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1996 |
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Well, in this case, Dan Verdugo was blessed with most of it at his Win River KO Kickboxing event on Nov. 16th, 1996. If you weren't there, here's what you missed.
Former Woman's World Kickboxing Champion Kathy Long came to Strongbow Stadium last month, but not to compete. Instead, Long, now a trainer cornered for her fighter Mauricio 'The Jaguar' Gonzalez and they left Bakersfield with a familiar result, A title win.
Promoters Eric Nolan and Abe Belardo plan their next event in Bakersfield January 25th, 1997.
He held 2 different IKF titles in the 2nd roughest division in Kickboxing, International Leg Kick rules. (Muay Thai rules being the roughest) He stands 5' 10" tall and brings with him to his office (the ring) 165 pounds of power and confidence. In his career, he accumulated 18 victories in 21 bouts but his record never listed a loss. Three of his opponents were able to come close enough to "The Hammers" nail and come away with a draw. Of his 18 wins, 15 were victories by knockout or TKO. He had a calm but domineering presence about him that very few fighters will ever have. From his pre fight attire he wore in his opening march to the ring to seeing him raise both arms in victory after winning. His calm confident face saluted victory many times and this now becomes the closing story of a true champion. Toney "The Hammer" Hannon. Hannon has officially announced his retirement to the IKF in the sport he gave his heart and sole to for many exciting years but he will not be forgotten. He comes from a strong lineage of champions and top fighters trained by Eric Nolan of Bakersfield California. Many remember Nolan's famous fighter, Women's World Champion, Kathy "The Punisher" Long who went from a petite young lady to a world champion in the blink of an eye. Long eventually retired to pursue an acting career. Another top fighter from Nolan's stable is Boyd "The Bounty Hunter" Murphy who has accumulated his share of victories and knockouts (14-5 & 10 KO'S). Murphy is famous for always coming to the final round with his famous knock out punch. Some may remember a fight that should have been a U.S sanctioned title bout (but the promoter didn't want to sanction it as such) that took place in Tahoe, Nevada a few years ago. (Undercard of Showtime PPV when Rick Roufus fought McDonald and Alexio and Torres also fought) Murphy was matched up with then, undefeated United States Champion, Jim "Kidlot" Brown of Sacramento, CA. A scheduled 3 rounder, Murphy was behind on all the judges cards when he put Brown down and OUT with his famous right hand. Hannon was a different fighter than Murphy though. Hannon loved to use his strong and powerful legs to beat on his opponents legs. Being patient with precise timing. When his opponents thought Hannon couldn't kick above his own waist, Hannon would land a round kick to their face. When his opponents thought he couldn't fight inside and would try to crowd him, he unloaded a flurry of devastating body blows and finished off with a smack to their head. Hannons personality was calm and poised, but if opponents ever tried to entertain the thought that they could defeat him, his gaze was like the stare of a tiger. "Don't even go there son.," seemed to be the look in his eye. Yes Hannon was a unique champion. He never let his ego get above him. Maybe his martial arts training kept his respect here. Hannon is one of those fighters that the IKF likes to talk about because of the way he represents the sport of kickboxing. He joins other champions that come to mind that do the same for the sport like Regan, Harmen, Dougherty, Andrade, Kirkpatrick, Stearns, Marinoble, Spaid, Tsutsui and several others. As Hannon leaves kickboxing he will continue to train students in martial arts at Eric Nolan's Martial Arts Academy in Bakersfield, California, USA. We at the IKF wish him only the best in his future. With his humble respect towards others and disciplined work ethic towards success, we are sure that he will be a champion in anything he attempts.
Attention current and future kickboxing promoters! Be a part of 2 fast expanding organizations. The Sanctioning body of the IKF and the Promotional organization of K.O. Kick Boxing. What is K.O. Kick Boxing? K.O. Kick Boxing is a concept of retired Professional Kickboxing Champions Johnny "Superfoot" Davis of San Jose, CA and Sam Montgomery of Hayward, CA. Many may think that K.O. Kickboxing is simply a name used to promote Davis' & Montgomery's events, however look a little closer and you'll find that the founders of K.O. Kickboxing had a much larger picture in mind than their own events. Their focus was the entire sport of kickboxing itself and from the look of things, it's a GREAT idea. Already K.O. Kickboxing has attracted 2 other promoters to work under the name K.O. Kickboxing. One being long time successful promoter Dan Verdugo and his associates at Win River Casino in Redding, CA who will use the K.O. Kickboxing tag on their upcoming November 16th event in Redding, CA. The other is up and coming promoter Carlos Navarro of San Francisco who is promoting a K.O. Kickboxing event in February of 1997. The concept is to put as many events, from different promoters under the same name, much like the organization concepts of the IKF, and then assist each other in scheduling, promoting and attaining sponsorship for all K.O. Kickboxing events. This way, as 1 name, the promoters involved will all appear as a large, organized group instead of many individuals. The K.O. Kickboxing objective is to broaden the spectator appeal and monetary value of the sport of Kickboxing. Making the sport more accessible to the general public will be a major help to increasing its popularity. This expansion concept will:
The K.O. Kickboxing exclusive agreement will only work with one organization per city. This will give that organization the exclusive promotional rights to K.O. Kick Boxing events. Additionally, this exclusive agreement bonds the sponsoring organization to only promote K.O. Kick Boxing events for the term of agreement. This expansion can only happen with Promoters who can keep an open mind and genuine concern for the growth of this great sport. For more K.O. Kick Boxing info, contact Johnny Davis at ( 408) 531-8183.
