children.

Net proceeds from United for the Children are being donated to the US Marine Corps' Toys for Tots Foundation and the The Twin Towers Orphan Fund. Toys for Tots has been a fixture in holiday charity for needy children since 1947. Although more recently founded, The Twin Towers Orphan Fund is a volunteer organization founded to support the orphaned children of the September 11th rescue workers and victims. All funds are being independently handled by the San Francisco CPA firm Shea, Labagh, Dobberstein.

Tickets for United for the Children are available through Bass and Tickets.com. Donations and sponsorships are also available via www.unitedforthechildren.com/sponsors.html or email sponsors@unitedforthechildren.com. There will be a registered press-only press conference and weigh-in the day before United for the Children. Press registrations are complimentary for qualified media representatives and gives you access to all events and the show floor. Contact monica@unitedforthechildren.com for more information.

For MORE info about this Great event and all involved, Click HERE!

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT MONICA ORTIZ
UsH! ENTERTAINMENT
MARKETING & PR (415) 643-9109 or by e-mail at; monica@unitedforthechildren.com. Marketing and Press; press@unitedforthechildren.com

www.unitedforthechildren.com

WHO Are The Champions?

This last September, over 200 USA Amateur Kickboxers gathered together in Kansas City Kansas, USA for the Greatest weekend of Amateur Kickboxing ever in North America. It was the
2001 IKF/RINGSIDE USA National Amateur Kickboxing Championship Tournament.

In all, each and every fighter would "Walk The Walk" in hopes of winning one of 61 IKF USA National Amateur Championship Titles.

Last year, their were 41 IKF USA National Amateur Titles to win. Of the 41 2000 IKF USA National Champions, only 18 made it back to the 2001 USA National Finals Tournament. Of them, 15 made it back to the National Championship Bout. Of them, 11 would retain their 2000 Title or win at a different weight and/or rules style. Do you know who they are?

To see them all, check out our new IKF USA National Champions Page by Clicking HERE! To see who ALL the Champions have been for the last 3 years, click HERE!

We are proud to announce that the IKF web site (www.IKFKickboxing.com) just set it's own personal best record for number of hits IN 1 DAY. On Monday, December 10th, the total hit count for the day was 35,372 Hits! This mark broke the old record of 30,052 set back on Tuesday, May 8th, 2001.

Wait, there's more great news...We are even more excited to announce that "Yesterday", Tuesday, December 11th ALSO broke the old record with a total hit count for the day of 32,006. If this keeps, we may break last months (November, 2001) TOTAL hit record of 566,087 Hits in "1" Month. This has been the best monthly Hit Count since we started tracking our web site hits back in May of 2001. So far, for the first "11" Days of December, we already have 265,527 Hits!

For December, our average number of hits per "DAY" so far as of END of Yesterday, November 11th, is 24,138. For additional "DETAILED" Web Traffic info please see our IKFKickboxing.com Web Traffic info page by clicking HERE!

Non IKF Event - November 2001, Dublin Ireland: Head Coaches, Rob (Photo at Right - Pictured Far Right) & Jim Zbilski (Pictured far Left) of Team Z Kickboxing, once again, brought a team of fighters representing the USA to Dublin, Ireland for an evening of International competition. Representing the team from the USA were none other than IKF US Champions Joe Taylor, Kyle McElroy, and Peyton Russell, IKF US finalist Renee Broadacz as well as Tim Mazurkiewicz, Rick Bloyer, Jim Klauba and John Ohnona. The team from Ireland consisted of fighters from Gallway, Dublin, Waterford and Belfast. The event was hosted by Joe Canning.

In attendance were several key members of the Irish government, including the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Michael Mulcahy, (At Left with Coach Rob).

Only 6 of the team of 8 competed in Team Competition (USA Vs Ireland). Of the 6 bouts, the outcome of the evening was a draw with 3 victories to Team USA and 3 to Team Ireland.

For the second year in a row, this friendly competition has grown to such a success that plans are already in the works for 2 more share events for 2002. Plans include Team Z's traveling to Gallway in May, 2002 and the Irish Team to come to Chicago in November.

Ernesto Hoost
VS Stefan Leko



Mark Hunt
VS Stefan Leko



Mark Hunt VS
Francisco Filho

When opportunity knocks, Mark Hunt knocks back, knocks down and knocks out. Hunt won the K-1 Oceania with three knock outs then got eliminated in the Melbourne GP by Ernesto Hoost. He didn't even qualify for the Fukuoka Repechage tournament, but when Filipovic withdrew he got a chance. There he lost to Ray Sefo who was unable to continue and opportunity knocked for the last time. He clobbered Adam Watt to qualify for the Grand Prix and hasn't looked back since. Grand Prix wins over Jerome LeBanner, Stefan Leko and Francisco Filho mean that Mark Hunt is not only a K-1 superstar but also the first new champion since 1997. He joins Branko Cikatic (1993), Peter Aerts (1994, 1995, 1998), Andy Hug (1996) and Ernesto Hoost (1997, 1999, 2000) to become the fifth kickboxer to win the K-1 Grand Prix Tournament. Here's the bout by bout recap;

Ernesto Hoost vs. Stefan Leko (The Finesse Fight)
Hoost and Leko are two of the best all round heavyweight kickboxers in the world. They put 'boxing' in the word 'kickboxing'. The contrast that made the fight dramatic was the fact that Hoost, in the twilight of his career, was trying to build on his already impressive legacy while Leko, in the dawn of his, was trying to overcome years of bad luck.

