SUNDAY, September 30th, 2001, AT 2:18 AM PT

HEAVYWEIGHT GLADIATORS
Bring It ON!
Is There Room For "2" K-1 USA's?

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA: For those who didn't make it to the K-1 in Las Vegas this last year, you had another chance to see top North American Heavyweight action in Milwaukee Wisconsin, USA... Yes, Milwaukee... Home of great cheese, Miller Beer, the Brewers and the Bucks. But it appears they will all need to take a backseat to the new game in town, the HEAVYWEIGHT GLADIATORS! A high energy event with lights, lasers and smoke that was all just the icing on a cake that was made up of great heavyweight fighters from Mexico, USA and Canada. It was a K-1 style event with a far less budget to work with but with just as much if not more exciting fights than K-1 offered this year, and once again... In Milwaukee... Not the bright lights and high ticket prices of the super city of Las Vegas...

The road to the top seems to lead through the mighty Midwest for a lot of things in sports and on this night, kickboxing was no different. Not only was tonights Heavyweight Gladiators only about 90 seats short of a sell out, but the event also raised nearly $1,300,00 for the New York Victim's Families Fire & Police Assistance Fund. There were no losers on this event tonight. The crowd was treated to 7 fantastic K-1 style (Modified MuayThai, no elbows) bouts of which 2 were amateur and 5 were pro bouts.

IKF Promoter Scott Joffe (Right) took over the promotional responsibilities while his partner and fellow IKF Promoter, Duke Roufus was allowed to focus on another challenge... Getting past IKF Pro Mexico National Super Heavyweight MTR Champion Pedro "The Pitbull" Fernandez. In charge on this night was Joffe's Ad Cetera Sports, who presented tonights "Heavyweight Gladiators" at the famous Rave Ballroom in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin with of course, Milwaukee's favorite Main Event, Duke Roufus.

It wasn't to be no easy task for the 4 time World Champion and K-1 veteran Duke Roufus (Left). Fernandez seems to do very well in single bout events having won 16 of them with 15 wins by KO/TKO's. Of his only 3 loses, 2 of them came in the K-1 Tournament style competition against Maurice Smith and Duke's brother Rick Roufus. If your going to have 2 loses on your record, those are surly 2 names you can have pride in facing yet losing to. But tonight he faced another great name in the sport and the Duke had no desire to lose in front of his hometown crowd.

This bout had a slight bit of controversy to it though. To begin with, after both fighters made it to the ring, the ring lights and sound system went dead. It took about 5 minutes before stage crews had the lights back on and when the bout started, the sound system was still down. Midway through the round though the sound system was back up and things continued as normal. Into the first round, Fernandez threw a spinning backhand and got turned around with his back to Roufus. Roufus jumped on the attack striking with 2 strong knees to the rear of Fernandez' right leg, the 3rd knee dropped Fernandez to the ring in pain. One of the knees had obviously hit a nerve as referee Al Wichgers started a count. High into the count Fernandez stood up and the bout continued. As round 1 ended it was an easy 10-8 for Roufus.

In round 2, Roufus came out strong again but this time, so did Fernandez. Each time Roufus landed some strong scoring blows, Fernandez powered back with some of his own. As the round wore of, Roufus was the clear aggressor and at the end of round 2, all 3 judges gave it to Roufus again, 10-9. In round 3, Roufus once again started strong but this time, Fernandez wasn't answering back as quickly if at all as he was in round 2. Roufus landed several really strong leg kicks to Fernandez' left leg with hands to back it up. At the end of 3, all 3 judges had Roufus in the round, 10-9. What many thought was a late round war in the making though was not to be as Fernandez informed the referee at the end of the 3-4 break that he was unable to continue. The first shots to the back of his leg in the opening round and the strong leg kicks by Roufus in the 3rd had done him in. Roufus won by TKO at the break of rounds 3 and 4, upping his record to 35 wins with 7 loses, 1 draw and 26 wins by KO or TKO. On the other side of the ring, Fernandez suffers only his 4th loss vs 16 wins.

Whats next for Fernandez only time will tell. As for Roufus, another shot at the K-1 trophy is always on his mind and tonight he proved he's still the American to beat in the race for the North American K-1 title.

In the nights Semi Main event, IKF Pro East Coast Heavyweight Champion "Lightning" Lane Collyer (right) was just happy to get a fight. In his last 4 bookings, Collyer's opponent had backed out every time. However on this night, his opponent has no history of pulling out of fights, but he does have a history of wining. Collyer, of Atlanta, Georgia with a 17-2 record and 10 KO/TKO's faced off against Pittsburgh Pennsylvania's Mark Miller. At the opening bell, Miller raced out and threw a picture perfect ax kick that barely missed Collyer. But Miller wasn't finished as he followed with a strong knee to Collyer's body which was quickly followed with the two going into a clinch. After a few moments, Referee Wichgers broke the two up and from that moment on, things changed. Collyer seemed to relax a bit and went on the attack landing several strong shots himself. Knees to the body, some even to Miller's head which he seemed to block. Collyer added some strong leg kicks which were followed up by some good hand combinations that included strong body shots and a spinning backhand. As Miller answered back himself, Collyer seemed to answer with 2 more. Finally at 2: 35 of the first scheduled 3 minute round, referee Al Wichgers stopped the bout. Collyer had won by TKO.

With the win, Collyer has re-established himself into the true hunt for the North American K-1 Title. He's been overlooked in previous K-1's but now, he's made it clear he can be a contender. At 211 lbs he may seem a bit small for a K-1 contender but if everyone remembers the May North American K-1, you remember a fighter named McDonald... 209 lbs. and only 5'11", who in our opinion, should have been crowned the K-1 Champion in May. However the use of the ridiculous half point system cost him his title. Regardless, Collyer's turn has come. To pass him up as a K-1 North American Contender in 2002 would be a big mistake. He's strong, experienced and hungry... Just the way a true K-1 Heavyweight needs to be.

The first semi main event could have easily been billed as a Main Event on any card. Raul Romero Gonzalez (Right) of Mexico City Mexico and Jason "Gladiator" Johnson (Left) of Milwaukee, Wisconsin look like 2 chiselled male models ready for either a bodybuilding contest or a shot in GQ magazine. These two simply spell out the look of a Gladiator. Gonzalez at 229 lbs and Johnson at 218 lbs probably had a combined body fat of 3%... if that. As the two met in the ring, few women wanted to see these faces get scared, but the truth is, these two are indeed true Gladiators, which is what they came into the ring on this night to be... GLADIATORS!

Johnson had the support of America's elite fighting military, the US Marines. Johnson himself was a Marine and proudly wore the Semper Fi label on his American Red White and Blue shorts. It was as if Johnson carried America on his shoulders into this fight, and he had no desire to let America down. However, Gonzalez was also a proud countryman and he too carried the hearts of his country as well. As the round started, both showed respect for the other, choosing their shots wisely and carefully. As the round got going Gonzalez started to score with knees to the body quite often. Johnson countered back with knees as well and when on the outside the two evenly exchanged punches and leg kicks. Then suddenly, like the dropping of an atomic bomb, Johnson lifted up his powerful right leg and landed it squarely on the side of Gonzalez' head dropping the big man to the canvas. The blow sent a thunderous ringing throughout Gonzalez' head and although he tried to shake it off he couldn't. He tried to stand but he seemed to be off balance and as he sat back down to the canvas, referee Al Wichgers waived the end of the bout.

Johnson had scored an American victory at 1:33 of round 1 but don't be fooled here, Gonzales will be back again. On the other side of the ring, Johnson will now prepare to fight one of the most famous heavyweights in Europe, Paris "GOLDEN GREEK" Vasilikos of Greece in December of this year. The winner of this bout will get a shot against IKF Super Heavyweight World Champion Matt Skelton of England.

In the other bouts of the night, former IKF Amateur Canadian Champion Giuseppe Denatale added another pro win to his record with a 2nd round stop of Kent Hensley who was making his pro debut. A special thank you to Hensley who was a late fill-in of another fighter who pulled out just weeks before the event. Denatale stopped Hensley with a strong body kick at 51 seconds into round 2 making a strong bid for his spot in the K-1 USA Tournament as well.

Making their pro debut's tonight were 2, 1999 IKF National Amateur Champions. 1999 IKF U.S. Amateur Cruiserweight Champion "Bad" Brad Fowler, of Duke Roufus Gym faced off against 1999 IKF U.S. Amateur Heavyweight Champion Bryan "The Alabama Slammer" Waid, of Alabama Kickboxing, Jasper, AL. Neither had been very busy in the ring since winning their National titles but both had other things on their minds. Fowler simply took some time off for a much needed break and Waid was faced with the untimely passing away of his trainer leaving him with no trainer in his hometown. It was an emotional comeback for Waid who came with no trainer to help him but was willing to "Walk the Walk" as any true Champion would. For Fowler, it was a long awaited comeback for the Milwaukee superstar by his many fans. This bout had everything one would expect in a Champion Vs Champion bout. In round 1, these two threw more than most fighters throw in a 5 round bout. From sweeps to high kicks, strong knees to stopping jabs, these two proved they knew how to fight. Waid had easily dominated and won the first half of the round while Fowler seemed to blossom late and take the second half. After 1, one judge had it 10-10 even and the other 2 judges had it a close 10-9 for Fowler. However a second round was not to be as Waid called a stop to the bout himself while still in the corner after round 1 stating his left leg was too badly injured. It was the pro debut for both and if these two have anything to offer in their pro careers like they did as amateurs, look out world, there's some new kids on the block ready to take the world by storm!

It was the only bout of the night that went to the judges cards and only 1 of 2 amateur bouts. As we say in the IKF Fight Game, it was an experience of 2 fighters willing to "Walk the Walk!" Altoona Pennsylvania's Kirk Robinson came in at 252 lbs and looking to improve on his record as a MuayThai fighter. His opponent, 201 lb fighter Bryce Frank of Rockford Illinois was looking to do the same. Each had fought as full contact fighters and both had made the switch to MuayThai only recently. After 3 strong rounds by both fighters, the score seemed one sided yet it was as close as could be with only 1 point separating the 2 fighters in each round. In the end, all 3 judges scored it 30-27 in favor of Bryce Frank. As amateurs, both Robinson and Frank look forward to "Walking the Walk" at the 2002 IKF USA Nationals. A few more bouts in their newly learned style and we're sure to see some more experienced fighters come National Tournament time. Good luck on your way to the Big Show Gentlemen.

The amateur bout that started off the night was a light middleweight showdown between Alessio Zeal of Appleton, Wisconsin and Tony Randazzo of Milwaukee Wisconsin. This bout was all Randazzo as he gave Zeal a standing 8 count in round 1 and 2 and while Zeal was taking his 3rd in round 3, he informed referee Al Wichgers that he was done at 1 minute of the round.

But wait a moment.... There was actually much more that started off the night. A special 3 round exhibition by Champion Vs Champion and training partners, 2001 IKF USA Amateur Light Welterweight Champion "Crush 'em" Casey Garza, of the Duke Roufus Gym, Burlington, Wisconsin and 2001 IKF USA Amateur Welterweight Champion "Nasty" Neal Fox, of the Duke Roufus Gym, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Both put on a great controlled exhibition to get the crowd warmed up. However before it all started, the USMC took center ring with all the fighters at their sides. A moment of silence followed by the singing of the National Anthem set the stage for the big night.

This was truly going to be a night of something special. The first of MANY to come. The first of the Heavyweight Gladiators! A new promotion for a new time. It's a New America, a New Game now and those who were all part of tonight kicked it off with a bang! They were all a part of something special, win or lose, everyone won tonight. If you missed it, you owe it to yourself to make sure you don't miss the next one..."Bring It ON!"

For more information on tonights event please contact IKF Promoter Mr. Scott Joffe at (414) 319-1151 or e-mail at rumbleintherave@webtv.net or visit www.milwkick.com.

FRIDAY, September 28th, 2001, AT 5:50 PM PT

HEAVYWEIGHT GLADIATORS
Weigh-Ins For Heavyweights... No Problem

Weigh-ins for the Pro Heavyweights for tomorrow nights HEAVYWEIGHT GLADIATORS event went well tonight. All but one fighter made their weight but by this time tomorrow, all will be set for one of the greatest heavyweight events ever in North America. Here's the fighter match-ups and their weights they came in at tonight in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.

• Duke Roufus, 225, Vs Pedro Fernandez, 248.
• Lane Collyer, 211, Vs Mark Miller, 209.
• Raul Romero Gonzalez, 229, Vs Jason Johnson, 218.
• Giuseppe Denatale, 202, Vs Kent Hensley, 201.
• Brad Foster, 216, Vs Bryan Waid who will weigh-in tomorrow.

THURSDAY, September 27th, 2001, AT 2:30 AM PT

LOTS OF IKF ACTION THIS WEEKEND!

"HEAVYWEIGHT GLADIATORS"
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

If your looking for the Big Heavyweight Showdown, you'll find it in Milwaukee Wisconsin, USA this weekend! Ad Cetera Sports presents "Heavyweight Gladiators," an evening of Professional Heavyweight Kickboxing on Saturday night, September 29, 2001 in The Rave Ballroom, 2401 W. Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, (414) 342-7283. Doors open at 6:PM with the first Kickboxing bout starting at 7:PM

Heavyweight Showdown is co-promoted by Duke Roufus and Scott Joffe. However on this event, we won't see the 4 time World Champion Roufus doing much promotional work. Instead, he'll be preparing for his Super Heavyweight showdown with IKF Pro MTR Mexico National Champion, Pedro Fernandez.

Roufus was once an IKF Super Heavyweight MTR World Champion. However he voluntarily surrendered his IKF World Title back on September 17th, 1999 to move down to the Heavyweight Division. However on January 31st, 2000, we announced Duke Roufus' retirement. An injured hand had seemed to get the best of the veteran fighter and with several wars of his own under his belt he had decided it was time to turn to coaching and promoting. So we thought...It seemed some Promoters thought otherwise. Roufus was lured out of retirement with the grand visions of K-1 Dreams by Scott Coker and the Grand Plans of K-1 USA. Money has a way of persuading people and that was what it took to get Roufus back in the hunt again. A win this Saturday night and Roufus will be 1 step closer to winning the IKF MTR Super Heavyweight World Title once again. ( Tentatively planned for January 2002 in Hawaii against an opponent yet to be named) Although he fell short in both USA appearances in 2001, he vows to us all now that.... THE DUKE IS BACK!

The 6'1" tall Roufus will enter the ring Saturday night with 35 wins, 7 loses, 1 draw with 25 KO/TKO's and will weigh-in around the 225 mark while Fernandez (Right) comes into the game with 16 wins, 3 loses with 15 KO/TKO's, standing 6'3" tall and will probably tip the scales as well at 225. Although both are K-1 veterans, Roufus has much more experience in the BIG FIGHT GAME. Fernandez has fought in front of major crowds 3 times in his career and walked out of the ring on the losing end in 2 of those 3 times. Both of those were at K-1 USA where, for some reason, Fernandez has always seemed to freeze up once in the ring. To his credit though, Fernandez has had some stiff competition in both of those loses. The first against IKF World Champion and former K-1 USA Champion Rick Roufus and the second to World Champion and 2001 K-1 USA Champion Maurice Smith. Although he was stopped by Roufus, against Smith he lost what many called a very slow and boring 3 round unanimous decision, 30 to 27.5, 30 to 27.5 and 30 to 27.5. So in all, it's not like he was losing to some unknown fighters...

However the result was different when he fought top Mexican Super Heavyweight contender, "The Terminator" Raul Romero Gonzalez, (Left) 6'1", 223 lbs. 10 wins, 1 loss, 1 draw with 7 KO/TKO's. (Amateur record of 5-0/2) Gonzalez, from the Siam Muay Thai Gym in Mexico City, Mexico though was no easy fight either. In the bout, Fernandez started slow, as in his previous K-1 bout with Rick Roufus, and for the most part, as he starts all his fights it seems. The slow start put him in trouble early with Gonzalez who was doing some great inside fighting but Fernandez weathered the storm and Gonzalez started to get tired. This opened the door for Fernandez who came on strong in the 3rd round. Only 24 seconds into the round, Gonzalez knew he met his match, at least on this day and at this time, as he indicated to the referee himself that his legs had taken too much. This Saturday night, Gonzalez will face Duke's student, Jason "Gladiator" Johnson. More on this below.