With 2 former World Kickboxing Champions leading the way, K. O. Kick Boxing, founded by World Kickboxing Champions Johnny Davis of San Jose, California, USA and Sam Montgomery, of Hayward, California, USA held their second event on August 3rd, 1996. With event experience in their favor this time, the show hosted 12 exciting bouts and several outstanding demonstrations by Sam Montgomery's West Coast Demo Team. With 9 full contact rule bouts and 3 leg kick fights, the crowd at Washington High School in Fremont, CA saw 4 bouts end in knockouts and the remaining 8 win by unanimous decision. The card also featured 1 woman's match where Jaime Baron, 122 lbs of Cool, California, USA won a unanimous decision over Andrea Long 124 lbs of Santa Rosa, California, USA. All 3 judges scored the bout 30-27. There was also a major upset when Jose Aguilar, 133 lbs of San Francisco, California, USA, who said he only had fought once before, defeated Steve Delfierro, 131 lbs of Hayward, CA. However, an advantage to Aguilar was the fact that he used a headgear because of the Athletic Commission rule of those with 3 bouts or less must wear headgear. Let this be a lesson to all. If your opponents going to wear a headgear, you should to! Delfierro did not. However, don't let our headgear comment confuse you. Aguilar showed GREAT skill! He didn't look like a fighter with only one fight, but if its true, WOW, has this fighter got a future! Probably the most devastating knockout of the night came in fight number 5, a full contact rules match between Christopher Stanford, 160 lbs of Pacheco, California, USA making his debut against Wade Adams, 166 lbs. from Sparks NV with only a draw on his record. At :09 seconds into the 3rd round, Stanford delivered a devastating kick that hit Adams square on the jaw and dropped him hard. All night Stanford showed powerful kicks and spin kick combinations It was a straight rear leg roundhouse kick that won it for him. The main event of the night was a non title bout which featured the debut of local fighter Dave Gilfillan, 179 lbs of Fremont, California, USA against Ben Davis, 173 lbs of Vacaville, California, USA. With a strong Uppercut Gilfillan ended the bout at 1:23 of the 2nd round. Davis' record dropped to 1 and 3.
When you are asked what your record is on an IKF event, you had better tell the truth. If not, whether you win or lose, you will be given a loss. The IKF keeps records of all former fighters that have fought on an IKF card and they ask ALL fighters their kickboxing and boxing record before they weigh-in. Fighters are also asked this question when called during matchmaking. Anthony Badua, 127 lbs of South San Francisco became the latest victim of this rule. He told his matchmaker as well as IKF President Steve Fossum on the day of the event that he had never fought before. He was scheduled to fight Joe Talosig, 127 lbs of Pacheco, CA. Not to be confused with his brother, Joan Talasig. Baddua won the bout by a unanimous decision however, because of the rule, he was given a loss on his record. So next time you are asked your record, Make sure you tell the truth!
Two time World Kickboxing Champion Johnny "Superfoot" Davis was invited to the IKF Headquarters to do a kickboxing seminar in August and was quickly re-scheduled to do another one in October. His first seminar was on Wednesday, August 7th, and was a dynamic seminar attended by several National champions and even IKF President Steve Fossum. Fossum was so impressed with the seminar that he scheduled Davis to do another seminar on Saturday, October 12th. "Each seminar had about 15 to 20 students and everyone walked away with some great knowledge about kickboxing" says IKF President Steve Fossum. Fossum would like to assist Davis in traveling to other gyms and schools to give seminars as well. For a reference of the seminars contact the IKF at (916) 663-2467 or you can contact Mr. Davis directly at (408) 531-8183.