This classic young lion-old lion battle ended with the old lion making no errors defensively and shutting out the young lion. To make matters worse for Leko, he was hit while throwing a high kick and lost his footing. The referee originally called it a slip then changed his mind and called it a down. As quick a Leko was, he just couldn't solve the puzzle in time or make up for the spread in points. Hoost by decision.

Jerome LeBanner vs. Mark Hunt (The Impact Match)
Lots of fighters have knockouts on their records. These two however send doctors scrambling into the ring. Ask anyone from whom they would least like to receive a free punch and they'll invariably say LeBanner or Hunt.

Last year, as the winner of the 2000 Oceania tournament, Hunt got his first trip to Japan. In his first match, he met K-1 superstar Jerome LeBanner and by his own account was star struck in more ways than one. This year the repeat Oceania champion surprised everyone by choosing to meet LeBanner again when others were available.

Jerome LeBanner was the favorite to win not only this match but the whole tournament. He even modeled for the official K-1 poster rather than reigning K-1 champion Ernesto Hoost. Jerome is 13-0 (1 no contest) in the last two years thanks to his punching power. It was therefore interesting to see him throw 14 kicks in the first round. His obvious game plan was to beat Hunt on points and it was working. Hunt however got through with one solid punch in the second round and followed up with a barrage until the French giant collapsed. Hunt by KO-2.

Alexei Ignashov vs. Nicholas Pettas (The Styles Clash )
Ignashov has faced some high quality competition in his short career. His claim to fame is beating Lloyd Van Dams twice, the first time by knockout. Knowing this put a tremendous amount of pressure on Pettas as it would anyone who depends primarily on low kicks. The pressure on Alexei himself was that, as a classic muay thai style fighter, he claims karateka are unpredictable. There was some evidence of Pettas doing the unexpected; he threw low kicks in pairs with Ignashov checking the first and taking the second. The fight was decided when the Red Scorpion using his hold-and-sting strategy broke Pettas' nose with a knee, thereby stopping the fight. Ignashov by TKO-2.

Peter Aerts vs. Francisco Filho (The Rebirth Bout)
Both Peter Aerts (three time K-1 Grand Prix champion) and Francisco Filho (Kyokushin Karate Champion) entered this tournament mid-slump. For Aerts, it goes back to the 1999 Grand Prix when a revamped LeBanner knocked the reigning champion out in one round. After that, losses to Cyril Abidi, Mirko Filipovic and Stefan Leko coupled with unimpressive wins over Nobu Hayashi, Noboru Uchida, and Maurice Smith, created the need for Aerts to prove he is still a top contender. For Filho, it was more a case of hot and cold. He was knocked cold by LeBanner, fought hot in the 2000 Block B tournament, then showed up cold in the 2000 Grand Prix. This year he was frigid in the Las Vegas GP and lukewarm in the Fukuoka Repechage tournament. He too had something to prove.

Filho threw 13 low kicks in the first round and 14 in the second, the kind that you can hear anywhere in Tokyo Dome. With 40 seconds remaining in the first round Aerts' left foot started to swell and by the end of the second, even he had to accept that heart alone wasn't enough to win. Unfortunately, Aerts will have to endure one more L on his record. Filho by TKO-2.

Hoost receives a doctor stop.
Suffering an injury nearly identical to fellow Dutchman Aerts, Hoost was forced to withdraw. With Aerts and LeBanner also out, this meant that not only a new champion would be crowned but that both finalists would be first timers. Stefan Leko was then set to test his speed against Mark Hunt.

Semi Finals
Mark Hunt vs. Stefan Leko
Hunt is not undefeated. He has lost fights before. The formula is simple; don't get greedy, hit and run, and win on points. Power punchers also have ways to win on points though. As Hunt demonstrated, scoring two knockdowns in a three round fight creates a point spread that is impossible to recover. The second was another case of being tagged while kicking and Leko was livid at the referee's call... with reason but without avail. Hunt by decision.

Francisco Filho vs. Alexei Ignashov
Ignashov undoubtedly felt very confident entering the ring for this fight. He'd beaten Lloyd Van Dams twice and just stopped Pettas. All he had to do was stick to the usual game plan. Filho, however, suffered the indignity of twice fighting poorly against Sergei Ivanovich, Ignashov's stablemate. This time he was better prepared. The Brazilian scored his low kicks, landed his overhand rights and held off the knees. By the third round, the Belarussian was warned for stalling and the final decision meant that he would never match Aerts' record of winning the Grand Prix at 23 years of age. Filho by decision.

