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Pro Kickboxing
Debut
FULL CONTACT RULES KICKBOXING - 7 Rounds
May 15th, 2004
- Simpsonville, South Carolina, USA
 This has probably been the most
awaited Pro debut of ANY Fighter in IKF History! Twenty one year old Stephen 'Wonderboy'
Thompson of Simpsonville, South Carolina, USA (189, 6', Ray Thompson)
had swarmed through the amateur ranks winning
16 Titles - 6 of them IKF
Titles including 3 IKF National Tournament
Titles and of the 16, 3 of them World Titles including the IKF Amateur World Title on way to an
undefeated record  of *37 wins with 18 wins coming by KO/TKO. What was
hard here was finding an opponent for Thompson to take on in his Pro
debut. A duty no pro fighter seemed to want. Already, three fighters had pulled
out of previous matches with the Wonderboy but a call to New York didn't
go unanswered as former kick Pro World Champion Kadir Kadri (R)
of West Babylon, New York, USA (PKB: 13-6-1/5, AKB: 14-4-1/6, 192, 6'1",
22, Thomas Ingargiola) answered back with a resounding, "I Accept!"
So it was to be...
The Wonderboy's PRO DEBUT! May 15th, 2004 in South Carolina, USA!
The anticipation leading up to this bout was far worse than the action of the
fight. Palms sweating, hearts throbbing, all wondering things like "How
would the Wonderboy take a shot to his head without headgear?"
or "How good is the former Pro World Champion Kadir?"
or "Would Thompson be strong enough and have enough stamina to
go all 7 rounds if needed?" After all the waiting, there was only one
thing left for both these fighters to do and that was
"Bring It ON!"
Round 1
After the fight I had asked Kadir's cornerman if there was any one
thing that took
Kadir out of the fight mentally or physically. He had told me that
before the fight Kadir had told him he was worried about Thompson's
round kick to his ribs. Well, nothing like getting right to the point for Kadir...
"THREE" seconds into the opening round Thompson landed
his powerful left leg round kick squarely on Kadir's right rib cage. As
Kadir's cornerman put it, this fight "Mentally" for
Kadir, was over at that moment, and from the sound of the impact, it
might have very well been the beginning to the end physically for Kadir
as well.
Thompson's stance is a lot like boxer Roy Jones.
Hands up but open, baiting his opponent to strike and when you do, Thompson
is so fast, the opening closes and you find yourself eating his right hand. Such
was the case all night long for Kadir. I asked him hours after the fight
if he tried to punch Thompson when his hands were open like that and he
simply answered, "I tried man, I REALLY tried. He was just too fast. It
was open and in an instant, it was closed!" Kadir found out
about the frustration other Thompson opponents have faced through his
career. For Kadir, he experienced it in the first few seconds of the
opening round and it didn't get any easier for him either. A few seconds later
and Thompson landed a spinning kick to Kadir's jaw, Kadir
tried to retaliate but Thompson answered with a right, a left, another
right... Well you get the picture. At the midway point Thompson started
shooting left hooks to Kadir's head and body. The round didn't come soon
enough for Kadir. Mentally game and here to fight, Thompson had
taken Kadir out of his game plan in only 3 seconds of the fight... This
bout started way faster than I expected for Thompson. He started like a
Dennis Alexio or a Kentucky Derby horse straight out the gate and into a
sprint! will Kadir last at this pace? We will soon see. However one
thing was sure here, Thompson was having NO RUDE
awakening to the Pro division as all 3 judges gave Thompson the round,
10-9.
Round 2
This was a
different Stephen Thompson tonight. NOT just because he shed the
headgear, but because he has matured greatly as a MAN! He has grown up and has
developed himself with the help of his trainer/father Ray Thompson into
a Top Fighting Machine! Will he continue or will he "EVER"
meet a match? Or is it here in Kadir? Did Kadir just get
surprised in round 1? Will he change his strategy in round 2? Lets see.
The
bell rings and right away these two start throwing kicks, but nothing to
highlight. than Thompson begins his combination, "Right hand, Left
hand, Left hand, Right hand and BOOM, a right leg kick to the
side of Kadir's head!" But wait, Kadir tries to counter
back, chasing Thompson across the ring.... but this is like chasing a
cat into a corner and in turn, the cat becomes a TIGER... Or in
Thompson's case, a LION! Thompson's avoids Kadir's
attack with his swift footwork and when ready, fires a right hand to Kadir's
head that lands square! One, Two punches later and a boot to boot sweep... What
kind of Wheaties
does this kid eat in the morning? Another Left, a Right and another HEAD
KICK! But Kadir comes back, he lands a left leg round kick of his
own on Thompson's face, but it doesn't faze Thompson at all as
he answers back with a spinning kick that misses but lands a strong left
followed by a right to Kadir's head. WOW! No surprise
here, Thompson 10-9 on all 3 judges cards!
Round 3
Do I
really need to stress my fingers typing this round out? FINE!... I continue
on... Within 5 seconds of round 3, a left leg to the ribs, a right hand to
the head... Yes, by Thompson. More of the same. A few seconds later,
spinning right leg side kick by Thompson's drives Kadir into the
corner hard! still Kadir continues to try to penetrate Thompson's
defense but to no avail. Every attempt is answered by more of the same by Thompson.
Kudos to Kadir for staying tough through all this. Many have fallen
before him and many will fall again by the hands and feet of Thompson, but
Kadir stays in there. Nothing new on the score cards, 10-9 Thompson
on all 3!