If Fernandez starts slow against Duke Roufus, he may find himself in the same position he was in at the end of fighting Duke's brother Rick. On the mat looking up. However Duke has shown several different ring strategies in his last several bouts himself so it will be interesting to see what strategy he uses against Fernandez. When Roufus won his IKF Pro Super Heavyweight MTR World Title he fought a slow paced bout against New Zealand's Hiriwa TeRangi on December 4th, 1998 in Milwaukee Wisconsin, USA winning by unanimous decision 50-43 on all 3 judges cards. However in his first defense of his World Title he defeated WKA Champion Grant Barker (41-11 with 32 KO's) of Sydney, Australia with a fast start and a combination which included a leg kick, 2 knees to Barker's head and finished with a head kick at 39 seconds into the first round to end it.

In his last 2 K-1 appearances, Roufus kicked off the May 11th, 2001 K-1 USA Tournament with a first round TKO win over Tomasz Kucharzewski. In round 2 though, Roufus was fighting more than his opponent, he was fighting an inexperienced referee named Ray Balowitz who helped his opponent Michael McDonald score an upset unanimous decision victory over him 29.5 to 28, 30 to 28 and 29.5 to 28.5. In the bout in round 2, McDonald threw a wild right hand that "Completely Missed" Roufus (Clearly confirmed by EVERYONE in the room by the in-house instant replay screen) yet Roufus fell back from being off balance from a strike he threw a split second earlier. Referee Balowitz of the California State Athletic Commission (Who never should have been refereeing a K-1 Bout in the first place.) made a bad call to give Roufus a standing 8 count. A look at the judges cards and Judges Moretti and Shirley gave the round to McDonald 10 to 9 while Hoyle gave it to McDonald 10 to 8.5. Roufus, to many, clearly won the round. The phantom 8 count though by Balowitz forced the judges to score the round for McDonald. In his last K-1 appearance (August, 2001), Roufus was a quick fill-in. In the ring it showed he wasn't as prepared as the May K-1 where he knew months in advance he was in the tournament.

In August he faced Stephan Leko (Left Vs Roufus at August K-1). Although he was patient and strong in round 1, he got careless in round 2. As Roufus charged in, the smaller 210 lb Leko caught him with a powerful shot that staggered the 225 lb Roufus forward grabbing Leko's legs trying to stay up. However Leko moved away leaving Roufus with no support, eventually dropping to the canvas. After referee Nobuaki Kakuda gave him an 8 count, it was clear Roufus wasn't himself. He now charged in wild, leaving himself wide open and Leko found one of the openings, landing one of the best uppercut's ever thrown. "The Duke" was out at 2:34 of the 2nd round. From suddenly strong favorite to out in the first round.

The way we see it, if Roufus jumps on Fernandez like he did Barker this Saturday night, the crowd will be leaving early. The flip side of that quick start coin will be Roufus' control if he charges in quick. Will he be precise and composed as he was with Barker or wild and open as he was with Leko? Looking at Roufus' other coin, if he simply stays composed and relaxed, he may play right into Fernandez's game. Allowing Fernandez to get comfortable in the ring as he did with Gonzalas and allow him to get busy in the later rounds. Regardless, if Fernandez can last Roufus' opening storm ( if he decides to Bring It ON in the opening rounds) as he did against Gonzalas, we may be watching a long 5 round WAR! This will surly be an interesting bout.

However don't forget that before we get to the Roufus - Fernandez bout, we'll have plenty of Heavyweight action. The event will feature a total of 4 more Pro Heavyweight Bouts as well making a total of 5, the most heavyweight bouts on one card ever in Wisconsin which is sure to be Milwaukee's biggest Event EVER!

The other Heavyweight bouts include #7 ranked IKF contender Jason "Gladiator" Johnson (Right - Red Trunks) fighting out of Milwaukee's Duke Roufus Gym Vs 16th ranked IKF contender "The Terminator" Raul Romero Gonzalez (Pictured above) from the Siam Muay Thai Gym in Mexico City, Mexico in the Semi-Main Event feature.

The undercard "Heavyweight Gladiators" bouts will be great excitement as well. They include former IKF Amateur Canadian Heavyweight Champion Giuseppe "The Godfather" DeNatale' of Sik-Tai Gym, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada against Kent Hensley of Palmer Kickboxing, Atlanta, Georgia. Next is #12 IKF Ranked Lane "Lightning" Collyer (Left) of Palmer Shokido Kickboxing, Atlanta, Georgia, USA Vs Mark "The Shark" Miller, of Iron City Gym, Pittsburgh, PA. Making their professional debut are 1999 IKF U.S. Amateur Cruiserweight Champion "Bad" Brad Fowler, of Duke Roufus Gym against 1999 IKF U.S. Amateur Heavyweight Champion Bryan "The Alabama Slammer" Waid, of Alabama Kickboxing, Jasper, AL.

Amateur bouts feature Heavyweights Brice "Bam Bam" Franck, of the Duke Roufus Gym, Rockford, IL against Kirk Robison, of the Iron City Gym, Pittsburgh, PA, plus Tony "Daz" Randazzo, of Milwaukee Wisconsin Vs Alessio Ziel, of Appleton, Wisconsin. A special Champion Vs Champion "EXHIBITION" Welterweight Bout will feature training partners, 2001 IKF USA Amateur Light Welterweight Champion "Crush 'em" Casey Garza, (Left) of the Duke Roufus Gym, Burlington, Wisconsin Vs. 2001 IKF USA Amateur Welterweight Champion "Nasty" Neal Fox, of the Duke Roufus Gym, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

A "passing of the boot" fund-raiser to benefit the Milwaukee Police and Fire Associations New York Victim's Families Assistance Fund is planned as well. Ring girls are provided by Hooters Restaurants, Milwaukee. A limited amount of $50.00 VIP Gold Circle Ringside, $30.00 Ringside Reserved and $20.00 Balcony tickets are available. Tickets may be reserved by phone or purchased in advance at the Duke Roufus Gym - Kickboxing of Milwaukee, 111 W. Virginia St., Milwaukee, (414) 319-1151 or purchased at the door.

The event is sponsored by Teamsters Local 200 & 344, El Conquistador Newspaper, Shepherd Express, Amelia's on Layton, Miss Katie's Diner, Pitch's Restaurants, Sunbusters, Rosie's on Water, Champps Americana, Oxywater, Dr. Phil Repetti / Jordan Chiropractic, Coke, Miller Beer, Powerade, Bell Ambulance, Red Bull Energy Drink, Atty. Martin Stein and Hampton Dental Clinic. Event Gloves are provided by FAIRTEX.

For more information or tickets, please contact IKF Promoter Mr. Scott Joffe (Left) at (414) 319-1151 or e-mail at rumbleintherave@webtv.net or visit www.milwkick.com. All bouts are subject to change without notice.

MORE IKF EVENTS...

"Liverpool England - Kirkby Suite"
SEPTEMBER 29th 2001

For info on this event, please contact Mr. Alby Bimpson at 44 (0) 1744 739 043 or by e-mail by clicking: HERE!

"Newcastle, England "
SEPTEMBER 30th 2001

IKF Promoter Mr. Steve Jessop. For info on this event, please contact Mr. Alby Bimpson at 44 (0) 1744 739 043 or by e-mail by clicking: HERE!

WEDNESDAY, September 26th, 2001, AT 1:40 PM PT

Kickboxing Siblings Aim to Keep Title
Web Posted Tuesday, September 25, 2001 by the Augusta Chronicle
By Patrick Green, Staff Writer

John Greubel eventually wants to pursue an acting career. For now, the Lakeside graduate gets his kicks winning national championships. Greubel successfully defended his International Kickboxing Federation junior welterweight championship recently in Kansas City, keeping the title in the family for the third straight year.John's older brother, Mark Greubel, captured the IKF title in 1999.

John, 19, defeated Southeast Regional champion Jason Kuhn of Douglasville, Georgia, in the title match with a split decision in the fourth round. The match was ruled a draw after the scheduled three rounds, forcing the extra period. ''The only reason it went four rounds was because I lost a point in the third for a penalty,'' John said. ''That's my longest fight ever. It was tough, but it was a great win.''

John, unbeaten in seven fights, trains at the Augusta Martial Arts Academy along with Mark, who is unbeaten in 10 matches. Mark's last fight came in June 2000, when he broke his arm in the Professional Karate Commission (In the amateur division) championship bout. The 24-year-old, who fought two weight classes up, finished the fight and won a split decision over Lee Brannon. ''I had trained too hard to get to the nationals to come away empty handed,'' Mark said. ''My opponent outweighed me, but I was able to survive. When you get a reputation for being good, sometimes it's hard to get fights. So most of the time we have to move up and fight bigger people.''

Next year, the Greubels hope to bring home three IKF titles. John expects 21-year-old brother Paul to compete as a junior welterweight while he competes as a welterweight and Mark fights as a super welterweight. But whatever happens, the Greubels don't expect to be involved in a brother- versus- brother matchup, no matter what the situation. ''We wouldn't fight each other,'' John said. ''Whenever Mark and I spar, it's always like a chess match. We know each other too well. Besides, I wouldn't want to beat him up. I don't know who's better. We both have two national titles, but he has a better record.'' ''It's always brotherly love when we compete,'' Mark said. ''So you know we try to kill each other. Since I'm the older brother and he's the little brother, he wants to beat me up, because he couldn't back then.''

While Mark has been hampered with injuries over the past year, John has enjoyed a wonderful start to his fighting career. He won a gold medal in boxing at the Georgia Games in July. The 5-foot-11, 142-pounder will try to capture the PKC championship scheduled for November in Greenville, S.C. After that, John has one more goal to achieve in fighting before he explores another dream. ''I want us all to win titles together, so I'll probably do one more IKF and PKC,'' he said. ''Then I'm moving to California. I really want to be an actor. It's something I've been thinking about for a long time; now my mind is made up. That's the good thing about the academy - you don't just learn to fight; we gain a great deal of discipline and determination as well.''

MONDAY, September 24th, 2001, AT 11:20 PM PT

WAR
by Khun Fred Fitzgerald

On September 11, 2001
WAR was declared on the
United States of America

Eleven hours after my flight arrived returning from Kansas City, and forty-five minutes from my home. Two lethal missiles in the form of our own commercial airplanes, hit their targets, the World Trade Center buildings (Right).

Another slammed into our Pentagon (Left) and a 4th plane was forced to crash just miles away. Forced down by American's who fought the enemy in the sky to save thousands of others below.

We have all been impacted directly or indirectly, the enemy has tried to fragment the American people instead we have been brought together like never before.

Let us all pray in our own way, for the victims and their families, the rescuers, our government and Armed Forces.

More News of 9-24-01

OOPS! WE DID IT AGAIN
by Khun Fred Fitzgerald

That's right, the 3rd IKF/Ringside National Amateur Championships was far greater than anyone could have anticipated. I would like to bring you back almost four years ago. I was back and forth to Thailand for International events, or to referee pro fights, there was MuayThai in the United States but the standard was not what I was used to seeing.

I received a call from Mick Doyle telling me he had spoken to a Steve Fossum, and that he was impressed by what he had to say. Keep in mind by this time I had been contacted by many groups asking that I advise them, and assist in setting up a MuayThai program, I answered their questions and gave some advise, but that was all I was interested in doing. About a week after Mick's call, I get a call from Duke Roufus, he also tells me about Steve Fossum. I asked Duke and Mick what did they want me to do, they said meet with him, and see what you think.

The IKF was sanctioning an event for Mick in Omaha, so Mick brings me out to referee and I meet Steve. How did the meeting go? Well if we were both younger we might have put on the gloves, I saw in Steve as a passionate, arrogant, serious person going in one direction and he saw in me as an arrogant ego maniac with a one way mind going in the other direction.

Well as everyone knows, I now consider Steve one of my best and valued friends in the sport of fighting. He is honest, generous to a fault, and a brilliant business man, proven by his ability to surround himself with the likes of, Mike Carlson, Johnny Davis, Dan Stell, Brooks Mason, and of course the spectacular Toni Foster, among others.

At our second meeting it was mentioned that Joe Taylor from Ringside and Steve were discussing a national event for amateur fighters. After many meetings and hundreds of ideas thrown around it was decided to give it a try, and Mick Doyle would host the first event. It was an ambitious venture, and it turned out fine, remember a trail was being blazed where there was no trail. Everyone learned a lot, and it was decided to have a similar event the next year.

The second year things were fine-tuned; registration went from about 75 fighters to well over a hundred. When things go right we share the credit, when they go wrong we also share the credit, but what went wrong the second year was the fault of one company UPS. (United Parcel Service) Steve had the magnificent Championship Belts shipped by UPS and the unimaginable happened, the belts never arrived, they were lost by UPS.

We all felt for the fighters that earned but did not receive the precious belts, but believe me, as bad as we felt for the fighters we felt worse for Steve, he felt he had let everybody down, and was in real pain. It took about 1-2 weeks before UPS got the Belts back to the IKF and another week or 2 before each Champion received their Belts. But as all found out, the wait was worth it.

Well we survived year 2 and this brings us to the 3rd IKF/Ringside Amateur National Championships. I arrived at the Holiday Inn in Olathe Kansas, late the afternoon of Sept. 7th after being stranded at the airport because of some serious miscommunication. As I entered the lobby it was full of fighters and trainers, as I was recognized people started shaking hands and grabbing me, I said I am not Fred Fitzgerald wait about an hour he will be here, and it was true I was so angry, it was not me because of the Airport Shuttle Mix-up.

I proceeded to the huge room where the fights were to be held and the weigh-in was going on. In the room were two full size rings, they looked brand new with new canvas covers, all the equipment was first class. Then the full impact of this immense room hit me, it was packed with fighters, trainers, family and friends, over in the corner was one scale for over 220 fighters. There was suppose to be 2 scales but only 1 was there. Steve and Dan were totally immersed in registration forms, medical forms, everyone trying to get on the scale at the same time, and had to do it all alone. The remainder of the IKF Staff was also stranded still at the airport because of the shuttle problems late in the afternoon.

As pissed as I was I knew I had to put it behind me, I went to the room had a shower, changed clothes and returned to do my part in this massive undertaking. After the weigh-in and meeting with the fighters, I did a judges seminar, along with Dan Stell. Let me take this moment to welcome referee Gerald Bush from Atlanta, Georgia to the IKF. I saw him referee at Lane Collyers show in Atlanta, he is a terrific kickboxing referee, also he is a take charge person, before you know it he is on the mike taking charge of business, it is great to have you be part of the IKF Team of officials.

This is also a perfect time to thank all the officials at ring one (The only ring I worked at all weekend for International Rules & MuayThai Rules bouts) that was the ring were Dan Stell and I refereed, Dan the International rules bouts, and I the MuayThai bouts, in ring two, Chuck Wolfe and Gerald Bush did the full contact bouts. Between the four of us, we refereed just over 150 bouts in two days. The judges at ring one were, Gene (Bad Biker ) Fields, from California, Chris (the cannon) Cannon, from New York, Lane (Mr. Clean) Collyer from Atlanta, and someone who I am proud to call my friend, the man who used to go to family reunions to get a date (he's from South Carolina) BROOKS MASON, now from Omaha, my apologies to the wonderful woman who did the time keeping I need to get your name.

The standard of fighting this year was over the top, I don't know if the MuayThai fighters are getting this good, or did they rise to the occasion knowing this is the real National Championship. Duke's fine team took home belts, as did many great fighters, a welcome surprise was the finely trained team of Phil Nurse from New York, this was the teams first time at the IKF Nationals, and from what I saw it won't be their last.

Mick Doyle's team fought well with most fighters getting to the finals. Everyone that came to this event made sacrifices, they made time, trained hard, spent their own money, hard earned money. Well everyone competing at this prestigious event achieved greatness on this weekend, none of us will ever forget, with the attitude you all had, the sportsmanship, and the courage to step in the ring and put in on the line, is what makes winners of all of us in life.