Final
Mark Hunt vs. Francisco Filho
Each came with their own game plans. Filho would keep his hands up and throw low kicks in spite of the fact that they had lost some of their snap in the two previous fights. Hunt, it surprisingly turns out, had no intention of headhunting; he was going to work the body. In the first round, Filho threw 10 low kicks to Hunt's 6 body blows. In the second round, Filho picked the pace up to 15 low kicks and Hunt responded with 9 body blows. In the third, Filho was warned for inactivity and the low kicks dropped to 9 while the New Zealander's body strikes increased to 11. The judges then called the fight a draw and in the overtime round, Filho was warned again for inactivity as he only produced a paltry 4 low kicks. Hunt, on the other hand, attacked the body 15 times en route to a $400,000 payday. The judges reached an easy unanimous decision, Mark Hunt of New Zealand, 2001 K-1 Grand Prix Tournament Champion.

Mark Hunt



Alexei Ignashov
VS Nicholas Pettas


Alexei Ignashov
VS Francisco Filho



Mark Hunt VS Francisco Filho

Atlanta, Georgia, USA: It was a late night in Georgia when the main event took center stage. It was 1:AM Eastern Time. However it would be the final touch of a FULL HOUSE/SELLOUT event that had already seen 12 great bouts in Full Contact Rules, International Rules, MuayThai Rules and ISCF Mixed Martial Arts at the Atlanta Brewing Company in Atlanta Georgia. Nothing is better than a sellout other than great bouts, which is exactly what the full house crowd witnessed... This event had EXCITMENT!

Atlanta Georgia, USA Promoter Lane Collyer had stepped back from his familiar position of "Event Promoter" so he could fight on this event, putting this job title into the hands of his Sukotai Inc. partner, Ron Gaiteri (Right). The night was a MAJOR Success for all involved which included the events major sponsors Spondivits Food & Spirits of Atlanta, Georgia (who has the greatest seafood we've ever tasted!!!) and the Atlanta Brewing Company (Venue sponsor) located in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia. It was a first class event that featured great seafood and hamburgers catered by Spondivits and free Microbrewery Beer for all those of age from theAtlanta Brewing Company (except officials of course...) and of course, a lot of great fight action!! It was truly a night of Fights, Food and Spirits.

As we said, the main event had to wait until after midnight, but it was worth it all as Goutiar, Mississippi's #13 ranked (IKF Pro MuayThai Division) "BIG" John Dixon (245, 18-1/18) and #11 ranked (IKF Pro MuayThai Division) "Lightning" Lane Collyer (Left, 18-3/11, Atlanta Georgia) stepped into the ring to contend for the vacant IKF Pro MuayThai Rules Super Heavyweight United States Title.

Although Collyer's had all of his ring success in the Heavyweight division, (Under 210 lbs) he wanted to move up in weight to the Super Heavyweight division, (Above 209.1 lbs.). At the weigh-ins, Collyer barely made the minimum weight for the Super Heavyweight Pro MuayThai Rules Division, weighing in at only 209.5 lbs. On the other side of the ring, Dixon was a true Super Heavyweight weighing in at an even 245 as planned. If Dixon's record wasn't intimidating enough, his size was.

However, when the two stepped into the ring, it was clear to everyone that Collyer was a lean 210 lbs while Dixon looked a bit soft around the middle. To most, it would appear that the big man may get winded early, but who knows in the fight game.

We all know Dixon didn't get here by being winded early and losing. With only 1 loss in his 17 kickboxing bouts of which all 17 were won by TKO/KO, Dixon was here because he's a winner, as was Collyer. Better yet, when the fighters are this big, anything can happen... Here's the round by round action of the main event....

ROUND 1
As the round started, the two showed respect with a tap of the gloves and went into action. From the outside, Collyer went to work on Dixon's legs seeming to hit his target at will with Dixon making little, if any attempt to block any of the kicks. In return, Dixon was 90% hands, mixing up jabs, hooks, uppercuts and a strong right hand which was just missing it's mark throughout the round. As the two worked into the clinch, Collyer scored well on repeated knees to Dixon's body and a few making it to Dixon's head. As round 1 ended, Collyer won on all 3 judges cards 10-9.

ROUND 2
With a slight rest and adjustment of his game plan, Dixon came out as strong as a bull, again throwing mostly hands. Although he appeared to have Collyer on the ropes, Collyer weathered the storm and took the game to the clinch again. Here again was Collyer's strong spot as he scored repeatedly on knees to Dixon's body. From ringside, it appeared Dixon, due to his size, wasn't feeling any sting from Collyer's kicks and punches as he continued to not check/block any of Collyer's kicks allowing Collyer to fire away. It was clear that if Collyer was going to win, he would win in from the clinch. If Dixon was going to win, it would be by landing one of his heavy punches which seemed to be getting closer and closer to finding there mark as he landed more often in round 2. At the end of 2 though, Collyer did enough to win the round again and lead on all 3 judges cards, 20-18.