Round 4
How do you
want this round description to start? The truth? Kadir comes out of his
corner a defeated man in his eyes. He has experienced what many fighters don't
want to, "He's been worked!" Better him than me or anyone else
reading this! Kadir shows Gladiator GUTS and comes out to face the Lion
again! Few would have even come out for another round, but here he comes, with
no thought of giving up! The first contact is Thompson's right foot on
Kadir's jaw as if to say, "Welcome to round 4... Remember me?!"
Kadir stays strong, despite soon taking a spinning side kick to his
chest by Thompson only seconds later. Then suddenly, "Here
comes the storm! Raining down on Kadir!" It all starts with a
straight left, then a right, a left uppercut, a right leg round kick, another
left, another right, another left, another right and then the BIG Finish!
A left hook to Kadir's ribs that sends him wincing to the canvas. It
hurt us at ringside it was such a good shot! Referee Dan Stell steps in
to start his count. It will be the first given 8 count of Thompson's pro
career and it comes from the most unlikely of shots, a BODY SHOT! Will
Kadir stand? Of course this Gladiator will, but still clearly in pain,
as ANY of us would be! But NO MERCY here by Thompson. A
Lion knows when their pray are hurt, injured and they know how to go after them.
Thompson's first strike after the 8 count? A precisely placed left hook
to.. you guessed it, Kadir's left rib cage and yes, Kadir goes
down again for his second count of the round. But hey, he's up again. what a
warrior! No giving in here. Not now, or at least, not yet! Thompson
waste little time and throws a left leg round kick to Kadir's ribs which
he blocks on his arms but Thompson fires his right leg which scores on
Kadir's head. This is followed immediately with "TWO"
right leg side kicks to Kadir's body. do you really need to read all
this? the round ends and again no surprises. with the 2 8 counts, Thompson
wins the round 10-7 on all 3 judges cards.
Round 5
Well, good
thing for me this bout is about to end. My fingers are getting tired. Thompson
opens the round with a left leg round kick that Kadir blocks. Then, at
16 seconds into round 5, history is made as Thompson lands another
crushing left hook to Kadir's ribs. It didn't take referee Dan Stell
too long to waive this bout over after looking at Kadir's face. Thompson
gets his first Pro win by TKO. The official time of referee Dan Stell's
stop is 19 seconds into round 5. Oh and don't forget the quick Thompson
back flip in the ring to "Seal the Win!" At the time of the
stop all three judges had this bout at 40-34. This ones in the history books,
and all Stephen Thompson must be thinking about is, "Who's NEXT!?"
Kudos to Kadir for the first praise, SHOWING UP when others
left Thompson hangin! Kudos to him for going toe to toe with Thompson
from the start, never backing down and showing a true warrior spirit! We are
sure to see Kadir back in the ring again on another event. But for
tonight, all hats go off to Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson!
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PRO KICKBOXING
BOUT NUMBER 4
May 21st, 2005
Palmetto Expo
Center in Greenville, South Carolina USA
IKF PRO FCR Most normal fighters
would never take a fight against Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson, get
delt every strike in the book in a losing effort, "AND" later, ask for
a rematch. However, Kadir Kadri of West Babylon, New York, USA (P: 10-6-1/5,
191, 6'1", 23, 12-12-81, Tom Ingardiola) is no normal fighter. As some
would say,"He's a freak of nature!" Especially when it comes to
tolerating pain. Still, being such does not always grant you the skill to outwit
a fighter like Thompson...
Which explains a lot about why he's called "The Wonderboy!"
Tonight Thompson, of Simpsonville,
South Carolina, USA (P: 4-0/3, 187, 6', 22, 2-11-83, Ray Thompson) gave Kadri
everything in the Wonderboy trick bag, and to the surprise of us all, Kadri
stayed up. However, please don't take such a feat as the fight was close. Kadri
showed us toughness we have never seen before, but what he didn't show us was
his ability to score on the Wonderboy.
In the end, this was all Wonderboy in
every single round as he won his 4th professional fight in a row in as many
outings by unanimous decision, 70-63 on all three judges cards. The only thing
Kadri can now say is that he is the first professional fighter to take Thompson
the distance... Which in reality, may mean little in the fight game...
PRO KICKBOXING
BOUT NUMBER 5
July 2nd, 2005 - Montreal
Canada.
In his 5th Professional fight Thompson accepted a
challenge from a cocky Walter Baric of Canada. Baric had called
repeatedly and asked to fight Thompson. So The Wonderboy's
Canadian promoter Vic Theriault made the fight happen. In the first
round Stephens started out like he does in every fight slamming a hard
round kick. Baric blocked the kick but was almost knocked off his feet
by the left round kick to his arm. After that kick Baric's facial
expression changed from a look of confidence to a look of "Wow what did
I get myself into".
Baric regained his composure and started coming at Wonderboy
with a wild combination of punches and kicks. He finished this combo with an
overhand right thrown with bad intentions. The bad thing for Baric was
that none of the techniques even made contact and the final right hand that Baric
threw missed so badly that he fell to the canvas. Stephen remained
composed circling the ring landing techniques as Baric came forward and
visible rocking Baric a couple of times with just the jab.
Finally
Stephen went in for the kill and exploded forward with a barrage of
punched landing a clean right hand to Baric's jaw and putting Baric
down for more than the count. Baric was out cold for at least ten
minutes.
Congratulations
to Baric for stepping up to the challenge and giving it all he had. Stephen's
professional kickboxing record improves to 5-0. After the fight I heard rumors
around the stadium of another Canadian fighter who wanted to test the Wonderboy.
So I think he will return to Canada soon. It is amazing to see how Stephen gets
mobbed after his fights there even more than the local fighters.
 
Photos Thanks To
www.uskba.com
MORE PRO
KICKBOXING ACTION!
SEPTEMBER 2005 -
CANADA - APEX EVENT
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