I want to mention the registration fees, I was at the meeting where the fees were discussed, I can tell you, and trust me on this, no one wanted to charge a fee, every possible idea was thrown around and it came down to this, with no registration fee there will be no IKF National Championship event. Steve might edit this, but I know as a fact Steve Fossum personally contributed an amount in the five figures. We are already making plans for next year, I don't know if this year can ever be eclipsed, but I bet it will be. I'll be there, will you, I hope so.

I would like to write about your situation, about the training and sacrifices you made to come and make this event what is was, email me at ffitzgerald@monmouth.com See you in the ring, all the warriors, the champions, don't allow anyone to confuse you with the pretenders and wannabees, that talk the talk, but can't Walk the Walk.
Sincerely, Khun Fred Fitzgerald

More News of 9-24-01

Vierra Champions

This picture was sent in to us by The Vierra's of Hardknocks Gym in Phoenix Arizona. The team is coached by Clement & Rhonda Vierra and they walked away with 4 USA Titles at this years IKF/RINGSIDE USA National Championship Tournament in Kansas City.

They include, from Left to Right, Sasha Johnson, Alyssa DeFazio, Dougie Johnson and Brook Locklear. Congratulations Champs!

THURSDAY, September 20th, 2001, AT 7:40 PM PT

TRULY...
The BEST Of The BEST
In The USA
"Walked The Walk"
On September 7th, 8th & 9th!
Steve Fossum, IKF President

A few weeks before the IKF/RINGSIDE USA National Amateur Tournament took place, someone challenged a comment one of our webstaff people made on a chat page where they wrote "The Best Amateur Fighters in the USA will be in Kansas City come September 7th, 8th & 9th." The person asked, "So what, if a fighter isn't at your event, are you saying they aren't the best?" At the time, I felt sorry for those not able to make the trip for whatever reasons or for those who didn't feel it was worth it to them. I guess it's possible that a fighter who truly feels he or she is the best would purposely stay away from this event because they don't have anything to prove to anyone... I Guess that's possible... That is if this was maybe the first year of this event and maybe even the second. But the third year? Ahhhh... NO. This rule doesn't apply any more...

As one person put it after the event, in year one it was like, "Well, maybe I'll go, but how real can it be..?" this was because year 1, as in any great event, was a true testing year for everyone. In year 2 it was, "I really should go to the event if I can." This was because everyone was surprised there was a second year and those who went in year number 1 talked about it during the entire year. The fights, the awards, the venue. There was lots to talk about. It was a great experience for everyone. Year 2 let everyone know we were serious about making this an annual event and we were serious about finding TRUE USA Amateur Champions. As year 3 came, a lot of fighters said "I really NEED to go to that event." This was because by now, nearly every amateur kickboxer knew about the event. It was the place where "The Best of the Best" show up to "Walk The Walk!" As many said, "The amateurs who ARE true fighters were in Kansas City on September 7th, 8th and 9th." These were not my words, but the words of the over 200 amateur kickboxers who "Walked The Walk" on this great weekend.

Now as everyone said throughout the weekend, this has now become an event that all amateur kickboxers MUST go to if they want to be called a TRUE National Champion. It's the only real proving ground that brings east and west, north and south together in one place to make it happen. As each entered the ring of battle, they had only 3 words to say to their competition... "

"Bring It ON!"

The comments of those in attendance spoke volumes throughout the weekend. "This is not only the ONLY USA National tournament for kickboxing, but it is now the true "Golden Glove" style event for the sport of kickboxing in the USA! After sharing a weekend with the hundreds in attendance, I'd like to change my thought to, "Yes, that's EXACTLY what I'm saying. If your an amateur fighter and your not at this event, than you cannot say that your the best in the USA. This isn't just me talkin, EVERYONE was saying it. To say anything different would take away from those who took on the challenge to fight ANYONE in the USA to PROVE to everyone that they truly are "THE BEST IN THE USA!"

Keep in mind that this is an "OPEN INVITATION" Tournament. A fighter does not need to be invited to attend this event as in the Pro K-1 Tournaments. You don't have to be nice to anyone here to be accepted. Heck, you don't even have to like the IKF to come to this event. You just have to like this sport enough to prove to your peers that your truly THE BEST. Win or lose, you'll always be a winner because you "Walked The Walk" with the Best in the USA! Everyone at this event every year has a special bond that can only be shared with those who attend. Those who experienced it in person. Those who put the effort in or better said by our National Tournament quote thats put on every Regional Tournament Event Certificate and on the front of the Nationals Program. It reads

"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with dust, sweat and blood... At the best he knows the triumph of high achievement, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." Theodore Roosevelt

As I said, you don't need to like the IKF to attend this event. You don't need to like me or anyone associated with the IKF, although it would be nice if we all got along... What I'm saying is that this event is far bigger than the IKF letters and far greater than 1 person. This is the USA's Event for the sport of Amateur Kickboxing. This is YOUR EVENT America for the Championship of Your United States. This is why YOU need to be there.

I guess I'm stressing the USA thing a bit strong here and maybe it's because of the recent attack on America. I too am angered greatly at what happened. There are none and will never be ANY JUSTIFIED reason for what happened in America on September 11th, 2001. NONE! I'm just as proud as any of you for my country as you are yours and I'm sure you can imagine how I and thousands of other American's feel today after such a SENSELESS Tragedy carried out by cowards that now hide their faces. Their actions, for whatever cause they were trying to prove simply had NO CAUSE and had NO LOGIC behind it. So if I get a little aggressive with the USA hype in this article, I think you can relate where it's coming from. Us American's are fighting mad and a line was crossed. There will be no negotiations for such an act. Moving on...

Something America can now be proud of is the size of this event. I personally don't know of any other organization or country that hosted an event with well over 200 "Amateur Kickboxers". I stress the words "Amateur Kickboxers" because I know of several National and even World Championships that was at least this big or bigger... HOWEVER, they included participants in forms competition, point fighting, weapon demos and karate skills... Not ALL Kickboxing. In addition, those who did host large championships have accomplished so by combining amateur and pros on their event. America can be proud that we had an "ALL Amateur "KICKBOXING" event that was probably one of, if not THE Largest (In number of amateur kickboxers participating) Championship Tournament ever held in the World.

Now before anyone challenges that call, do your research because this article took awhile to post as you all know BECAUSE we have been doing some research on this very issue. What we found was a lot of championships included karate participants doing karate skills and we found a lot of PRO fighters on amateur events. Keep in mind that these are the rules to go by.

Back to the event. The question is, were you there? If so, you can relate to everything I've said and everything I'm about to say here. We, the IKF, are proud to be a "PART" of a TRUE USA National Amateur Championship Tournament. Note I said "Part". As we here at the IKF have always said, this is a TEAM Effort put in by hundreds which include Regional Directors, Trainers, Event Officials, promoters assistants and of course, the brave and courageous fighters willing to "Walk The Walk!" We don't expect you to bow down to any of us and you shouldn't have to. What we do expect is for each fighter to enter the ring each time as an equal to their peers in the sport and face whoever their opponent is across the ring, look them in the eye and say

"Bring It ON!"

If you thought you had what it takes to be a Champion, You were There! If you thought you were the best in the USA, You were There! If you had no problem proving to all your peers in YOUR sport that you are the best, You were There! If you want to call yourself a REAL USA National Champion, You were There! Don't ask me, ask the others... Don't take this as an IKF ad... Don't send us e-mails with excuses or reasons why you don't think it was important to be there. Just ask everyone else because They were There!

Let me put this another way. What happened in Kansas City on the weekend of September 7th, 8th and 9th was "An Experience.." No amount of words here will ever be able to describe it. The sportsmanship of all the fighters and trainers, the Stars and Champions of our sport. Pro World Champions, Dave Marinoble, Duke Roufus, Curtis Bush, Scott Mincey, Kevin Hudson, Anthony Bartanalli, Boonkerd Fairtex, Mike LaBree, Kongnapa, just to name a few... Legends that built our sport over the years such as Bob "Thunder" Thurman (Right - on left) , Brooks Mason, Johnny "Superfoot" Davis (Right on right) and many more. This was as I said, "An Experience!"

Lets not forget the effort of each team as well. Like in amateur boxing, every fighter who entered paid a registration fee AND paid their own way to get there. Plane tickets, hotel room and food can all add up to a lot of expenses. This alone is an effort and only those serious about being a true national champion go to such extremes. Heck, as the saying goes, "If it were so easy to do, everyone would be doing it." A saying we use within the walls of the IKF. We're where we are today because we too, as all who attended this event, make the extra effort day after day to strive to be better for our sports participants. Sadly to say, with so many ABC organizations out there awarding titles to whoever they want, we have 2 USA Champions. At this event you'll find one kind and at other events... well, you get the picture. again, these were not my words, just ask anyone who was at this event...

So if you missed it this year, the question is why? There are lots of reasons you could offer. The one we hear most is, "Why spend my own money to enter this event, pay my own way there and have to fight several times to win a belt when I can fight once here at home and win any title I want..." I spoke to a lot of fighters about these issues and every one of them had a NO MERCY attitude about those not there. When the money issue came up in discussions, 9 out of 10 said we were charging too little for what the event had to offer. They compared this event to a regular karate event where participants pay $50 to $100 to compete for a trophy worth far less than one of the USA National Championship Belts ($185.00, Pictured at right without the winners side plates added yet).

NONE of them complained about paying to enter and paying their own way to the event... NONE! In fact, everyone I spoke to said that this event separates those who take this sport serious and those just doing it for fun. Many of them shared stories about winning titles with other organizations. US, North American and even WORLD amateur titles against guys from their same state. This event isn't about the IKF. This event is simply about WHO wants to make the sacrifices to prove they are THE BEST!

Last year Mike Carlson (Right) of Georgia wrote an article (Posted THURSDAY, July 27th, "A Letter We Wanted To Share" ) about the issue of WHO could and who couldn't attend the Nationals. Some of the things Mike brought up in the article a year ago are still noted today. They read...

"Complaints from the fighter's about the money thing, if you are getting them, are really quite amazing. First of all, tournament karate PLAYERS (and I use that in its most pejorative sense!) will pay fees in excess of the IKF 2000 Tournament fee, week after week, and will incur their own travel expenses, too. That is all just to be a face in a (I believe) less than distinguished crowd, particularly when compared to what the IKF is offering. Furthermore, sponsors can be found. It just takes dedication. Car washes can be put together. Given the incredible benefits of an event such as this, an effort to raise some cash in order to attend, would seem to represent a minor one. To put the money into perspective, competitors should think about what they will remember 20 or 30 years from now. Will they wish that they had a few hundred dollars back, or will they wish they could say they had the opportunity to go for it all in a truly significant and outstanding event? What will they sit around and talk to their kids and grandchildren about? Will they bring out pictures of their participation in the IKF tournament, or of the couple of six packs and movies out that the money was used on instead?"

As I re-read Mike's article I started to think of all the great fighters and great bouts that took place at this years event as well as at the past National Tournament events. One bout that stood out the most this year was that of a fighter with a paralyzed right arm. Now right off the bat, some of you are saying, "You let a fighter with a paralyzed arm fight?" Well before you call any of us stupid for doing so, let me say, I would do it again and again and again! When Tim Ball (Right & below in black shirt) of Pennsville, New Jersey finished fighting Mark Snow (Shirt off) of Lake Zurich, Illinois, few waited for me to announce Tim's situation. Nearly everyone at Ringside at ring 2 stood to their feet and gave Tim a standing ovation for his efforts. when the applause quieted down, I explained how Tim had went through months of waiting for us at the IKF to make a decision whether or not to allow him to fight. We had several e-mails in support of him competing and finally, we made the decision to allow him to compete. I said to everyone there,

"We decided, if Tim Ball wanted to walk the walk, we weren't going to stop him!"

And the place erupted with yet another standing ovation. If you were there you would have felt a lot of emotion in the room. Tim represented every fighter at that moment. He proved that if a 1 arm man could make the effort to "Walk The WALK" than NO ONE else could ever have a valid excuse. Tim may have lost his bout, but he won the hearts of EVERYONE there, and more important, he "Walked The Walk" in front of all his peers. Nothing is more valuable than that.

Mike's article continued;

"It's all a question of what kind of person individuals are interested in forging themselves into being. The IKF has shown itself to be dedicated to giving an annual chance for athletes to, in some cases, achieve greatness, and in the others, at least come close to it. It is shamefully ironic that those in the martial arts world, who so often preach of character and goal setting, seem to be reluctant to recognize the magnitude of what the IKF is offering, and are reluctant to enthusiastically support it. At the same time, the dedicated supporters of the IKF's efforts should be noted, and praised, as you are always thoughtful enough to do. Speaking for myself, I can tell you that it is appreciated.

Mike's article was written before last years event. These were the words of a man who only became involved in the IKF a little over a year before. This was not an IKF ad. This was a testimonial about how important this event is for every USA amateur fighter. We've heard all the excuses why some didn't want to attend. We had trainers tell us things like, "Our fighters have fought fighters all around the world and won Amateur World Titles. Why should they need to prove themselves at your event?" Why? Because in a lot of those bouts they fought, their trainers had direct hands in matchmaking their fighters to assure they would win. At the Nationals, none of the fighters worried about WHO they would face. They just knew they had to fight to win and win to be the Champion.

There are so many stories that could be told about this event but if I could tell them all, you would all get board of reading. This news page would be so long it would take forever to download. The stories are not just about the fighters. They're about those behind the scene as well. The officials for example, all volunteering their time to help these fighters all achieve their ultimate goal. The trainers who made the trips with their fighters. None of them of course are paid for what they do, they do it for the love of the sport and because they want to do whatever they can to help their fighters dream of becoming a National Champion come true. Fighters, if you didn't take your coach or trainers out to dinner for all they did to help you, please do so this weekend. They deserve it more than you will ever know.

This years event didn't go without it's little glitches as one would say. Things such as a lot of our event staff getting stuck at the airport because of a shuttle mix-up caused a long delay at the weigh-ins. We thought we would have 2 scales there and instead there was only 1. The doctor's Ringside had hoped to have for the event were not available so IKF Director of Marketing Johnny Davis went on a mission to find us some. His quest took him to the Olathe Medical Center across the street from the venue and we must say, their staff was TREMENDOUS! They truly went above and beyond the call of duty here. Keep in mind, this all happened in a matter of hours, after 5 PM and on a Friday night... They not only found us 2 doctors but 6. Johnny had to actually turn the others away. Of the doctors we had, Dr. Nick Navato I must say was one of the BEST event doctors I have ever worked with. The others were great as well but Dr. Navato was outstanding.

There were some other delays on Friday night but in all, EVERYONE was incredibly patient with the delays. This show of patients spoke volumes. Everyone there simply waited their time to do what they had to do. All the fighters were given FREE WIPSS Jaw Joint Protectors compliments of WIPSS Products. This was a GREAT GIFT and we thank WIPSS for such a great product to offer our sport. If you don't use a Jaw Joint Protector, you SHOULD!

In addition, each fighter was given 2 free bottles of the new OXY-WATER. These were both great additions to offer to all the fighters. They knew that they were all there for one reason, to "Walk The Walk" in the presence of their peers. This was probably why throughout the entire weekend, we witnessed incredible sportsmanship among everyone. There were no losers at this event. How could anyone be noted as such if they made the financial and physical effort to get there and back it all up by still keeping their fight? Again, no one lost for they were all winners.

Also on opening night (Friday) we presented John Brown of Ringside Inc. a beautiful Trophy Award Belt by IAA (See below right) and made some other presentations as well. I'd like to thank Johnny Davis and the IKF staff for my award as well, but as I said, this weekend was for the fighters. It was THERE WEEKEND!