ROUND 3
As the round begin, Collyer did a spinning side kick that Dixon caught under his elbow. As his leg came down Collyer limped gingerly but continued the fight. What he, and all at ringside didn't know was that he had just broken the top bone in his right foot, (Later confirmed by medical staff at ringside) however Collyer's heart kept him in the bout. Dixon seemed to sense something wasn't right as Collyer started dropping his hands more and his movement slowed in the ring. The experienced Dixon started to push the fight more at this point scoring on the inside with some knees of his own and several strong punches to Collyer's head. Collyer came back landing more knee strikes. This time some found Dixon's jaw that rocked him hard and later, another to his forehead. However the pain in Collyer's foot was becoming more and more noticeable as his ring movement slowed considerably and his hands begin to drop more while Dixon's hands found Collyer's head more and more. The bout had memories of the Rick Roufus Vs Stan Longinidis (1997) bout where Longinidis broke his foot in the middle of the fight which Roufus went on to win to claim the IKF IR Heavyweight World Title.
As the round came near the end, Dixon landed the shot he was looking for all night long. A "BIG" right hand that dropped Collyer to the mat. This bout should have been over at that moment but referee Richard Trammell made a costly error as he waived it off due to the bell sounding the end of the round. (In the IKF, the fighter can only be saved by the bell in the FINAL round) Tremmell made not only a costly error that should have been a Dixon win in round 3, but was soon to prove a safety error for Collyer. Although Collyer seemed to have a slight edge in round 3, Dixon's knockdown turned the judges minds who all gave Dixon the round 10-8.
During the break, Collyer never informed his corner of his foot injury, vowing to continue on despite the fact he had no ring movement left and worse yet, that he was still in a sense, out on his feet from Dixon's big right hand at the end of the previous round.

ROUND 4
While Collyer questioned himself to enter round 4, Dixon appeared as if he had just started the round like he just walked into the ring. He wasn't breathing heavy and continued to look extremely composed as he did throughout the entire fight. He may not have a 6 pack stomach, but don't be fooled... Dixon was in "FIGHTING" shape. As round 4 started, Dixon did what any ring veteran would do. Like a hungry animal, he went after his wounded prey. Dixon moved in and landed the last needed "BIG" right hand on Collyer, dropping him to the canvas. This time, referee Trammell made no error in judgement, immediately stopping the bout at 17 seconds into round 4.

Dixon's belt was presented by special guest Frank Shamrock (Right). The win gave "BIG John" the IKF Pro Super Heavyweight MuayThai Title and brought some attention for him as being a potential contender for the K-1 North American Tournament. Question is, is there an opening for him? Well, there just so happens to be one we know of... From what we found out last Thursday, a day before this bout, Collyer had pulled out of the K-1 North America Qualifier event in Milwaukee Wisconsin in February of 2002. If there's still an opening where Collyer's name once was, we'd like to suggest Dixon be the one to fill it. Under the circumstances, it would only seem fair.

As far as Collyer, he already had plans to stay in the Heavyweight Division (Under 215 lbs.) which is where we feel he's the strongest. Once again, nearly every title in the heavyweight division is vacant and Collyer's proved he's a contender in any of the rules styles at that weight. We're sure to see Collyer back again in the heavyweight division after his foot heels and if Dixon can't get his shot in the K-1 North American Tournament, there's always the chance of him going to England to face Matt Skelton in March for Skelton's IKF MTR World Title. Here's a review of all the nights bouts.

1. IKF FCR
   George Munn (156, 7-1/6) of Woodstock, Georgia defeated Monty Powell (150, 4-5/2) of Sampson, Alabama by a questionable referee stoppage at 1:51 in round 2 after Powell went down from a clubbing style punch. He rose up quickly to take his 8 count and after the 8 count, referee Gerald Bush stopped the bout. Although Powell kicked more in round 1, (19-13), Munn won a very close round 1 on all 3 judges cards in round 1, 10-9.
   
   
2. IKF IR
   Robert Myers (153, 2-1/0) of Snellville, Georgia defeated Kenny Allen (154, 4-4/2) by unanimous decision, 29-28, 29-28 & 29-28.
   
   
3. ISCF MMA
   Shawn Porter (150, 6-3) of Spartonburg, South Carolina defeated Shawn Gay (159, 6-3) of Valdosta, Georgia by unanimous decision, 12-3, 12-3 & 10-5.
   
   
4. IKF FCR
   Brenda Harrison (110, 7-3) of Woodstock, Georgia defeated Teri Prunty (112, 2-2/1) by unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27 & 30-27.
   
   
5. IKF FCR
   Rod Llaneza (164, 7-2) of Snellville, Georgia defeated Toty Otarola (165, 1-4) of South Carolina by TKO at 1:45 of round 3.
   
   
6. IKF IR
   Steve Hall (169, 3-1-1) of Snellville, Georgia forced an 8 count on John Greaves (173, 2-2, runner up at the 2001 USA Nationals in the IR Light Heavyweight) of Chattanuga, Tennessee in round 1 in route to a majority decision victory, 28-28, 30-26 & 29-28.
   