The Famous name of Fairtex Muay Thai has closed their operation in Chandler Arizona and relocated to 444 Clementina St. (5th & Folsom) San Francisco, CA. The location is a bit hard to find so keep your eyes open for the famous Fairtex red, white & blue flag and you'll spot it easily. IKF President Steve Fossum and IKF judge Steve Wenger recently stopped in to see the new digs and walked away impressed with what trainer/fighter Alex Gong and company have done with the older warehouse-style building. A professional boxing ring sits in one corner while 17 Fairtex made Banana Bags hang in the workout area with plans to replace them with newer Fairtex style 7 foot tall pole bags. Contact Mr. Gong if you would like to purchase any of the other 6' banana bags when they replace them. The cost per bag will be $110.00 each. Fairtex equipment was everywhere to be found such as bag gloves, head gear, kick pads and boxing gloves. There will be no shortage of equipment in this gym. Fees at the club begin at $65.00 a month with the option of day pass purchases as well. All aspects of Muay Thai, Boxing and Kickboxing are taught at the center throughout the day. Gong hopes to host an IKF event at the center some time in the future. So if you're in the bay area, drop in on the Fairtex gang. It's worth the trip. You can contact Mr. Gong and other trainers like Phicheat Arunleung, who has trained many Thai and U.S. National Champions. Also Boonkerd Fairtex who was a former Lumpine Rajadamnern Champion which is the highest honor a Thai fighter can achieve. He has fought in over 200 Muay Thai bouts. For more information, contact Fairtex at (415) 512-SPAR (7727).
With 2 past World Kickboxing Champions leading the way, K.O. Kick Boxing founded by World Kickboxing Champions Johnny Davis of San Jose, California, USA and Sam Montgomery of Hayward, California, USA made their debut into the world of kickboxing promoters. The picking was slim following 3 shows with a total of 41 bouts between them that were held only a few weeks prior to their event but K.O. Kick Boxing kept focused. However, with 3 fights dropping out the day of the event, things even looked bleak for the two energized founders of K.O. Kick Boxing. But as they have done in their many World Championship fights, Davis and Montgomery simply dug deep and found a way to win and win they did! With several martial arts demonstrations by the West Coast Fong Demo Team, the Sam Montgomery Demo Team and a special exhibition by world champion brick breaker Shawn Jewel, K.O. Kick Boxing scored a knockout with the crowd. They added 2 fight exhibitions including an exhibition with IKF United States Light Heavyweight Champion Mike "Magicman" Dougherty of Loomis, California, USA and Daniel Ghowsi of Fremont CA. It takes courage to stay strong when things look bleak but champions like Davis and Montgomery proved they had skill in the fight game both in the ring and out of the ring. The nights MC Fernando made the show as he got the crowd involved with every blow by blow. It was obvious that everyone walked away from the first of many K.O. Kick Boxing events with a new look at the new Martial Arts night promoted by K.O. Kick Boxing. We at the IKF are proud of K.O. Kick Boxing and how they found a way to win their debut with a Victory by Knockout. Great job Mr. Davis and Mr. Montgomery. You proved to be champions in the eyes of everyone once again! We look forward to your next event. K.O. Kick Boxing's MAIN EVENT!
Uppercut Promotion (UP) partners Nasser Niavaroni and Ed Fitch have entered into the world of promotions and they did so with a fantastic 14 bout event held at America Live in Sacramento, California, USA. With 4 IKF United States title bouts UP entertained the crowd with 3 of them ending in dynamic fashion, with Victories by Knockout. Former baseball star Steve Sax and Sacramento FM 102 DJ Billy Burke entertained the crowd with a fun filled exhibition and to the surprise of many, the two showed some pretty good skill in the ring. Who knows, maybe we will see one of them in a real bout in the future. UP is looking to hold another event later in the Fall of 96. Great work gentlemen. Your introduction to the sport as promoters was done with a touch of excellence just like the fighters we have seen come out of your kickboxing gym. Kickboxing Mania I Regan improved his record to 7-0 after the bout. However, a few weeks later in Hawaii, Regan defeated IKF U. S. Welterweight champion, Kimo Kekai in a non IKF sanctioned 3 round non title bout by knockout. So Regan is now 8-0 with 7 knockouts. As trainer Nasser Niavaroni prepares Regan, known to many as "The Hitman", for other bouts, they will soon discuss the possibilities of a pro career. As of yet, Niavaroni and Regan have worked it to perfection by not jumping to the pro ranks too quickly like some fighters have done in the past. As these two knock off goal after goal, we're sure to see them on the big screen someday. As time goes by, Regan continues to be a champion in and out of the ring. We have seen him come from a young and tall beginner to a fine young man and an IKF United States Champion. Keep up the good work gentlemen. We here at the IKF have made it clear that we are proud to be the ones to put those title belts around true kickboxing champions & respected individuals like Eric Regan. Kickboxing Mania I Fighting in his home town, Marinoble, 7-0 with a draw put on a show for his fan club and simply took it to James for 2 rounds before ending it with a knockout at :54 of the 3rd round. James, trained by Mike Duvall had impressive kicks but Marinoble seemed to have the mental edge and simply ignored what pain James gave him. We at the IKF hope that the crowd at the event understands that Marinoble's seemingly rude words to James after the bout were offered up only because of a previous exchange of words. Whatever it was, it sure brought the "MADMAN" out of Marinoble in an impressive display of true kickboxing! Kickboxing Mania I Kickboxing Mania I Harmen, trained by Jim Mullen, came out strong in the first 3 rounds but seemed to become fatigued in the final two rounds which was obviously due to the fact that he had to drop some weight at the weigh-ins a few hours earlier. Because of the fatigue, Kirkpatrick won rounds 4 & 5 on all 3 judges cards but it wasn't enough. Harmen improved to 4-0 with 3 KO's while Kirkpatrick, who was the first opponent of Harmen's to go the distance against him dropped to 6-2 with 2 KO's. Scott Harmen fought again a few weeks later in Bakersfield, CA, against the WKA Heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell, 12-1 with 9 KO's from Arroyo California. Harmen defeated Liddell in a 5 round decision. After this fight, IKF Super Heavyweight Champion Harmen improved to 5-0 with 3 KOs. Great job Scott!