What comes to mind here was the Adult Men's Super Heavyweight bracket. This bracket could have been filled with 10 or 20 amateur super heavyweights. I know this because I've seen them fight over the last year around the USA. There were 5 contenders fighting in the Full Contact Rules Super Heavyweight division and 5 in the SHW MuayThai Division. However, there were only 2 in the International Rules Super Heavyweight Division. As I said, there should have been a lot more. However, there were only 2 willing to challenge ANYONE in hopes to becoming the Best in the USA. Many I spoke with used the excuse, "I don't have enough experience to fight." Well, apparently, Max Lestage of New York, NY (29, 6'3", 300) trained by Kirk Robison had never heard such an excuse. He wanted to "Walk The Walk" and he was willing to fight anyone who was brave enough to enter the ring with him. What makes this story more incredible to me is that unlike in the movies, Max didn't win his bout. In fact he was knocked out in the first round. What made this bout stand out to me was that when I was speaking with Max in the ring while he was still on his back, he cared more about who he might have let down than if he was hurt or not. Let me tell you something fight fans. If you supported Max on this event, you supported a WINNER! This was his FIRST FIGHT and he was willing to take on ANYONE! Let's not forget about his opponent. He was no little fella. He stood 6'4" tall and weighed in at a lean 265! He was Leo Pavolushkin (Right) of Denver Colorado trained by Clarence Thatch and Sven Bean. Leo already had experience in the ring with a record of 5 wins against 1 loss. Take a look at Leo's picture to the right. If you were Max, and in your first fight, you might have thought about pulling out at the weigh-ins. Not Max though. He promised many he would "Walk The Walk" and he did. Yes, he got caught with a great punch, but all of us do at some time or another. Max is yet another example of someone who could have looked at the competition and backed out, or not have shown up at all as many Super Heavyweights across the USA choose to do. But he didn't. So once again, if you supported Max, you supported a WINNER! You didn't let anyone down Max, you "Walked The Walk!" We hope to see Max back in 2002...

Speaking of fighters with no record, there were several who dared to "Walk The Walk" and took home the title. They included;

• Ashlyn Vlassich of Butler, Pennsylvania (15 years old, 5', 111, 0-0/0) trained by Jimmy Stewart took home the Junior Girls FCR Super Atomweight USA Title when she defeated Brittany Roberts of Cable, Wisconsin by TKO at 1:20 of round 1.
• Cameron Monyelle of Beloit, Wisconsin (9 years old 4'3", 51, 0-0/0) trained by his father Craig Monyelle took home the Junior Boys FCR Junior Flyweight USA Title when he defeated Corey Neumann of Omaha, Nebraska by unanimous decision, 30-28, 30-27 & 30-26.
• Kyle Cottier of Loves Park, Illinois (9 years old, 4'4", 58, 0-0/0) trained by Steve Fridh took home the Junior boys FCR Junior Bantamweight Title when he defeated Nicholas Gentry of Pacific, Missouri by split decision, 30-26, 28-27 & 27-28.
• Jordan Moore of Pacific, Missouri (11 years old, 4'7", 74, 0-0/0) trained by Benny Voyles took home the Junior Boys FCR Junior Welterweight Title when he defeated past 2000 Champion Chad Monyelle of Beloit, Wisconsin by unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27 & 29-28.
• Kole Campbell of Twin Falls, Idaho (12 years old, 5'2"", 96, 0-0/0) trained by Brian Higgins took home the USA IR Junior Heavyweight Title when he defeated Ryan Church of Omaha, Nebraska by unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27 & 30-26.
• Rebecca Mahin of Milwaukee, Wisconsin (27, 5'4", 132, 0-0/0) trained by Duke Roufus took home the USA Woman's IR Lightweight Title when she defeated Penny DeGraw of Atlanta, Georgia by split decision, 29-28, 30-28 & 29-30.
• Tara Opielouski of Norman, Oklahoma (22, 5'7", 135, 0-0/0) trained by Scott Mincey took home the USA Woman's FCR Super Lightweight Title after defeating both Kathy Hagler of Roswell, Georgia in round 1 by TKO at 1:08 into round 2 and Katie Ehrhardt of Buffalo Grove, Illinois in round 2 by unanimous decision, 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27. For her Championship bout, her opponent Jennifer Woodrome of Imperial, Missouri couldn't fight due to a neck/back pain so Opielouski won by forfeit. This bout established a rule for 2002 and beyond that will now allow the loser (Lois Theabald of Illinois) of the previous bout with the fighter who pulled out, Woodrome to advance to the final round instead.
• Tariq M. Haniff of San Mateo, California (33, 5'5", 131, 0-0-0) trained by the Fairtex Camp took home the USA MuayThai Lightweight Title. Tariq's win didn't come easy either. His opponent was Greg Ardon of New York, NY with a record of 3-2-1/2 trained by Phil Nurse. At the end of their 3 rounds, the scores were 29-28 Ardon, 29-27 Haniff and 28 even. An extra round was fought and the split decision win went to Haniff, 10-9, 10-9 and 9-10. This was a GREAT East Vs WEST match-up!

There were some new National Tournament records set as well. Such as the one set by 18 year old Stephen Thompson of Simpsonville, South Carolina. The previous record for the quickest knockout was held by Milwaukee Wisconsin's Jason Strout of 34 seconds into the first round at last years National Tournament. Thompson broke the record as he broke the arm of Vilavahn Seukpanya of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was the only strike thrown in the bout, 14 seconds in, Thompson kicked Seukpanya's arm. It was Thompson's 16 straight win in his amateur career and his 9th win by KO/TKO while Seukpanya dropped to 8-3. The bout won Thompson his second National Tournament Title. Last year he won the Middleweight title and this year the Light Heavyweight Title. At only 18 years old, it's clear to see Thompson has a BIG Future ahead in this sport.

Several previous Champions were back again this year but fighting in different weight classes or divisions as Thompson did. Of them, several picked up another USA National title Belt. They included;

• Justin Lawerence of Pacific, Missouri who last year won the MuayThai Rules Junior Boys Junior Welterweight Title. This year he won the Junior Boys Full Contact Rules Junior Light Heavyweight Title when he defeated Ameil Alcozer of Plainview Texas by split decision, 30-27, 30-27 & 28-29.
• Casey Garza of Milwaukee, Wisconsin who last year won the MuayThai Super Lightweight Title came back this year to win the MuayThai Rules Light Welterweight Title when he defeated Michael Reno of New York, New York by split decision, 29-28, 29-28 & 28-29.
• Neal Fox of Milwaukee, Wisconsin moved up in weight to win the MuayThai Rules Welterweight Title over Joe Sampieri of New York, New York by unanimous decision, 29-26, 29-28 & 29-26. Fox had won the MuayThai Light Welterweight Title in 2000.
• Derek Yuen of Milwaukee Wisconsin (Now living in San Jose, CA) won the MuayThai Light Heavyweight Title in 2000. In 2001 he came back to win the MuayThai Rules Cruiserweight title when he defeated Charles Pemble of Marquette, Michigan by majority decision, 30-27, 30-26 & 28-28.

What about the Previous Champions that came back this year to not only DEFEND their previous titles won in 2000, but retained their titles as well? There were plenty of them too. They included;

• Suzanne Anderson of Minneapolis Minnesota who last year won the Woman's FCR Flyweight title came back to win it again this year when she defeated Rene' Brodacz of Lake Zurich, Illinois by split decision, 29-28, 30-27 & 28-29.
• Joe Taylor of Lake in the Hills Illinois retained his USA National FCR Flyweight Title when he defeated Quoc Tong of Virginia Beach, Virginia by unanimous decision, 30-25, 30-25 & 30-25.
• John Greubel of Martinez, Georgia accomplished his dream of retaining his FCR Light Welterweight Title but his opponent Jason Kuhn of Douglasville, Georgia didn't make it easy for him. At the end of the 3 rounds it was 29-27 Greubel, 28-28 even and 28-28 even. It took a 4th round fight-off for Greubel to retain his title winning on 2 of the 3 judges cards.
• Kyle McElroy of Lake Zurich, Illinois retained his USA National FCR Welterweight Title in his Final bout when he defeated Matt Mayer of Spooner, Wisconsin by split decision, 29-28, 28-27 & 27-26.
• Anthony McGaughey (Right) of Norman, Oklahoma continued his impressive career as he retained his USA National Full Contact Rules Light Middleweight title with a win over Jeff Bederd of St Louis, Missouri by unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27 & 29-28. McGaughey's record now stands at an impressive 16-0.
• Narayan Stitt (Right) of Seaside, California retained his USA National IR Middleweight Title when he defeated Todd Whitmoyer of Phoenix Arizona by majority decision, 30-27, 30-27 and 28-28. Stitt improved to 9-0 while Whitmoyer dropped to 11-4.

Everyone wants to win by Knockout or TKO and there were plenty of them. In fact, the Full Contact Light Cruiserweight Division had 4 contenders in it and of the 5 bouts fought, ALL 5 ended in KO or TKO! Of them, 2 in the first round and the other 3 in round 2. In that division it was Mark Feakes of Akron, Ohio who turned heads in that division as he won all 3 of his bouts by KO or TKO. His final bout was an impressive win over Kevin Engal by TKO at 1:05 of round 2. In all, Feakes fought 3 bouts on his way to the Title win but only had to fight a total of 10 minutes and 17 seconds instead of the scheduled 18 minutes. Feakes improved his overall record to 15-7-5. In the Those who recorded at least 1 knockout or TKO win include;

• Lee Roy Walters of Cable, Wisconsin when he defeated Bryce Ryder of Omaha, Nebraska by TKO at 57 seconds into round 1 to win the USA National Junior Boys FCR Junior Cruiserweight Title.
• Jeremy Powell of Douglasville, GA defeated Jon Mason of Omaha, Nebraska by TKO at 1:18 of round 1.
• Dallas Crowe of Lyman, South Carolina defeated Cody Smith of Garland, Texas by TKO at 1:15 of round 1.
• Brent Hess of Alexandria, Virginia defeated Tysen Johnson of Omaha, Nebraska by TKO at :40 seconds into the 3rd round.
• Suzanne Anderson of Minneapolis, Minnesota defeated Teri Prunty of Lilburn, Georgia by TKO at 1:45 of round 1.
• Tara Opielouski of Norman, Oklahoma defeated Kathy Hagler of Roswell, Georgia by TKO at 1:08 into round 2 .
• Holly Holm of Albuquerque New Mexico defeated Rachel Droessler of Milwaukee, Wisconsin by TKO at 34 seconds into round 1.
• Joseph Balkis of Calmet City, Illinois defeated Billy Byrd of Aroura, Illinois by TKO when Byrd didn't answer the bell after the first round break to win the USA National Full Contact Rules Featherweight Title.
• Curt Mickle of Atlanta, Georgia defeated Matthew Giliberto of Chicago, Illinois by TKO at 59 seconds into the 2nd round.
• Robert Elledge (Right with trainer Dave Marinoble) of Roseville California defeated 2000 Champion Matt Bentley of Omaha, Nebraska by TKO at 1:44 of round 1.
• Matt Mayer of Spooner, Wisconsin defeated Jamie Sychak of Butler, Pennsylvania by TKO at 1:10 of round 2.
• Kyle McElroy of Lake Zurich, Illinois defeated Jeffery Williams of Berlin, Georgia by TKO at break of rounds 1 & 2.
• Josh Jennings of Waterloo, Iowa defeated Scott McHugh of Aurora, Colorado by TKO at 1:45 of round 1.
• Marc Mayfield of St Louis, Missouri defeated Shaun Gay of Valdosta, Georgia by TKO at 44 seconds into the 3rd round.
• Jeff Bederd of St Louis, Missouri defeated Mike Crocker of Douglasville, Georgia by TKO at 20 seconds of round 2.
• Jason Strout of Milwaukee, Wisconsin defeated James Martinez of Albuquerque, New Mexico by TKO at 1:03 of round 2.
• Todd Whitmoyer of Phoenix, Arizona defeated Brian Corley of Omaha, Nebraska by TKO at :42 seconds into round 3.
• Narayan Stitt of Seaside, California defeated Jason Lovelace of Milwaukee, Wisconsin by TKO after the first round when Lovelace couldn't answer the bell for round 2.
• Zachary Day of Augusta, Georgia defeated Jason Schear of Eagan, Minnesota by TKO at 1 minute of round 2.
• Stephen Thompson of Simpsonville, South Carolina defeated Vilavahn Seukpanya of Milwaukee, Wisconsin by TKO at 14 seconds into the first round to win the USA National Full Contact Rules Light Heavyweight Title.
• Danny Kelly (Right) of San Jose, California defeated John Greaves of Chattanooga, Tennessee by TKO at 45 seconds into the 3rd round to win the USA National International Rules Light Heavyweight Title.
• Ben Dauck of Milwaukee, Wisconsin defeated Kedrick Umaa of Miami, Florida by KO at 16 seconds into round 2 to win the USA National MuayThai Rules Light Heavyweight Title.
• Kevin Engal of St Louis, Missouri defeated John Scanlon of Chicago, Illinois by TKO at 1:40 of round 1.
  • Kevin Engal defeated Mike Wood of Douglasville, Georgia by KO at 1:52 of round 1 .
• Mark Feakes of Akron, Ohio defeated Ralph Adams Jr. of Dallas, Texas by TKO at 1:28 of the second round.
  • Mark Feakes defeated Sean Crowe of Cedar Falls, Iowa by KO at 1:44 of round 2.
  • Mark Feakes defeated Kevin Engal by TKO at 1:05 of round 2 to win the USA National Full Contact Rules Light Cruiserweight Title.
• Adam Sylvia of Alexandria, Virginia defeated Damon Gray of Phoenix, Arizona by KO at 55 seconds of round 1.
  • Adam Sylvia defeated Cory Sirumacky of St Louis, Missouri by TKO at 1:10 of round 1 to win the USA National Full Contact Rules Cruiserweight Title.
• Dan Erickson of Stone Lake, Wisconsin defeated John Davidson of Georgia by TKO at 1:07 of round 1.
  • Dan Erickson defeated Wil Joseph of Dallas, Texas by TKO at 1:18 of the 2nd round to win the USA National Full Contact Rules Heavyweight Title.
• Dan Pemble of Marquette, Michigan defeated Chris Sasek of Tampa Florida by KO at 1:48 of round 1 to win the USA National MuayThai Rules Heavweight Title.
• Trent Thompkins of Waterloo, Iowa defeated David Hampton of Calmet City, Illinois by TKO at 28 seconds into the 2nd round.
• Leo Pavolushkin of Denver, Colorado defeated Max Lestage of New York, New York by KO at 1:43 of round 1. to win the USA National International Rules Super Heavyweight Title.
• Kurt Hasley of Signal Mt. Tennessee defeated J. T. Orta of Aurora, Colorado by TKO at 1:21 of round 1.

Well everyone, there's so much more, but that's enough for today. Look for yet more stories over the weekend as well as more and more pictures. There is so much to say about this event but the question is, will you get tired of reading about it...? We hope not... As usual, IKF Head of MuayThai Fred Fitzgerald who was simply FANTASTIC with his skills all weekend long will add another event story as he has in previous years so look for it soon.

If I didn't talk about your bout, don't think it wasn't important, IT WAS! There were so many main events over the weekend, enough to make 20 GREAT SHOWS! I'd like to thank all the officials who did such a great job! Fred, Dan Stell, Gerald Bush, Chuck Wolfe, as referees, you guys must still be tired. Thank you for your tremendous efforts throughout the weekend.

Judges, man there were so many of you I know I'll miss some of you but here goes, Brooks Mason, Johnny Davis, Mike Carlson, Rob Zbilski, James Corbett, Lane Collyer, Ron Gaiteri, Chris Wagner, Gene Fields, Mike Mattox, Cal Johnston, Jim Klauba, Tom Jensen, Scott Fischer, Clement Vierra, Dave Marinoble, Anthony Bartinelli and many others. Please excuse me for those I forgot. If you can, e-mail me their names so I can add them to this article. Also our timekeepers, kick counters, glove & equipment staff, awards staff of the Ward Family, front door staff, security crew, video crew, and of course, our direct IKF staff of Johnny Davis, Toni Foster, Mike Carlson, Glen Berg, and Dan Stell... So many names... how can I remember you all.

The countless hours all the trainers spent preparing their fighters for this great event. Hopefully you noticed we listed you all with your fighters below as well as in the programs. The credit you deserve for the work and efforts you make for this event, this sport, your team are without a doubt, Priceless.