   
7. IKF FCR
   Andrea Zalas (*138, 17, 4-1-1, 2001 FCR Junior - Light Welterweight USA National Champion) of Simpsonville South Carolina defeated Penny DeGraw (*126, 32, 1-2, runner up at the 2001 USA Nationals in the IR Lightweight Division) of Atlanta, Georgia by split decision, 30-27, 29-28 & 30-27. This was a very exciting bout in the kicking department with Degraw throwing over 50 in the 3 rounds and Zalas over 40.
   (*) This bout was a special Exhibition bout. The IKF would not sanction this fight due to the weight spread difference. However, both fighters and their trainers still wanted to keep the match. The IKF decided, due to their age difference compared to the weight difference as well as fight experience, they would allow the fighters and trainers to make their own decision. Since both accepted this match as a real bout, the result was recorded on their records.
   
   
8. IKF FCR
   Shannon Hudson (172, 5-2) of Lyman, South Carolina and Mike Wood (168, 1-3-1) put on what many thought was the most exciting fight of the night. In the end, Hudson got the win by split decision, 29-28, 28-29 & 29-28.
   
   
9. IKF MTR
   Zack Day (162, 16-2, runner up at the 2001 USA Nationals in the FCR Super Middleweight) of Augusta Georgia had never fought anything but Full Contact above the waist rules before tonight. However a previously planned opponent for MuayThai veteran Phillip Botha (161, 7-3) of Atlanta, Georgia had dropped off the card. After a few quick calls, event matchmakers booked Day by surprise who was willing to give not just leg kicks, but MuayThai rules a shot. In the end, Day surprised everyone, including Botha with his strength of the new rule style as he took a unanimous decision victory 29-28, 30-27 & 29-28.
   
   
10. IKF FCR
    Amateur USA South East Region Light Heavyweight Title Bout: Daniel Ancheta (175) of Athens, Georgia defeated Will Ivey (173) by majority decision, 38-38, 39-36 & 39-37.
    
    
11. ISCF Pro USA East Coast Light Heavyweight Title Bout
    Kent Hensley (Right, arms up, 196, MMA: 8-0) defeated Jared Pettitt (190, MMA: 3-1) of Huntsville, Alabama by TKO when Pettitt didn't answer the bell for round 2. Hensley dominated round 1 and showed so on the judges cards as well where all 3 judges had him ahead after the round, 5-0, 5-0 & 4-1. In the round, Pettitt found himself in trouble several times, twice scooting himself under the ring ropes to avoid submission. Hensley also dropped Pettitt with a devastating forearm strike which was heard across the room.
    
    
12. ISCF East Coast Middleweight Title Bout
    Jason Miller of Atlanta, Georgia, USA (185) defeated Todd Carney of Moundsville, West Virginia, USA (172) by submission at 2:53 of round 2.
    
    
13. IKF MTR
    IKF Pro MTR Super Heavyweight United States Title
    John Dixon (245, 18-1 with 18 KO's) of Goutiar, Mississippi defeated Lane Collyer (209.5, 18-3 with 11 KO's) of Atlanta Georgia by TKO at 17 seconds into the 4th round.

For additional event info contact Mr. Ron Gaiteri by e-mail at this link
Rgaiteri2@aol.com.

Lane Collyer



Ron Gaiteri



Frank Shamrock






















Kent Hensley

Frank Shamrock

IKF Promoter and East Coast FCR Heavyweight Champion Lane Collyer (Right) is quickly becoming a household name here on the IKF News pages. From putting together several dynamic promotions to winning the award for the largest IKF USA Nationals Regional Event this year, Collyer knows the promotional game.

However this Friday night at the Atlanta Brewing Company in Atlanta Georgia, Collyer will take a step back and let associate Ron Gaiteri take over the promotional duties of their "BATTLE AT THE BREWERY" as he steps into the ring again in hopes to win another IKF Title. Collyer (18-2/11, 6'2", 211) is currently ranked in all 3 rule styles of the IKF. He's #2 in the IKF Pro Full Contact Heavyweight Division, #3 in the IKF Pro International Rules Heavyweight Division and #11 in IKF Pro MuayThai Division. The heavyweight division in the IKF FCR & IR Divisions breaks at 215, however in Pro MTR, it's at 209, putting Collyer in with a little bigger competition and with all the big K-1 Names as well.

Win or lose, this bout will test Collyer's strength against the bigger competition for his quest for a K-1 berth. Collyer's coming off of an impressive win over Mark Miller back in September of this year. Collyer (Left throwing an AX kick on Miller) opened up a strong knee attack on Miller's body and head, followed up with some strong leg kicks and good hand combinations that included strong body shots and a spinning backhand the bout was stopped at the 2:35 mark of the first round giving Collyer the win by TKO. Collyer hopes to repeat this call again Friday night.