And as if you may of thought we forgot, we need to thank our sponsors. Ringside Inc. of course for another great year of success for this event.

Holiday Inn OlatheThe for all their great support. your staff was fantastic! Although we may have out grown the Holiday Inn Olathe it doesn't mean we won't find another Holiday Inn somewhere else. Who knows what venue will win the bid for next years event, we'll see..

Brooks Mason and his company will supply the fighters Headgear.Wipss Products and their Jaw Joint Protectors and OXY-WATER. Toni Foster at Foster Graphics for the great event programs and the design of this years Championship Belt Medallion! Glenn Berg (GlayennB@aol.com) for event photography and Steve Harvey (SHarvey@worldnet.att.net) for the event videos. Thank you all for being valued additions to this years event!

Without you, this wouldn't have been possible. It was too bad the other officials from the Midwest had to cancel. We had rooms and meal tickets for all of you so there must have been a miscommunication somewhere there. We DID cover your expenses. Next time, PLEASE call me personally so you know your taken care of.

If you were there and you have a story to present, please e-mail it to us. We want to let everyone know as much about this experience as possible so get typin... Hope to see you all again soon...And in case your wondering, YES, there WILL be a 4th Annual USA National Tournament! We hope we see even more fighters there in 2002 that can walk through the ring ropes into their domain and look across the ring at their opponent and say with confidence..

The Below "RESULTS" of the 2001 IKF/RINGSIDE USA Nationals was first posted on
TUESDAY, September 11th, 2001, AT 2:45 AM PT.
However, it was revised with all the scores and more on
MONDAY, September 17th, 2001, AT 8:30 PM PT

And... The Winners Are...

Every Name You See Below...
Because They Are The ONLY Ones Who
"Walked The Walk!!

Over 200 Amateur Kickboxers from across the USA met this last weekend in Olathe/Kansas City Kansas, USA (September 7th, 8th & 9th) for the Largest Kickboxing event EVER (Number of competitors) in North America. "SEVERAL" Stories will be posted when our staff returns from the Nationals next week but we know you can't wait that long to see who all "SHOWED UP" and who all "Walked The Walk" instead of just "Talked The Talk..." However, for those who want to know who took home over 60 TRUE, USA Championship Titles and Belts, we posted them below as well.

So here they are everyone. The results of one of the greatest gatherings of amateur kickboxers EVER in the History of the sport. The results of the
2001 IKF/RINGSIDE USA National Amateur Kickboxing Championships....

ALL Championship bouts were fought on Sunday. Only 2 fighters fought 2 times on Sunday. They were in the Heavyweight Men's Full Contact Rules. This came about because of a protested bout on Saturday.

JUNIOR GIRLS - (8-17)

FCR JR. Light Heavyweight, 80.1-85 lbs. 8 & 9
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Alyssa Defazio, Phoenix, AZ (Age: 9, 4'11", 84, 1-0/0, Clement Vierra) defeated Samantha Walters, Cable, WI (8, 4'4", 84, 2-0/0, Mike Labree) by TKO at 51 seconds into the 2nd round.
FCR JR. Light Heavyweight, 80.1-85 lbs. 12
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Brittany Anic, St. Louis MO (12, 4'10", 85, 4-0/4, Finney's Kickboxing) defeated Kayla Cottier, Loves Park, IL (12, 82. 4'11", 0-0/0, Steve Fridh) by TKO at 15 seconds of round 2.
IR Atomweight, 105.1-110 lbs.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Brook Locklear, Phoenix, AZ (12, 110, 1-0/0, Clement Vierra) defeated Rachel Stecklein, Dubuque, IA (12, 110, 5'2", 0-0/0, Dean Lessei) by unanimous decision, 29-28, 29-28 & 30-27.
FCR Super Atomweight, 110.1-115 lbs.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Ashlyn Vlassich, Butler, PA (15, 5', 111, 0-0/0, Jim Stewart) defeated Brittany Roberts, Cable, WI (12, 5' 1/2", 115, 0-0/0, Mike LaBree) by TKO at 1:20 of round 1.
IR Bantamweight, 120.1-125 lbs.
ROUND 1;
Ellie Tarbill, Dixon, IL (13, 5'2", 125, 1-0/0, Mike Mattox) defeated Shantel Chapple, Kimberly, ID (12, 5'2", 120, 0-0/0, Brian Higgins) by unanimous decision, 30-27, 29-28 & 29-28 to advance to the final and
Nicole Hess, Alexandria, VA (13, 5'3", 121, 1-0/0, Mike Hess) defeated Jerica Veach, Dubuque, IA (11, 5'3", 121, 0-0/0, Dean Lessei) by TKO at 1:10 of round 2 to advance to the final.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Nicole Hess defeated Ellie Tarbill by TKO in 2nd round.
IR Featherweight, 125.1-130 lbs.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Sasha Johnson, Phoenix, AZ (15, 5'2"", 123, 14-1/5, Clement Vierra) defeated Lielane Payne-Blalock, Chatt., TN (15, 5'1", 127, 2-0/1, Chet Blalock) by majority decision, 29-28, 29-28 & 29-29.
Light Welterweight, 140.1-145 lbs.
ROUND 1;
*Boomer Fischer, Pacific, MO (16, 5'2", 133, 10-1/0. Benny Voyles) defeated Samantha Mountjoy, Dixon, IL (15, x'x", 145, 0-0/0, Mike Mattox) by TKO at 1:09 of round 1, and
Andrea Zalas, Simpsonville, SC (1-1/0, 16, 145, 5'8", Ray Thompson) defeated Jackie Ryder, Omaha, NB (15, 5'2", 141, 4-1/0, Mick Doyle) by TKO at 40 seconds into the second round to advance to the Final.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Andrea Zalas defeated Boomer Fischer by Extra Round split decision. At the end of 3 rounds the judges had this one, 29-27 Zales, 28-28 even and 28-28 even. In the extra round, Zalas won 2 of the 3 judges cards 10-9.
(*) 2000 CHAMPION

JUNIOR BOYS - (8-17)

FCR Junior Flyweight, 50.1-55 lbs.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Cameron Monyelle, Beloit, WI (9, 4'3", 51, 0-0/0, Craig Monyelle) defeated Corey Neumann, Omaha, NB (9, 4', 51, 0-0/0, Mick Doyle) by unanimous decision, 30-28, 30-27 & 30-26.
FCR Junior Bantamweight, 55.1-60 lbs.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Kyle Cottier, Loves Park, IL (9, 4'4", 58, 0-0/0, Steve Fridh) defeated Nicholas Gentry, Pacific, MO (9, 4', 56, 0-0/0, Benny Voyles) by split decision, 30-26, 28-27 & 27-28.
FCR Junior Welterweight, 70.1-75 lbs.
ROUND 1;
Jordan Moore, 11, Pacific, MO (4'7", 74, 0-0/0, Benny Voyles) defeated Jimmy Ryder, Omaha, NB (10, 4'6", 76, 1-1/0, Mick Doyle) by unanimous decision, 29-25, 28-25 & 30-22.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Jordan Moore, 11, Pacific, MO (4'7", 74, 0-0/0, Benny Voyles) defeated *Chad Monyelle, Beloit, WI (11, 4'6", 65, 1-0/0, Craig Monyelle) by unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27 & 29-28.
(*) 2000 CHAMPION
FCR Junior Middleweight, 75.1-80 lbs.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Cody Monyelle, Beloit, WI (13, 4'10", 78, 0-1/0, Craig Monyelle) defeated Ryan Hendershot, Waterloo, IA (13, 4'8", 77, 0-1/0, Russ O'Connell) by unanimous decision 29-28, 29-27 & 30-28.
FCR Junior Light Heavyweight, 80.1-85 lbs.
ROUND 1;
*Justin Lawerence, Pacifis, MO (11, 4'6", 82, 11-0/6, Benny Voyles) defeated Nic Housers, Kimberly, ID (12, 4'11", 84, 0-0/0, Brian Higgins) by split decision, 28-27, 29-27 & 27-28, and
Ameil Alcozer, Plainview TX (11, 4'3", 85, 2-2-1/1, Tommy Alcozer Sr.) defeated Steven Stence, S. Beloit, WI (11, 4'7", 82, 0-0/0, Pete Hetrick) by unanimous decision, 29-23, 29-22, 29-22.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Justin Lawerence defeated Ameil Alcozer by split decision, 30-27, 30-27 & 28-29.
(*) 2000 MTR CHAMPION
MTR Junior Light Cruiserweight, 85.1-90 lbs.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Nathan Hicks, Dubuque, IA (13, 86, 4'10", 2-1/0, Dean Lessei) defeated Jake Stenner, Omaha, NB (11, 4'8", 86, 0-0/0, Mick Doyle) by unanimous decision 30-27, 30-27 & 30-27.
FCR Junior Cruiserweight, 90.1-95 lbs.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Lee Roy Walters, Cable, WI (11, 5'3", 94, 2-0/0, Mike Labree) defeated Bryce Ryder, Omaha, NB (11, 4'8", 95, 0-0/0, Mick Doyle) by TKO at 57 seconds into round 1.
IR Junior Heavyweight, 95.1-100 lbs.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Kole Campbell, Twin Falls, ID (12, 5'2"", 96, 0-0/0, Brian Higgins) defeated Ryan Church, Omaha, NB (12, 5'2", 100, 0-0/0, Mick Doyle) by unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27 & 30-26.
IR Atomweight, 105.1-110 lbs.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Dougie Johnson, Phoenix, AZ (13, 5'3", 105, 12-0/4, Clement Vierra) defeated Cody Gonzales, Commerce City, CO, (13, 5'3", 106, 0-0/0, Keith Schmelzer) by split decision, 30-27, 30-27 & 27-30.
FCR Flyweight, 115.1-120 lbs.
ROUND 1;
Jeremy Powell, Douglasville, GA (14, 5'4", 119, 1-2/1, Mark Maske) defeated Jon Mason, Omaha, NB (14, 5'2", 116, 0-0/0, Mick Doyle) by TKO at 1:18 of round 1 to advance to Round 2 and
Randy Alcozer, Plainview TX (13, 110, 5'1", 3-2/3, Tommy Alcozer Sr.) defeated London Curtis, Memphis, TN (14, 5'5", 120, 6-1/0, Leroy Curtis) by unanimous decision, 29-25, 28-26 & 28-26 to advance to the Final.
ROUND 2;
Jeremy Duncan, Simpsonville, SC (14, 2-0/2, 118, 5'5", Ray Thompson) defeated Jeremy Powell, Douglasville, Georgia (14, 1-2/1, 119, 5'4", Mark Maske) 30-27, 30-24 and 30-23
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Jeremy Duncan defeated Randy Alcozer by unanimous decision 29-27, 30-26 & 30-26.
FCR Bantamweight, 120.1-125 lbs.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; John Felts, Pacific, MI (14 5'6", 125, 3-1/2, Benny Voyles) defeated Billy Heslop, Douglasville, GA (13, 5'4", 122, 0-0/0, Mark Maske) by unanimous decision, 30-25, 30-25 & 30-27.
FCR Featherweight, 125.1-130 lbs.
ROUND 1;
Dallas Crowe, Lyman, SC (16, 5'6", 130, 0-0/0, Kevin Hudson) defeated Cody Smith, Garland, TX (15, 5'7", 130, 0-0/0, Steve Goin) by TKO at 1:15 of round 1 to advance to Round 2 and
Brent Hess, Alexandria, VI (16, 5'4", 126, 2-0/0, Mike Hess) defeated Tysen Johnson, Omaha, NB (15, 5'6", 130, 1-1/0, Mick Doyle) by TKO at :40 seconds into the 3rd round, Hess was leading on all 3 judges cards after 2 rounds, 20-16. He advanced to the Final.
ROUND 2;
Dallas Crowe defeated Shane Shappley, Walnut, MI (16, 5'7", 125, 9-3/3, Jimmy Blann) 29-26, 29-27 & 28-27, to advance to the Final.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Brent Hess defeated Dallas Crowe by unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27 & 29-27.
MTR Super Lightweight, 135.1-140 lbs.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; David Flurry, Dubuque, IA (14, 140, 5'4", 1-2/0, Dean Lessei) defeated Alex McFarland, Omaha, NB (14, 5'7", 136, 0-0/0, Mick Doyle) by unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27 & 29-28.
FCR Middleweight, 159.1 - 165.
ROUND 1;
Victor McCullough, Coffeyville, KS (17, 5'11", 160, 7-0/3, Earl Gilkey) defeated Evan Thompson, Simpsonville, SC (17, 6' 2", 165, 1-0/0, Ray Thompson) by unanimous decision, 30-27, 29-26 & 30-25 to advance to the Final.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT Victor McCullough defeated Chris Hill, Butler, PA (16, 5'11", 160, 12-1/4, Jim Stewart) by split decision, 30-27, 30-27 & 28-29.
FCR Cruiser-Heavyweight, 190 lbs.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Michael Wade, Douglasville, GA (16, 6'2", 190, 1-1/1, Mark Maske) defeated Centurium Frost, Detroit, MI (16, 5'11", 215, 2-0/0, Elliot Cooper) by split decision, 29-27, 29-27 & 28-29.

IKF ADULT WOMEN RESULTS

FCR Regional Tournament Flyweight 120 lbs & Below
ROUND 1;
Sherri Maxwell, Norman OK (24, 5'6", 115, 0-0/0, Scott Mincey) defeated Donna Ferguson, Butler, PA (39, 5'5", 115, 10-6/0, Jimmy Stewart) by contraversial split decision, 29-28, 29-28 & 28-29 to advance to Round 2 and
Teri Prunty, Lilburn, GA (42, 5'1", 114, 1-0/0, Rod Llanze) defeated Mindy Griffin, Waterloo IA (24, 5'4", 117, 2-1-1/2, Russ O'Connell) by unanimous decision 29-28, 29-28 & 29-28 to advance to Round 2.
ROUND 2;
Rene' Brodacz, Lake Zurich, IL (34, 5', 112, 6-1/0, Jim Zbilski) defeated Sherri Maxwell by unanimous decision, 29-28, 29-28 & 29-28 to advance to the Final and
*Suzanne Anderson, Minn, MN (32, 5'1", 120, 6-1/1. C. B. Bunkholt) defeated Teri Prunty by TKO at 1:45 of round 1 to advance to the Final.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Suzanne Anderson defeated Rene' Brodacz by split decision, 29-28, 30-27 & 28-29.
(*) 2000 CHAMPION
IR Regional Tournament Flyweight - 120 lbs & Below
ROUND 1;
Tracy Kuschel, Omaha, NB (31, 5'2", 118, 2-6/1, Mick Doyle) defeated Kimberly Tomes, New York, NY (30, 5'4", 112, 1-1/0, Phil Nurse) by split decision, 30-27, 30-27 & 27-30 to advance to the Final.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Katie Meehan, Denver, CO (26, 5'5", 120, 4-1/1, Clarence Thatch) defeated Tracy Kuschel by unanimous decision, 29-28, 30-28 & 30-28.
IR Featherweight - 124.1 - 128 Lbs.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Thong Souksavath, Nashville, TN, 24, 5'3", 125, 2-0/0, Excalibur defeated Danella Renk, Omaha, NB (24, 5', 125, 0-0/0, Mick Doyle) by unanimous decision, 29-27, 30-27 & 30-26.
FCR Lightweight - 128.1 lbs. - 132 lbs.
ROUND 1;
Susie Shea, Minneapolis, MN (27, 5'7", 130, 5-4/0, C.B. Bunkholt) defeated Patricia Bradley, Lake Zurich, IL (25, 5'4", 129, 2-0/0, Jim Zbilski) by 30-27, 30-26 & 29-27 to advance to the Final.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Ryanne Dee, Detroit, MI (23, 5'8", 132, 4-0/0, Kerry Roop) defeated Susie Shea by unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27 & 29-28.
IR Lightweight - 128.1 lbs. - 132 lbs.
ROUND 1;
Rebecca Mahin, Milwaukee, WI (27, 5'4", 132, 0-0/0, Duke Roufus) defeated Triche Rasmussen, Seaside, CA (30, 132, 1-1-1, Adam Rogers) by unanimous decision 29-28, 30-27 & 30-28 to advance to the Final and
Penny DeGraw, Atlanta, GA (32, 5'3", 130, 0-0/0, Philip Botha) defeated Katie Jo Reyes, Monterey, CA (26, 5'5", 132, 0-0/0, Adam Rogers) by unanimous decision, 30-27, 29-28 & 29-28 to advance to the Final.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Rebecca Mahin defeated Penny DeGraw by split decision, 29-28, 30-28 & 29-30.
MT Lightweight - 125.4 + lbs. - 132 lbs.
ROUND 1;
Rebecca Natt, New York, NY (24, 5'5", 122, 2-1/0, Phil Nurse) defeated Rachel Thomas, Milwaukee, WI (22, 5'3", 132, 4-7/1, Rich Kostuck) by unanimous decision, 29-28, 29-27 & 29-28 to advance to the Final.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Rebecca Natt defeated Jennifer Butler (Amboy, IL, 21, 5'5", 132, 2-2/2, Al Silva) by unanimous decision, 30-26, 30-27 & 30-26.
FCR Super Lightweight - 132.1 lbs. - 137 lbs.
ROUND 1;
Tara Opielouski, Norman, OK, (22, 5'7", 135, 0-0/0, Scott Mincey) defeated Kathy Hagler, Roswell, GA (31, 5', 135, 0-0-1/0, Phillip Botha) by TKO at 1:08 into round 2 to advance to round 2 and
Jennifer Woodrome, Imperial, MO (18, 5'7", 135, 2-1/1, Benny Voyles) defeated Lois Theabald (Illinois) by unanimous decision, 30-27, 29-28 & 29-28 to advance to the Final.
ROUND 2;
Tara Opielouski defeated Katie Ehrhardt, Buffalo Grove, IL (22, 5'9", 135, 8-1/1, Jim Zbilski) by unanimous decision, 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27 to advance to the Final.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Tara Opielouski won by forfeit when opponent Jennifer Woodrome couldn't fight due to a neck/back pain.
FCR Light Welterweight - 137.1 lbs. - 142 lbs.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Jenn Repa, St Louis, MO, 20, 5'7", 142, 7-2/4, Finney's) defeated Susan Woods, Douglasville, GA, 34, 5'7", 140, 1-0/1, Mark Maske) by unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27 & 29-28.
IR Welterweight - 142.1 lbs. - 147lbs.
ROUND 1;
Holly Holm, Albq. NM (19, 5'8", 146, 3-2/0, Mike Winkeljohn) defeated Rachel Droessler, Milwaukee, WI (23, 5'3", 142, 0-0/0, Duke Roufus) by TKO at 34 seconds into round 1 to advance to the Final and
Chrisanne Roseleip, Denver, CO (25, 5'7", 146, 0-0/0, Mark Bauer) defeated Jennifer Groebner Alexandria, VI (27, 5'4", 147, 2-0/0, Mike Hess) by unanimous decision, 30-26, 30-26 & 30-26 to advance to the Final.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Holly Holm defeated Chrisanne Roseleip by unanimous decision, 29-27, 30-26 & 29-27.
FCR Super Welterweight - 147.1 lbs - 153 lbs.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT;Jennifer Thyssen, Eau Claire, WI (28, 5'5", 148, 13-3/4, Derck Kaio) defeated Terrie Hicks, Augusta, GA (35, 5'7", 151, 1-1/0, Mike Carlson) by unanimous decision, 30-27, 29-28 & 29-28.

IKF ADULT MEN RESULTS

FCR Flyweight 120 lbs & Below
ROUND 1;
Quoc Tong, Virginia Beach, VA (27, 5'3", 115, 1-0-1/0, C. Bush) defeated Borin Khoun, Morrow, GA (23, 120, 5'3", 0-0/0, Mark Maske) by majority decision, 29-28, 29-28 & 29-29 to advance to the Final.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; *Joe Taylor, Lake in the Hills, IL (21, 5'7", 119, 6-3-1/2. R. Zbilski) defeated Quoc Tong by unanimous decision, 30-25, 30-25 & 30-25.
(*) 2000 Defending Champion
FCR Featherweight - 124.1 - 128 Lbs.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Joseph Balkis, Calmet City, IL, 31, 5'5", 128, 6-7/0, G. Hudson) defeated Billy Byrd, Aroura, IL, 24, 5'9", 125, 11-4/2, Rob Zbilski) by TKO when Byrd didn't answer the bell after the first round break. After 1, Balkis lead 2-1 on the 3 judges cards.
MT Lightweight - 125.4 + lbs. - 132 lbs.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Tariq M. Haniff, San Mateo, CA (131, 5'5", 33, 0-0-0. Fairtex) defeated Greg Ardon, New York, NY (28, 5'8", 131, 3-2-1/2, Phil Nurse) by split "EXTRA ROUND Decision. The scores after 3 rounds were 29-28 Ardon, 29-27 Haniff and 28 even. An extra round was fought and the split decision win went to Haniff, 10-9, 10-9 and 9-10.
FCR Super Lightweight - 132.1 lbs. to 137 lbs.
ROUND 1;
Robert Elledge, Roseville, CA (17, 5'9", 136, 2-0/0, Dave Marinoble) defeated Al Ronnei, Mondovi, WI (18, 0-0/0, 6'1", 137, Michael Lind) by unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27 & 29-28 to advance to Round 2 and
Curt Mickle, Atlanta, GA (22, 5'8", 135, 4-0-2/3, Dennis Palmer) defeated Matthew Giliberto Chicago, IL (19, 5'7", 133, 3-0/0, G. Hudson) by TKO at 59 seconds into the second round to advance to the Final.
ROUND 2;
Robert Elledge defeated *Matt Bentley, Omaha, NB (17, 5'6", 137, 6-0/0, Mick Doyle) by TKO at 1:44 of round 1 (3 knockdown rule)
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Robert Elledge defeated Curt Mickle by unanimous decision, 30-27, 29-27 & 30-28.
(*) 2000 CHAMPION
MT Light Welterweight - 132 + lbs. - 139.7 lbs.
ROUND 1;
Michael Reno, New York, NY (25, 5'8", 139, 1-4-1/0, Phil Nurse) defeated Garrick Edwards, Atlanta, GA (33, 5'6", 139, 1-0/0, P. Villalobos) by unanimous decision 30-27, 30-27 & 30-28 to advance to the Final and
*Casey Garza, Milwaukee, WI (20, 5'8", 137, 4-1/2, Duke Roufus) defeated Dustin Bensing, Louisville, KY (22, 5'8", 135, 1-1/1, Eric Haycraft) by unanimous decision 30-27, 30-27 & 30-28 to advance to the Final.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Casey Garza defeated Michael Reno by split decision, 29-28, 29-28 & 28-29.
(*) 2000 CHAMPION
FCR Light Welterweight - 137.1 lbs. to 142 lbs.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; *John Greubel, Martinez, GA (19, 5'10", 142, 5-0/0. Mike Carlson) defeated Jason Kuhn, Douglasville, GA (24, 5'6", 142, 3-0/0, Mark Maske) by EXTRA ROUND split decision. At the end of 3 rounds it was 29-27 Greubel, 28-28 even and 28-28 even. On the 4th round, Greubel won 2 of the 3 judges cards.
(*) 2000 Defending Champion
FCR Welterweight - 142.1 lbs. to 147 lbs.
ROUND 1;
Chris Kurtz, Overland Park, KS (20, 5'11", 145, 6-2/0, Steve Mackey) defeated James McCallum, Waterloo, IO (29, 5'6", 147, 6-2/5, R. O'Connell) by split decision, 28-27, 28-27 & 27-28 to advance to Round 2 and
Matt Mayer, Spooner, WI (18, 6'1", 147, 6-1/2, Bill Lassi) defeated Jamie Sychak, Butler, PA (30, 5'8", 147, 3-1/2, Jimmy Stewart) by TKO at 1:10 of round 2 to advance to Round 2 and
Tom Poey, Virginia Beach, VA (21, 5'8", 147, 7-4/2, Curtis Bush) defeated Mike Colin, Elizabeth, NJ (20, 5'9", 147, 8-2/0, Jonas Nunez) by split decision, 29-18, 29-28 & 28-29 to advance to Round 2
*Kyle McElroy, Lake Zurich, IL (24, 5'11", 147, 14-1-1/5. Team Z) defeated Jeffery Williams, Berlin, GA (30, 5'5", 146, 0-0/0, James Corbett) by TKO at break of rounds 1 & 2 to advance to Round 2.
ROUND 2;
Matt Mayer defeated Chris Kurtz by unanimous decision 29-28, 29-28 & 29-28 to advance to the Final and
Kyle McElroy defeated Tom Poey by split decision 30-27, 30-27 & 28-29 to advance to the Final.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Kyle McElroy defeated Matt Mayer by split decision, 29-28, 28-27 & 27-26.
(*) 2000 Defending Champion
MT Welterweight - 139.7 + lbs. - 147.4 lbs.
ROUND 1
Joe Sampieri, New York, NY (26, 5'9", 147, 3-1/2, Phil Nurse) defeated Christian Allen, Denver, CO (24, 5'8", 143, 2-0/0, Clarence Thatch) by split decision, 30-27, 29-27 & 28-29 to advance to the Final.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; *Neal Fox, Milwaukee, WI (29, 5'9", 147, 9-4-2/5, Duke Roufus) defeated Joe Sampieri by unanimous decision, 29-26, 29-28 & 29-26.
(*) 2000 CHAMPION
FCR Super Welterweight - 147.1 lbs. to 153 lbs.
ROUND 1;
Josh Jennings, Waterloo, IO (26, 5'8", 153, 9-2/7, Russ O'Connell) defeated Scott McHugh, Aurora, CO (38, 5'8", 153, 0-0/0, Clarence Thatch) by TKO at 1:45 of round 1 to advance to the Final and
Marc Mayfield, St Louis, MI (26, 5'9", 152, 26-4/8, Finney's) defeated Shaun Gay Valdosta, GA (22, 6'1", 153, James Corbett) by TKO at 44 seconds into the 3rd round. Mayfield was ahead on 2 of the 3 judges cards after 2 rounds 20-16 and the third, 20-17
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Marc Mayfield defeated Josh Jennings by unanimous decision, 28-24, 28-24 & 28-25.
IR Super Welterweight - 147.1 lbs. to 153 lbs.
ROUND 1;
Robert Myers, Marietta, GA (31, 5'9", 150, 0-0/0, Dennis Palmer) defeated Ralph Bass, Monterey, CA (148, 19, 0-0-0, Trainer Adam Rogers) by split decision, 30-27, 29-28 & 28-29 to advance to the Finals.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Graciano Boserta, Denver, CO (19, 5'8", 148, 4-1, Keith Schmelzer) defeated Robert Myers by unanimous decision, 30-26, 29-28 & 29-27.
FCR Light Middleweight - 153.1 lbs to 159 lbs.
ROUND 1;
Jeff Bederd St Louis, MO (37, 5'9", 159, 23-2/12, Finney's Kickboxing) defeated Mike Crocker Douglasville, GA (32, 5'8", 158, 1-0/1, Mark Maske) by TKO at 20 seconds of round 2 to advance to the Final.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; *Anthony McGaughey Norman, OK (22, 5'11", 156, 15-0/12. Scott Mincey) defeated Jeff Bederd by unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27 & 29-28.
(*) 2000 Defending Champion
IR Light Middleweight - 153.1 lbs to 159 lbs.
ROUND 1;
Jorge Hernandez, Aurora, CO (28, 5'10", 157, 3-2, Sven Bean) defeated David Foley, Ogden, UT (23, 5'10", 156, 3-0/1, Self) by split decision, 29-27, 29-28 & 27-29 to advance to the Final.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Jorge Hernandez defeated *Adam Rogers, Seaside, CA, 38, 5'10", 159, 8-3/3, Rick Noble) by unanimous decision, 29-27, 30-26 & 29-26.
(*) 2000 Defending Champion
MuayThai Light Middleweight - 147.4 + lbs - 156.2 lbs.
ROUND 1;
Chris Ascari, New York, NY (29, --, 150, 1-0-1/0, Phil Nurse) defeated Julliau Lugo Jr., Barstow, CA (150, 27, 0-0-0) by unanimous decision 30-26, 30-26 & 30-26 to advance to Round 2 and
Jason Strout, Milwaukee, WI (24, 5'10", 156, 9-1/3, Duke Roufus) defeated James Martinez, Albq. NM (23, 5'8", 156, 5-1/4, Mike Winklejohn) by TKO at 1:03 of round 2 to advance to the Final.
ROUND 2;
Jeff Perry, Atlanta, GA (24, 6', 154, 5-1/3, Scott Hicks) defeated Chris Ascari by split decision 30-27, 30-27 & 29-30 to advance to the Final.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Jeff Perry defeated Jason Strout by majority decision, 29-28, 29-28 & 29-29.
FCR Middleweight - 159.1 lbs to 165 lbs.
ROUND 1
Eustorgio Gama, Lake Zurich, IL (23, 6', 165, 2-2-1/0, Jim Zbilski) defeated Arturo Ortega, Phoenix, AZ (24, 5'6", 164, 0-0/0, C. Vierra) by unanimous decision, 28-24, 28-25 & 29-24 to advance to Round 2 and
Peyton Russell, Minn., MN (31, 6', 165, 18-3/5, C.B. Bunkholt) defeated Brian Glenn, Overland Park, KS (20, 5'10", 160, 4-2/2, Steve Mackey) by unanimous decision 30-27, 30-27 & 30-27 to advance to the Final.
ROUND 2; Eustorgio Gama defeated Roy Anthony, Augusta, GA (26, 5'10", 164, 3-0/2, Mike Carlson) by majority decision, 29-28, 29-28 & 29-29 to advance to the Final.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Peyton Russell defeated Eustorgio Gama by unanimous decision, 30-28, 30-27 & 30-27.
IR Middleweight - 159.1 lbs to 165 lbs.
ROUND 1;
Jason Lovelace, Milwaukee, WI (21, 5'7", 165, 0-1/0, Duke Roufus) won by forfeit when Josh Kretschmann, Ripon, CA (160, 20, 5'8", 1-0-0, R. C. Moreno III) who weighed in the night before was a no show at the bout. Lovelace advanced to round 2 and
Todd Whitmoyer, Phoenix, AZ (10-3/7, 26, 5'10", 165, C. Vierra) defeated Brian Corley, Omaha, NB (21, 5'9", 160, 3-1/0, Mick Doyle) by TKO at .42 seconds into round 3 (this bout was even after 2 rounds) to advance to the Finals.
ROUND 2;
*Narayan Stitt, Seaside, CA (30, 5'10",165, 8-0/2. Rick Noble) defeated Jason Lovelace by TKO after the first round when Lovelace couldn't answer the bell for round 2. Stitt advanced to the Final.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Narayan Stitt defeated Todd Whitmoyer by majority decision, 30-27, 30-27 and 28-28.
(*) 2000 Defending Champion
MT Middleweight - 156.2 + lbs. - 165 lbs
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT;Sean Seagrave, New York, NY (33, 5'11", 163, 3-3/0, Phil Nurse) defeated Harvey Grasse, Milwaukee, WI (27, 5'10", 165, 6-2/3, Duke Roufus) by unanimous decision, 29-28, 30-27 & 29-28.
FCR Super Middleweight - 165.1 lbs to 172 lbs.
ROUND 1;
Jason Schear Eagan, MN (30, 6', 172, 0-2/0, C. B. Bunkholt) defeated Toty Otarola, Grear, SC (26, 5'6", 168, 1-2/1, Kevin Hudson) by unanimous decision 30-27, 30-27 & 30-27 to advance to Round 2.
Shannon Hudson, Lyman, SC (21, 5'8", 172, Kevin Hudson) defeated Steve Fridh, Rockford, IL (26, 6'2", 170, 3-2/0, Self) by unanimous decision, 29-25, 30-24 & 30-24 to advance to round 2 and
Danny Griffin, Lake in the Hills, IL (25, 5'11", 172, 4-1/3, R. Zbilski) defeated Chris Terry , Phoenix, AZ (30, 6'3", 172, 5-1/4, Clement Vierra) by unanimous decision, 30-16, 30-26 & 30-26 to advance to round 2.
ROUND 2;
Zachary Day, Augusta, GA (37, 5'10", 170, 10-1/4, Mike Carlson) defeated Jason Schear by TKO at 1 minute of round 2 to advance to the Finals and
Danny Griffin defeated Shannon Hudson 30-27, 29-28 & 30-27 to advance to the Final.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Danny Griffin defeated Zachary Day by unanimous decision, 29-28, 30-27 & 29-27.
FCR Light Heavyweight - 172.1 lbs to 179 lbs
ROUND 1
Vilavahn Seukpanya, Milwaukee, WI (29, 5'10, 174, 7-2, H. Craft) defeated Claudiu Bucur, Tallahassee, FL (20, 5'10", 176 lbs, 1-1/1, A. Alshingiti) by unanimous decision, 30-26, 30-26 & 29-27 to advance to the Final.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; *Stephen Thompson, Simpsonville, South Carolina (18, 6', 176, 15-0/8, Ray Thompson) defeated Vilavahn Seukpanya by TKO at 14 seconds into the first round. It was the only strike thrown in the bout and set a new record for quickest win by KO/TKO. The kick broke Seukpanya's arm.
(*) 2000 CHAMPION
IR Light Heavyweight - 172.1 lbs to 179 lbs
ROUND 1;
John Greaves, Chattanooga, TN (28, 5'10", 179, 3-2/1, C. Blalock) defeated Paul Donelson, Omaha, NB (32, 6', 178, 4-1-2/0, Mick Doyle) by unanimous decision, 30-25, 30-26 & 30-25 to advance to the Final.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Danny Kelly, San Jose, CA (26, 6', 179, 11-1-1/3, Derek Yuen) defeated John Greaves by TKO at 45 seconds into the 3rd round. (Kelly was ahead on all the cards at the time, 19-17, 19-15 & 19-16.)
MT Light Heavyweight: - 165 + lbs. - 178.20 lbs.
ROUND 1;
Daniel Ancheta, Athens, GA (24, 5'11", 178, 1-2/0, Scott Hicks) defeated Tony Kent, Colorado Springs, CO (22, 5'8", 174, 0-1/0, Chuck Daly) by unanimous decision, 30-26, 29-27 & 29-28 to advance to round 2 and
Kedrick Umaa, Miami, FL (1-0/0, 22, 171, Dwight Woods) defeated Andy Hoffman, Peoria, IL (21, 6', 178, 5-1/1, Ryan Blackorby) by split decision, 29-28, 29-28 & 28-29 to advance to the Final.
ROUND 2;
Ben Dauck, Milwaukee, WI (26, 6', 178, 7-0-1/2, Duke Roufus) defeated Daniel Ancheta by KO at 1:55 of round 3 (Dauck was ahead on all 3 judges cards at the time, 20-17, 20-18 & 20-18) to advance to the Final.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Ben Dauck defeated Kedrick Umaa by KO at 16 seconds into round 2.
FCR Light Cruiserweight - 179.1 lbs to 186 lbs
ROUND 1;
Mark Feakes, Akron, OH (33, 5'10", 185, 12-7-1/2, Lorenzo Scott) defeated Ralph Adams Jr. Dallas, TX (26, 5'10", 180, 0-0/0, Steve Goin) by TKO at 1:28 of the second round to advance to round 2 and
Kevin Engal, St Louis, MO (21, 6'3", 185, 3-2/2, Finney's Kickboxing) defeated John Scanlon, Chicago, IL (44, 6', 178, 1-0/1, Glenn Hudson) by TKO at 1:40 of round 1 to advance to round 2.
ROUND 2;
Mark Feakes defeated Sean Crowe, Cedar Falls, IO (28, 6'1, 186, 3-2/2, Russ O'Connell) by KO at 1:44 of round 2 to advanced to the final and
Kevin Engal defeated Mike Wood, Douglasville, GA (30, 5'8", 180, 1-1-1/1, Mark Maske) by KO at 1:52 of round 1 to advance to the final.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Mark Feakes defeated Kevin Engal by TKO at 1:05 of round 2.
IR Light Cruiserweight - 179.1 lbs to 186 lbs
ROUND 1;
Sean Mahin, Milwaukee, WI (30, 6', 180, 0-0/0, Duke Roufus Gym) defeated Shanon Woodard, Topeka, KS (32, 6', 185, 0-0/0, Jesse Garcia) by unanimous decision, 29-28, 29-28 & 30-27 to advance to round 2 and
Sam McFarland, Commerce City, CO (23, 6', 182, 2-2/1, Keith Schmerer) defeated James Howe, Phoenix, AZ (26, 6'2", 185, 1-0/1, Clement Vierra) by split decision, 30-26, 29-26 & 28-27 to advance to the finals.
ROUND 2;
P. J. Riley, Grand Junction, CO (23, 6', 180, 4-3/1, Self) defeated Sean Mahin by unanimous decision 29-18, 29-18 & 30-27 to advance to the Final.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Sam McFarland defeated P. J. Riley by majority technical decision. McFarland injured his leg in round 2 and was unable to continue. The injury was not from a foul and was not from any contact. The call went to the previous 2 rounds completed and the judges cards scored it 20-19 and 20-18 for McFarland and 1 judge had it a round each and even at 19-19.
FCR Cruiserweight - 186.1 lbs to 195 lbs.
ROUND 1;
Damon Gray, Phoenix, AZ (25, 6'0", 190, 1-0/1, Clement Vierra) defeated Blaine Nichols, Evansdale, IO (35, 6'1", 195, 4-5/1, R. O'Connell) by unanimous decision 30-26, 29-27 & 29-27 to advance to round 2 and
Cory Sirumacky, St Louis, MO (27, 6'4", 195, 2-0/2, Finney's) defeated Alberto Gama, Elgin, IL (20, 5'11", 190, 1-1/0, Jim Zbilski) by unanimous decision, 30-24, 30-24 & 30-26 to advance to the finals.
ROUND 2;
Adam Sylvia, Alexandria, VI (27, 5'11", 194, 8-0/6, Mike Hess) defeated Damon Gray by KO at 55 seconds of round 1 to advance to the finals.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Adam Sylvia defeated Cory Sirumacky by TKO at 1:10 of round 1.
MT Cruiserweight - 178.20 + lbs. - 189.20 lbs.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; *Derek Yuen, 33, 5'11", 180, Milwaukee, WI (12-3-0. Duke Roufus) defeated Charles Pemble, Marquette, MI (2-1/1, 188, 45, 5'10", K. Koonnala) by majority decision, 30-27, 30-26 & 28-28.
(*) 2000 CHAMPION
FCR Heavyweight - 195.1 lbs. to 215 lbs.
ROUND 1;
Wil Joseph, Dallas, TX (26, 6'5", 213, 0-0/0, Steve Goin) defeated Dana Morrissey, Sun Valley, NV (205, 33, 5'8", 4-1-0, Self Trained) by unanimous decision, 29-25, 29-26 & 30-26 to advance to round 2,
Dan Erickson, Stone Lake, WI (26, 6'6, 215, 11-1/4, Mike LaBree) defeated John Davidson Georgia (22, 6'2, 210, 2-1/0, Mark Maske) by TKO at 1:07 of round 1 to advance to round 2 and
Tim Mazurkievicz, Roscoe, IL (29, 6'1", 210, 9-1/8, Self) defeated Mike Marinoble, Roseville, CA (6-1-1/3, 205, 5'11", 35, D. Marinoble) by unanimous decision. This bout had an "Officials" protest since 2 of the 3 judges were from Mazurkievicz hometown and 1 from his gym. They failed to leave their judging posetion and be replaced for this bout. Because of this, a protested review via video of the bout gave Marinoble the win. A 1 round fight-off was fought and Mazurkievicz won to advance to round 2.
ROUND 2;
Wil Joseph defeated Adrian Turpin, Atlanta, GA (33, 6', 204, 4-2/0, Self) by split decision, 29-28, 30-27 & 27-30 to advance to the final (This bout was protested. Upon review, the neutral judges scored it for Turpin. A 1 round fight off was made and Joseph won it on all 3 judges cards. Also in round 2,
Dan Erickson defeated Tim Mazurkievicz by unanimous decision, 30-24, 30-25 & 30-25 to advance to the final.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Dan Erickson defeated Wil Joseph by TKO at 1:18 of the 2nd round.
MTR Heavyweight - 189.20 + lbs. - 200.2 lbs.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Dan Pemble of Marquette, MI (2-0/0, 199, 6'1", 19, Kak Konnala) defeated Chris Sasek of Tampa FL (28, 5'10", 200, 0-0/0, Self) by KO at 1:48 of round 1.
FCR Super Heavyweight - 215.1 lbs. and up.
ROUND 1;
Mark Snow, Lake Zurich, IL (31, 6'4", 255, 1-0/0, Jim Zbilski) defeated Tim Ball, Pennsville, NJ (33, 6', 285, 0-0-1/0, Carl Beaman) by unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27 & 30-27 to advance to round 2 and
Trent Thompkins, Waterloo, IO (20, 6'1", 220, 9-0/4, R. O'Connell) defeated David Hampton, Calmet City, IL (33, 5'11", 245, 10-3-2/0, G. Hudson) by TKO at 28 seconds into the 2nd round to advance to the Final.
ROUND 2;
*John Lenamon, Abilene, TX (29, 6', 216, 6-3/5. James Cox) defeated Mark Snow by split decision, 29-28, 29-28 & 28-29 to advance to the final.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Trent Thompkins defeated John Lenamon by unanimous decision, 29-28, 29-27 & 29-27.
(*) 2000 Defending Champion
IR Super Heavyweight - 215.1 lbs. and up.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Leo Pavolushkin, Denver, CO (6'4", 265, 5-1/--, Sven Bean) defeated Max Lestage, New York, NY (0-0/0, 29, 6'3", 300, Kirk Robison) by KO at 1:43 of round 1.
MTR Super Heavyweight - 200.2 + lbs. and above
ROUND 1;
J. T. Orta, Aurora, CO (26, 6'1", 232, 1-0/0, Sven Bean) defeated Larry Briggs, Louisville, KY (26, 5'11", 210, 0-1/0, Eric Haycraft) by split decision, 30-27, 29-28 & 28-29 to advance to round 2 and
Carter Williams, Modesto, CA (248, 21, 9-5-1/8, Gene Fields) defeated John Grantham, Athens, GA (24, 6'4", 259, 2-0/1, Scott Hicks) by split decision 29-28, 29-28 & 28-29 to advance to the final.
ROUND 2;
*Kurt Hasley, Signal Mt. TN (33, 6'4", 240, 6-1/6, Chet Blalock) defeated J. T. Orta by TKO at 1:21 of round 1 to advance to the Final.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT; Carter Williams defeated *Kurt Hasley by unanimous decision, 29-27, 29-27 & 28-27.
(*) 2000 IR CHAMPION