Friday night Collyer will face one of those "Bigger" opponents in "BIG" John Dixon (17-1/17) of Gautier, Mississippi, USA. A win for Dixon would bring him back into the picture as a potential K-1 North American contender. Dixon is currently ranked #13 in the IKF Pro MuayThai Division. We plan on seeing him weigh-in at around 245 on ISCFhis 6'4" frame, but Dixon has weighed as much as 273. Dixon has a world title on his resume from an unknown kickboxing organization along with being the All-Army Tae Kwan Do Champion and 2 x National Judo Champion. He's also fought and won on a World Extreme Fighting event (WEF #7), an event the IKF's sister MMA (Mixed Martial Arts - NHB) organization ( ISCF) sanctions in the South East. He's been mostly active recently on the MMA fighting circuit where he' experienced mixed success. He was a competitor on Pride 1 losing to Kazumari Murakami 1:34 - 1st round via submission and has also lost to Dan Severn and Ukraine's Igor Vovchanchyn. Earlier this year in Russia Dixon defeated Russia's Igor Sharahov in a Free Style Rules bout in Moscow and beat Alexandar Mandek and and Igor Gueras by submission in Kiev, Ukrane. One thing we will say, we hope that the John Dixon that's scheduled to face Collyer Friday night is not the same John Dixon scheduled to box Thursday night against Tracy Telligman in Bay St. Louis, MS. If it is, and he gets stopped before the final bell, Collyer may be looking at a win by forfeit...

Regardless of what their future may bring, on Friday night the two will be fighting for the vacant IKF MTR Super Heavyweight United States Title. A win here would justify Collyer to get a direct entrance into the K-1 North American Tournament. However, due to a new system for the 2002 event, he may have to win 3 more bouts to get there instead. He's currently scheduled to fight in the new K-1 North America Qualifier event in Milwaukee Wisconsin in January, 2002.

Three other title bouts will be featured on the night which include "Ill" Will Ivey Vs "Dangerous" Daniel Ancheta for the vacant IKF Amateur International Rules South East Region Cruiserweight Title. There will be some ISCF titles on the line as well. They include Kent "The Norsman" Hensley Vs Jared "The Prodigy" Pettitt fighting for the vacant ISCF East Coast Light Heavyweight Title and "Crazy T" Todd Carney Vs Jason Miller for the vacant ISCF East Coast Middleweight Title.

Special guests on the night will include MMA Superstar Frank Shamrock (Left) and Atlanta Falcons Quarterback Chris Chandler (Right).

The event will be held at the Atlanta Brewing Company, 1219 Williams Street, North West, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. As of today, the event is 85% sold out so don't plan on getting any tickets at the door.

For additional event info Contact Mr. Ron Gaiteri by e-mail by clicking: Rgaiteri2@aol.com. For TICKET INFO Call: (404) 767-1569.

Chris Chandler

TUESDAY, December 4th, 2001, AT 4:00 PM, PT

Olympic Kickboxing?

OK... some of you may call this a "Hit Piece" or an "Attack" article". Well, we call it NEEDED NEWS! We feel the content of this news is important to EVERYONE in the sport of kickboxing because it seems there has been a lot of "Claims" made over the years in regards to kickboxing and the much desired venue of the Olympic Games. So with this being said, let us continue with putting a STOP to yet ANOTHER Olympic rumor...

He said, she said, "We're doing Olympic Kickboxing..." ete. etc. The rumors continue to fly as to WHO is or WHAT organization is sanctioning, organizing etc. etc. kickboxing for the Olympics... Let us set the record STRAIGHT as told to us by the IOC (International Olympic Committee) themselves. "There are NO organizations, clubs, associations or individuals at all associated with us or in our favor of bringing the sport of Kickboxing into the Olympic games at this time."

As discouraging as that sounds, "At this time", this is the truth everyone. Of course we hope it will change in the future, but again, "At this time", it's NOT even being considered by the IOC. To add to this, NO one is being considered, endorsed or approved by the IOC to make it happen. So when you hear the next "RUMOR" that's usually made up to spark an organizations membership drive to get you to fund their Christmas expense account, keep in mind, the TRUTH is only a few phone calls away. Which is what we did today...

We've all heard the "CLAIMS" to this crown in the past from WAKO, WMTC, ABC etc. etc. who have "CLAIMED" to have dozens of countries supporting their bid to the Olympics and that THEY will be "THE" Olympic's choice for organizing kickboxing en route to the Olympic Games. Again, This IS NOT TRUE! Now... the latest one coming from a small Midwest USA based organization. An organization that is only active in a few Midwest USA states and in those states, "MAYBE" sanctions 10 events a year... Maybe... The organization is called (KICK. (www.kickinternational.com).