There you go fight fans... What a weekend! We have a "TON" of great fight stories to tell you about this past weekend along with posting all the bout scores, decisions, KO & TKO times etc. This way you can see who won by KO's or decisions, etc. etc. Everyone knows about the title belts for this event (Shown below) but wait till you hear what RINGSIDE INC. gave everyone! What great gifts!!!

This event had so many great things about it, we may have to post another page when we start posting articles next week! The officials, the trainers, fighters, fans, event staff, sponsors, the facility etc. etc... all have something to be proud of... They ALL "Walked The Walk" at an event that set new standards for the sport. How many next year will "Walk The Walk?" It seems to double every year so what's next? 300? 400? 500 fighters? Whatever the number, you can be sure that this event is truly the MAIN EVENT for Amateurs in North America now and speaking of that, we hear next years event may be a "NORTH AMERICAN" Championships with teams from Canada and Mexico! Get ready everyone! The challenge gets greater each year to "Walk The Walk" and bring home the belt! But as those who are not afraid to take on that challenge would say...

THURSDAY, September 6th, 2001, AT 1:20 PM PT

The Countdown Continues...
Only 1 Day Away to see who will
"Walk The Walk!"

Attention 2001 USA National Participants. Due to some fighters arriving late on Friday along with the worry of Friday night traffic, we have decided not to have everything so packed on Friday night.

These changes will of course help everyone. They will allow everyone more time for the fighter registration, weigh-ins and rules meeting.

There have been some changes to the Friday night schedule so here is the updated one along with the entire weekend schedule below...

See you soon....

WEDNESDAY, September 5th, 2001, AT 8:30 PM PT

Setting Up The IKF Office In K.C. To
"Walk The Walk!"

Although this article is being posted today (Wednesday) IKF President Steve Fossum (Left) and IKF Event Photographer Glenn Berg arrived at the Olathe Holiday Inn in Olathe/Kansas City Kansas City Tuesday about 5:30 PM. It was a a long drive of over 1,700 miles from the IKF World Headquarters in Newcastle, CA which the two did in under 28 hours. More like 24 if you subtract the time they used stopping for meals and of course, gas.

Fossum and Berg decided to drive to theIKF/RINGSIDE Nationals this year because they didn't want to take any more chances of losing the 60+ National Title Belts like UPS (United Parcel Service) did last year. Especially since this years belt bill was over $12,000.00. (Belts shown in an article below)

"I felt we let our Champions down last year." Said Fossum. "Although it wasn't our fault UPS lost the belts, we still felt it was a major letdown. Never again will this happen." Fossum held true to his words and with the help of Berg, all the belts for this years event are now in Kansas.

The other reason they made the trip was to get the IKF Administration Offices set up in plenty of time before the event. This year the IKF and RINGSIDE Inc. are the event hosts handling all the event logistics themselves which was a major reason Fossum wanted to get to K.C. early.

The two took most of last night and earlier today setting up the IKF Administration Office which included computers, faxes, event documents and more. (See picture at right) Within hours of arrival, they had the IKF satellite office completely set up with all they would need.

If your looking to reach them, the number is (913) 829-4000 X Executive Boardroom B. The fax number there is (913) 829-8165. The remainder of the IKF Event Team will arrive this Friday.

A Visit To RINGSIDE Inc.

After they were done they took the short trip (which was about 15 minutes from the event center, the Olathe Holiday Inn.) to the World Headquarters of

RINGSIDE Inc. World Headquarters

Once there, they were given the full tour by RINGSIDE Inc.'s Albert Guardado. Guardado is seen below with Fossum holding the Official 2001 IKF/RINGSIDE Nationals Event T-Shirt. These shirts and others can be purchased at the event at both the RINGSIDE Inc. booth and the IKF booth. Other IKF Apparel and Ringside equipment will also be available at these booths throughout the weekend.

RINGSIDE's impressive facility was massive in size. Described by Fossum as "Tremendously Impressive". With "In-house facilities" for silk screening, bag making, graphic arts and a massive shop where they make their Ringside Boxing rings it had everything such a company needs. Not to mention their massive storage warehouse of Ringside Products.

After the tour, Fossum & Berg discussed some of the lagistics of this weekends event. "Doug (Ward) and Mike (McAtee) are working hard to make this a great event." said Fossum. "This is truly the Golden Gloves of kickboxing." Fossum also met with Ringside Inc. President John Brown and shared views of the sport and the need for such an event for the sport of kickboxing.

After their visit it was back to the IKF Office to retrieve e-mails, return dozens of phone calls and continue the organization work to assure this weekends event will again be a step above the year before as last years was over the first one in 1999.

For more PICTURES of the Olathe Holiday Inn and more, click

HERE!

DROPOUTS... All Part Of The Game...

So far this week, 7 more fighters dropped out of this years Nationals. A strong disappointment since one of the fighters who dropped out (Devin Thorne of Colorado) left Curt Mickle of Atlanta, Georgia without a bout. After discussing his only 2 options with the IKF (MTR or FCR), Mickle choose to move out of International Rules and into Full Contact Rules.

Making todays drop list wasn't just Thorne though. It was a full team of 6 fighters from his group and his team group from trainer Willie Johnson. The reason they gave for their need to drop out were stated as "They couldn't afford to make the trip." A very disappointing excuse this late in the game, especially when it left Mickle and other fighters without a fight.

Regardless, the final numbers of those with the courage, leadership and determination to "Walk the Walk" now in Kansas City, now stands at 125 adult men, 35 adult women and 62 junior age fighters. A total of 223 fighters in all of the beginning 266 who registered. Some of the drops had justified reasons such as their was no one in a division close to them let along anyone in their own registered division, or a "*Verified" injury (*-VI- Sent in a doctors signed medical form verifying their injury was true). However, other reasons/excuses tend to bring up more questions than anything.

Tonight many are questioning why a fighter would pay their fees and register to seek such a great goal and then drop out of the event losing not only their registration fees but losing the chance of becoming a True National Champion? Not only this, but them as a fighter are now questioned for their booking on future events as well. In each of the previous 2 years, those who dropped out faced a rough time ever getting booked to fight for big opportunities again. Some were still booked on their local events but few ever travelled out of state to fight after dropping out of the Nationals. Some feel we should no longer post fighters names and records on the web pages thinking many end up dropping out fearing their competition while others have other suggestions. All which will be discussed in this Saturday night IKF Promoters meeting after the Saturday portion of the event.

In all, there will still be plenty of fighters at this years event which will once again prove to the Nation as well as the World that they were ready to back up all their "Talk" with the courage and determination to...

"Walk The Walk!"

We all look forward to seeing you this weekend in K.C!

MONDAY, September 3rd, 2001, AT 4:00 AM PT

Countdown To
"Walk The Walk!"

One Picture Says It ALL!

As Sunday ended and Monday came we finally got IKF/IAA Belt Master Frank Curtis (Left) to pause for a brief moment and take a proud pose with this years IKF/RINGSIDE USA National Amateur Championship Title Belts he just completed making. In all there were 65 Title Belts done for next weekends Championship Event.

Curtis runs IAA operations through the IKF along with running his own web design company, Creative Concepts Web Design. The making of the 65 Nationals Belts took several weeks, each one being hand cut and pieced together by Curtis and his staff. Each medallion was polished, hand painted, hand polished again before finally being mounted on the thick black leather.

Every Champion will be awarded one of these Prestigious Title Belts and everyone will get the same kind of belt, Juniors, Women and Men. These belts are without a doubt the feature of the event. In the Adult Men's Division there are a total of 128 Fighters. Over 10 more fighters than the entire field of last years National Tournament. All of them will be fighting in a total of 97 bouts. Of those, 71 are in the Full Contact Rules Division which will challenge for 14 Title Belts. There are 25 International Rules Adult Men fighters challenging to win one of 7 IR Title Belts and 32 MuayThai Adult Men fighters hoping to win one of 9 MuayThai Title Belts.

A total of 35 Adult Women Fighters will be fighting in 25 bouts and of those, 19 are in the Full Contact Rules Division challenging for 5 Title Belts, 13 International Rules fighters challenging for 4 Title Belts and 3 MuayThai Rules Women challenging for just 1 Women's MuayThai Title Bout.

The real surprise this year was the number of Junior (Ages 8-17) fighters. In 1999 we only had 1. In 2000 there were 15. This year that number jumped "DRAMATICALLY" up to 65 Juniors fighting in a total of 43 bouts. Of them there are 45 Junior Boys in which 38 are in the Full Contact Rules Division challenging for 13 Title Belts, 5 International Rules challenging for 2 Title Belts and 3 MuayThai rules Junior boys fighters challenging for 1 MuayThai Rules Title Belt.

A total of 20 Junior Girls is a record high this year as well compared to 0 in 1999 and only 4 last year. Of them, 12 will be fighting in the Full Contact Rules Division fighting for 4 FC Title Belts, 8 International Rules fighting for 3 Title Belts and no MuayThai Rules Junior Girls.

In all, all the numbers are up this year from last. Men from 76 to 135, Women from 25 to 35 and as mentioned, the Juniors from 15 to 65. "It's just proof that this should have been done long ago." Said IKF President Steve Fossum. "When someone takes the kind of care and patience to make such prestigious belts like Frank does, it just makes the event and the fights worth more. A REAL Title deserves a REAL Champions Belt!"

Although during his kickboxing career Fossum won 2 Amateur International and 3 National Titles, he's the first to say that the titles won at this event are more prestigious than any title he fought for and won in has career. "I'm proud that we have an event where The BEST wins the title rather than 2 guys meeting from across town. I think everyone is tired of every kickboxer holding a National title. An event like this is long overdue and part of why boxing is far ahead of kickboxing. Kickboxing NEEDS events like this if we all want our sport to be taken serious in the eyes of the Olympic Committee and or the World of Pro Sports for TV and the mass media around the world."

The success of this event is proof that Fossum wasn't the only one thinking this way. When he and Joe Taylor (Left) started talking about it all and IKF Promoter Mick Doyle (Right) came through with the first venue at Harveys Casino Hotel in Council Bluffs Iowa the rest of the IKF Team joined in on an incredible journey of Great Teamwork! IKF Promoters Duke Roufus, (Below Right) Rob Zbilski (Below Left) and Jeff Mullen were the first to take charge to host regionals and all 3 still do today.

Others on the IKF Team eventually followed and the rest is history. These few individuals had no idea they were clearly "Changing The Game" of Amateur Kickboxing as it use to be known.

This year Mick Doyle stepped down as National Finals host and the IKF and Ringside Inc took over operations. Ringside's Doug Ward (Left) took over from Taylor this year after he moved to Texas. Ward along with Ringside Inc's Mike McAtee and Albert have added even more to this years events with more awards and gifts to the fighters.

Wipss has also stepped up and provided free Jaw Joint Protectors (Right) for all the Finalists that will be distributed at the Friday night Weigh-ins

Also, newcomer OxyWater has come aboard as an event sponsor. Oxy-Water will supply their unique Oxygenized Water to the fighters. For those who haven't heard of Oxy-Water,, it's clear, smooth, distilled water with a refreshing boost of extra Oxygen. It is the perfect way to replenish the body's supply of much-needed water and oxygen - perfect for the athlete looking for a competitive edge or anyone who wants to be truly refreshed!

Although Ringside Inc will supply all the Fight Gloves and Shin Pads for the event, and IKF World Representative Brooks Mason's Company will also be there to assist as always.

Speaking of Prestigious things, last but certainly not least are the Prestigious Programs that Toni Foster (Left) of Foster Graphics put together for this Great Event. To take a quick look at the cover and read about what all the programs will have in them, Click HERE!

Many trainers see the value of this event to truly find out WHO are indeed the Greatest Amateur Kickboxers in America. It's pretty clear in kickboxing today which title holds the true value. Just ask the over 200 Amateur Kickboxers next weekend in Kansas City what title their after.

It's not the letters of IKF that make this title so prestigious. It's the gathering of such great talent, all looking to "Walk The Walk" and prove to the Nation that they are truly "THE BEST in the U.S.!

More News Of 9-3-01

All Fighters...

Please go to the Page Link below and complete your Medical Waiver to be handed in at Fighter Registration Friday Evening. ALL JUNIOR Fighters under 18 must have their parents sign their releases, NOT Their Coaches. Thank You.

CLICK HERE.

MONDAY, September 2nd, 2001, AT 8:00 PM PT

Check Out Our
2001 USA National Tournament
Program Cover...
Click HERE!

MORE NEWS OF 9-2-01 - POSTED AT 7:40 PM

YOUR AIRPORT IS IN MISSOURI. THE AIRPORT CODE IS "MCI". PLEASE CHECK YOUR AIRLINE TICKETS TO ASSURE YOU ARE NOT FLYING INTO "KCK" which is "another airport in Kansas." MCI is right on the Kansas/Missouri border and about 35 miles from the Holiday Inn. Shuttles are ONLY going to MCI, NOT KCK.

MORE NEWS OF 9-2-01 - POSTED AT 2:10 PM

SOME HUMOR... With a point...

With less then a week to go until the largest single kickboxing event in North American History (In number of fighters, not venue size or spectators) we thought we would share a little bit of humor with you. This came to us by e-mail today by one of our USA Representatives and even though she didn't intend it to be used for making a very important point, we found it fitting to an issue we were discussing today.

The point the story below makes is in regards to the issue of "Questioning Authority". There will be around 250 fighters and not to mention over 100 coaches and officials at next weekend IKF National Championships. From past experience, we know there's bound to be at least 1 protest of a bout decision. With 170 fights, it's just expected. In the past we have allowed "Official Protests" and these bouts were reviewed for final decision on the night following the bout. However, last year we had less than HALF the bouts we have this year and we had to make a stand to follow the USA boxing rule of no bout protests allowed or accepted. Well, lets say we half way follow it. This year we will simply need to deny "Preliminary" bout protests because of the time restraints involved. However, we will allow Championship bout protest with the 1 exception, it will cost $25.00. This will pay for the 5 officials that are asked to review the bout. Keep in mind, reviewing ANY bout simply ads more time for these officials and the only time they will have to review ANY bouts will be AFTER the days bouts are over. They would rather go relax as well, but if you feel your bout ended in a bad decision, which any bout "Could", we will accept official protests at the main judges table with your $25 fee. This way we're not closing the door on you but we don't want it to be abused either as it has in a few bouts the last 2 years.

So, if you feel you have a legit complaint, we will assist you. However keep in mind that we will have some of the best judges and referees in the business at this years event for ALL the rule styles. Knowing this, I simply ask you to think first before you jump up, yell abusively etc. etc. at ANY Official working this weekends event. This story is a humorous example of the wrong time to question authority...

• This is the actual radio conversation (released by the chief of naval operations) of a US naval ship with Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland in October 1995.
• CANADIANS: "Please divert your course 15 degrees to the south to avoid a collision."
• AMERICANS: "Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees to the north to avoid a collision."
• CANADIANS: "Negative. You will have to divert your course 15 degrees to the south to avoid a collision."
• AMERICANS: "This is the captain of a US Navy ship. I say again, divert YOUR course."
• CANADIANS: "No, I say again, you divert YOUR course." AMERICANS: "This is the Aircraft Carrier USS LINCOLN, the second largest ship in the United States Atlantic Fleet. We are accompanied with three Destroyers, three Cruisers and numerous support vessels. I DEMAND that you change your course 15 degrees north. I say again, that's one-five degrees north, or counter-measures will be undertaken to ensure the safety of this ship."
• CANADIANS: "This is a lighthouse. Your call."

Hopefully you got a laugh from this as we did....
See you in Kansas City!
"Bring It ON!"
Thanks Vicki...

MORE NEWS OF 9-2-01 - POSTED AT 2:10 AM

It's 2:10 AM, Sunday morning here at the IKF Headquarters in Newcastle, CA, USA... A picture to the right shows the 2001 IKF/RINGSIDE USA National Championship Belt Medallions spread out across the IKF conference room table for individual inspection to assure all were painted and polished with care. The next step for these medallions will be to be placed on the 65 National Championship Belts later today, Sunday.

We just wanted all you USA National Finalists to know that while your getting the valuable rest you all need for one of the biggest events of your amateur career, we're here at IKF Headquarters, "Making Things Happen" for "YOU!" The care that goes into the making of each one of these custom belts for this event is proof we care about your goals and dreams of becoming a TRUE USA National Amateur Champion.

Each belt is hand cut by belt master Frank Curtis (and Professional web designer) and put together one by one. Each medallion is "REAL" solid brass. They are pored/cast, hand polished, hand painted, hand polished again and clear coated. The medallion design, as last years design, was created by Toni Foster of Foster Graphics, the official Graphics Department of the IKF. Toni will be at the National Finals this year for the first year. Make sure you talk with her about the IKF Program, "Winning Image". She'll be at the IKF Booth most of the event.

This is YOUR SHOW Fighters, and we hope we do everything possible to make it the best experience you will remember at this point in your careers.... We look forward to seeing you next weekend... "Bring It ON!"

MORE NEWS OF 9-2-01

Don's & Fury
Ready For Tonights
IKF England!"

IKF Promoters Stephen Donnelly and Mick Fowles are all set to host IKF Amateur Kickboxing tonight at the Mercia Sporting club on Lockhurst Lane in Coventry, England.

For more info, please contact Mr. Stephen Donnelly or Mr. Mick Fowles by e-mail by Clicking HERE!

SATURDAY, September 1st, 2001, AT 3:15 PM PT

WIPSS Jaw Joint Protectors
To Ge Given Out "AT NATIONALS"

We had hoped to mail out all of the WIPSS Jaw Joint Protectors BEFORE the National Finals however we received them later then we expected and to make matters worse, already a lot of what were mailed out have come back to us with undeliverable addresses. Add to this the confusion of all the late entries this year, we had to make a final decision as to when everyone would get them, if at all. We opted to be assured everyone receives theirs so we made the decision to hand them out at the event as amateur boxing does with their free products from sponsors.

Checking the addresses on the registration forms, the addresses on the "Returned" packages were what we wrote on them so we can only expect them to be bad addresses. So instead, we will personally hand out each fighter's WIPSS Jaw Joint Protector at the Friday night Weigh-Ins when each fighter checks in. "SOME" of you have already received your WIPPS Product (Those who have, we have a record of) we're glad. For those who have not, please pick yours up at the Fighters Registration Tabel where we will handle fighter check-ins, weigh-ins, medicals, late fee payments, event scheduling etc. etc.. See all of you soon... To "WALK THE WALK! Bring It ON!

MORE NEWS OF 9-1-01

IKF Champ Moves On...
USA Amateur Champion "MAGIC" Juan Escobar Moves Past Kickboxing

IKF Amateur Champion "Magic" Juan Escobar of Gilroy, California, USA has decided it's time to move on in life and face his future ahead. Escobar has plenty of things lined up in his future with school and work and if he takes them on as he has his kickboxing career he should have no problem with great success ahead. "It was a hard decision for him (Escobar) to make and I have to respect that decision." said his trainer, Dennis Saguinedl of Karazenpo Kickboxing & Boxing Club in Gilroy, CA. Escobar started with Saguinedl at the age of 14 and he boxed him for 2 years. At the age of 16, Saguinedl turned him to kickboxing winning his first Kickboxing Title that very same year. In the five years he did kickboxing Escobar won 3 IKF Titles which included;

• IKF IR U.S. Welterweight Champion: San Francisco, CA on May 9th, 1998, Escobar defeated Adam Garcia of San Diego, CA, USA by Unanimous Decision, 48-47, 49-46 & 49-46.
• IKF IR West Coast Super Welterweight Champion: Medford, Oregon in November of 1998, Escobar defeated Jones Tom of San Francisco, CA when the bout was stopped at 1:21 of the second round.
• 2000 IKF/RINGSIDE USA National Amateur Super Welterweight Champion: Council Bluff's Iowa, in September of 2000, Escobar won a unanimous decision (30-24, 30-24, 30-24) victory over Bryan Helfirich of Dixon, Illinois.
• He also won the ISKA California State Light Welterweight Champion. Opponent unknown

Escobar also had another title shot, the only one he didn't win... but he didn't lose either... It was against Shon Moore of Redding, CA on May 20th, 2000 in Fairfield CA for the vacant IKF Full Contact Rules California State Light Middleweight Title. It was a Toe to Toe WAR for 4 rounds. In the end, one judge scored it 40-36 for Moore, another scored it even at 38-38 and the third judge had it 39-37 Escobar. The result... A Split Decision Draw.

Escobar's trainer (Dennis Saguinedl) talked with him about turning pro but Escobar's time for his training won't fit with his work and school schedule. Saguinedl wishes him well in his future and hopes that he has a successful one as we all do. Remember Dennis, you're a great part of Mr. Escobar's future. You took a lot of valuable and quality time to help make him a Champion today so he will always be a Champion tomorrow... In and Out of the ring, no matter where his future takes him from here. We believe you BOTH have a lot to be proud of. Good luck to you both.

For more info, trainer Dennis Saguinedl can be reached at the Karazenpo Kickboxing / Boxing Club in Gilroy, CA at (408) 847-3031 or by fax at (408) 847-2351.