Some of you may remember KICK from the Golden Age of kickboxing when it was on Prime Time TV. About 20 years ago, KICK was part of the so called "Big 3" (KICK, ISKA & WKA) as far as kickboxing sanctioning organizations. Well, we don't need to get into how Greed and Power took America off of prime time TV for the personal financial gain of certain individuals. That story has already been done and we don't want to get into it again in this article. Today, the IKF sanctions more events around the world than all 3 of these organizations combined. Sad, but true. Today, when KICK's name is brought up in kickboxing circles around the world, people reply, "We've never heard of them." Which as you will see, will also be the story to end this story.

Over the last couple of days we've received several calls from fighters, trainers and promoters in the Midwest "OUTRAGED" at the pressure associates of the KICK organization has been putting on them in recent weeks. Pressure? OK, a more precise word would be "Threats." These individuals are claiming that associates of the KICK organization have put out a threat that if ANY kickboxer fights for ANY other sanctioning body other than KICK, they will be "BANNED" from Olympic competition since KICK is the now the USA national and international governing body for Olympic amateur kickboxing, as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee.

OK, we've heard stuff like this before, so of course we had to go to the KICK website to see if any such "Olympic Claims" were being made. Shocked we were when right there on their site, it read;

"KICK International will comply with all requirements imposed by the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act. We are a not for profit corporation organized under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. KICK International seeks to serve as the national and international governing body for Olympic amateur kickboxing, as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee."

Wow... Impressive bunch of words. But very misleading to say the least. Notice the words we highlighted in RED? This is what may protect them from a lawsuit as we were told by the United States Olympic Committee today. However, the words in BLUE are what tend to be VERY Misleading to all readers. Not to mention what they are "Telling" everyone...

Well, such a claim can't be ignored, especially when there are threats involved and especially if those threats are being made to associates of the IKF! So our staff went to the work today to research this claim. We called the United States Olympic Committee in Colorado, USA as a start. We asked for their answer/response to the latest rumor of KICK being recognized by them... Their answer? "We've never even heard of them." Heck, WHO HAS! We and others are OUTRAGED at their threats to all these fighters and trainers who are already booked on other Midwest IKF events. Our report here to all of you Midwest USA kickboxers out there is to inform you and warn you that these promises are "far from the truth" and appear to be a Christmas membership drive attempt by KICK "AND" an attempt to attack "Former" KICK Promoters, Trainers and Fighters who are now associated with the IKF.

KICK is pushing web visitors to sign up NOW for their new Charter Memberships with promises of getting these members into Olympic Competition. The Charter Membership Fee is $39.95 plus an additional charge of 4.95 for what they are calling a "p&h"... ??? But they say you need to do it NOW before January 31, 2002 because on February 1, 2002, their annual membership fee returns to $45.00 plus the mystery $4.95 p&h, which will be without charter benefits. What do they give you for this membership? A dog tag that has your medical info on it... and THAT'S IT! We have yet to find ANY KICK Rankings. ANY KICK Members list. But we did find a "JOIN NOW" page...

We were also told that KICK had become partners with USA Boxing. So, of course we called USA Boxing. We spoke to "THE MAN" in charge of USA Boxing, Mr. Mike Stone. From what we were told, KICK has "Applied" to become a "Group Member" with USA Boxing to give them a "hoped for" better association with an Olympic Sport. However, KICK has not been approved and if they are approved, it wouldn't happen until they pass 2 different associate boards (Which they have not past either as of today) and the final one wouldn't be until August of 2002. So to answer this question... No, they are NOT associated with USA Boxing.

In addition, the United States Olympic Committee also called USA Boxing's associate staff, and got pretty much the same response... "We know NOTHING about this."

KICK is also telling everyone in the Midwest that they have a "BIG" TV event coming up and that if anyone fights for someone else, they will not get the opportunity to fight on TV. A quick investigation into this one discovered, "Yes", they do have an event planned for TV... However, it's nothing more than a local cable channel, far from the big National exposure everyone in the sport is seeking.

Finally, KICK is also claiming to be a part of the Pan Am Games... Since we couldn't find a contact for the Pan Am Games, we couldn't get a quick answer here, but you can be assured, we will soon. However, from what our research has told us, we expect the same response, which seems to be the same from everyone more than 100 miles from Missouri... "We've never heard of them..."

MONDAY, December 3rd, 2001, AT 9:50 PM, PT

ACCLAIMED R&B STAR
D'WAYNE WIGGINS
HEADLINES CHILDREN'S BENEFIT UNITED FOR THE CHILDREN

More News Of 12-3-01

Below Posted At 10:00 AM, PT

Lenamon Takes Title
When Childs Suffers Injury!

First time IKF Promoter B.J. Huffman completed his first IKF Promotion on November 24th at the Capitol Ballroom in Jefferson City, Missouri, USA. The main event featured the challenge for the vacant IKF Amateur South Central Regional FCR Super Heavyweight Title between Leroy Childs (Jefferson City, Missouri, USA, ) Vs IKF FCR #2 Ranked John Lenamon (Abilele, Texas, USA, ) Lenamon (7-3/6, 6', 216, 29) took the title with a TKO win in the 2nd round when Childs (4-2/0, 6', 245, 23) pulled a hamstring after he threw a kick. A rematch is a possibility due to the circumstances that ended the bout.

In September of 2000, Lenamon had been scheduled to face Rick Culver of Janesville, Wisconsin (26, 6'3", 270, 3-3/2) at the 2000 IKF USA Nationals. However Culver pulled out a week prior of the Finals due to an injury leaving Lenamon without an opponent. Plans were made for the two to fight in the Fall of 2000 however Culver's trainer never scheduled the bout as promised so Lenamon was announced the winner via Walkover.

Here's ALL the results of the nights bouts;

1. James Pinkston of Jefferson City Missouri, USA (5'7", 130, Jason Heriford) defeated Fernando Herrera of Kansas City, Missouri USA (5'7", 130, Pee-Wee Waker) by unanimous decision.
   
   
2. James Tindle of Jefferson City Missouri, USA (6'1", 185, B. J. Huffman) won by forfeit when Jeremey Palan of Springfield Missouri, USA (6', 180, trained by Ike Stafford) was a no show.
   
   
3. Edrick Schelby of Jefferson City Missouri, USA (6'3", 185, B. J. Huffman) fought to a draw against Gary Cheney of Moberly Missouri, USA (5'10, 215. Brad Terry)
   
   
4. Shawn Cassy of Columbia Missouri, USA (6'1, 170, Z. Reynolds) defeated John Henry Redding of Jefferson City Missouri, USA (5'9", 170, B. J. Huffman) by unanimous decision.
   
   
5. Tim Childs of Jefferson City Missouri, USA (6'3", 225, B. J. Huffman) defeated James Hamilton of Kansas City Missouri, USA (6', 240, Pee-Wee Waker) by first round TKO.
   
   
6. Greg Tetro of Columbia Missouri, USA (260) defeated Mike Lutz of Jefferson City Missouri, USA (5'8", 260, B. J. Huffman) by second round TKO.
   • Brandy White of Jefferson City Missouri, USA (5'4", 130, B. J. Huffman) was defeated by another fighter by unanimous decision, but the name was not listed in the faxed press release.
     
     
7. Steve Buckner of Jefferson City Missouri, USA (6', 175, B. J. Huffman) defeated Chad Lackman of Herman Missouri, USA (6'1, 163) by second round TKO.
   
   
8. Brooke Pace of Jefferson City Missouri (5'4", 120, B. J. Huffman) defeated Taunanesha BowMan of Kansas City Missouri, USA (5'6", 115, Pee-Wee Waker) by first round TKO.
   
   
9. IKF Amateur FCR South Central Regional Super Heavyweight Title
   John Lenamon of Texas (6', 217, James Cox) defeated Leroy Childs of Jefferson City Missouri, USA (6', 250, B. J. Huffman) by injury TKO in the second round.

Additional results of the nights undercard will be posted soon. For more info, please contact Mr. B.J. Huffman at (573) 896-2566.

SATURDAY, December 1st, 2001, AT 3:30 PM, PT

Two More Regional Events Confirmed For The
2002 IKF USA
Nationals Amateur Championships!

Two more Regional Director/Promoters have confirmed their Regional events for next years 2002 USA National Amateur Tournament Season. South Central Director Jeff Mullen's has confirmed his South Central Regional Event for the 4th year in a row which will accept fighters from Tennessee (Western), Arkansas and Mississippi. Also, Sven Bean has confirmed his Central Mountain Regional Event as well accepting fighters from Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and sharing New Mexico with the South Mountain Regional, if one is confirmed.

There are still several regionals open, including the popular Central USA Regional which currently, 3 promoters are requesting. We are currently accepting bids for hosting the remaining IKF Regional events. Please see below for the regions that are still available. If you are interested in hosting a regional event in one of the non confirmed areas, please contact our IKF Nationals Director staff by e-mail at; USNDirector@IKFKickboxing.com. Thank you once again and again, we look forward to a GREAT 2002 National Tournament Season!

REGIONAL "EVENTS" FOR THE USA NATIONALS

• PACIFIC WEST DIVISIONS
  • NORTH: PROMOTER NEEDED CLICK HERE
  • CENTRAL:PROMOTER NEEDED CLICK HERE
  • SOUTH: PROMOTER NEEDED CLICK HERE
    
    
• MOUNTAIN DIVISIONS
  • NORTH: PROMOTER NEEDED CLICK HERE
  • CENTRAL: Denver, Colorado, Date TBA
  • SOUTH: PROMOTER NEEDED CLICK HERE
    
    
• CENTRAL DIVISIONS
  • NORTH: Milwaukee, WI, JUNE 22nd & 23rd
  • U.S. CENTRAL: PROMOTER NEEDED CLICK HERE
  • SOUTH: Memphis, Tennessee, Date TBA
    
    
• EASTERN DIVISIONS
  • NORTH: PROMOTER NEEDED CLICK HERE
  • CENTRAL: PROMOTER NEEDED CLICK HERE
  • SOUTH: Atlanta, Georgia, JUNE - TBA

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