After reviewing the new weight classes put into use by the California State Athletic Commission, the IKF made a decision to only change 1 weight class. The Heavyweight divisions weight spread has been a controversy ever since its change from 194 to 205, 2 years ago to 194 to 220. Because of the questions raised about the large spread, the California Athletic Commission changed the top limit for heavyweight to 215. The IKF decided to follow the commission in the decision for the official IKF rankings book. However, because of all the titles that would change in the middle divisions (14 to be exact) , the IKF choose not to change all of the divisions since it would create a rankings nightmare. The IKF also choose not to add in 4 more new weight divisions under the 120 limit like the California commission did because there are not that many fighters in that division.
There is a saying among kickboxing promoters that the crowd at the show will remember the last fight the most and they usually judge the entire show by it. If this holds true, maybe Dan Verdugo and Win-River Casino owe Mike Dougherty a special gift. Dougherty shrugged off a devastating first round knockdown by Heath Harris in their IKF United States Light Heavyweight title bout and went on to win a unanimous decision 48-45, 48-45, 49-45. Dougherty simply took complete control of the bout and had Harris on the ropes several times where an 8 count wouldn't have been questioned. Referee Jon Shorlee II finally gave Harris a standing 8 in the 4th round. Dougherty now becomes the only fighter in the IKF to hold a title in both Full contact & Intl. rules. Dougherty who is from Loomis, CA, and is trained by Greg Kirkpatrick improves to 8-1 with 4 KO's. Harris from San Diego, CA, who is trained by Chris Getz drops to 4-1. Mr. Verdugo and Win-River did another fantastic job in the promotion. For their next event this fall, please contact Mr. Verdugo at (916) 241-8175. For bout outcomes, see back of this edition.
Ron Tsutsui of Vallejo CA defeated Steve Delfiero of Hayward CA to win the IKF California Lightweight title in 4 rounds, 40-37, 40-35 and 40-35. The bout was almost stopped early since Delfiero fouled Tsutsui by kicking him in the groin 2 times. If the bout was stopped, Tsutsui would have been awarded the title under the circumstances and according to IKF rules. Tsutsui who is trained by brother George Tsutsui and assisted by Rick Noble improves to 7-1 while Delfiero who is trained by Cheeta drops to 3-1. Tsutsui requested he transfer his title to the vacant F. C. Rules division instead of defending the title in the Intl. rules division. The IKF allowed the switch since both titles were vacant titles. Eric Regan of Citrus Heights CA seems to be on a quest. A quest to be a world title holder. If he stays focused like he has so far, the soft spoken and respectful 20 year old black belt will accomplish just that. After only 7 fights, Regan has captured the attention of many as he begins to also capture as many amateur titles on his way to the top. From what we saw Saturday night, he is clearly a force to be feared in his full contact rules division weight class. At 6'4 and 154 lbs, he has great skill with his hands and feet. He proved to be even more polished Saturday night with a TKO victory at 1:44 of the 3rd round over Jacob Anaya of Albq. New Mexico to win the IKF California Super Welterweight in the scheduled 4 round title bout. Regan who is trained by Nasser Niavaroni improves to 7-0 with 6 KO's setting him up for his IKF United States title bout scheduled for May 4th in Sacramento CA. Anaya who is trained by Tony Rosalas and Paul Correa drops his record to 6-4 with 4 KO's. Vincente Vanderlipe of Salinas CA stopped Eric Mayorga of Daly City at 1:50 of the 3rd round in the scheduled 4 round bout. Vanderlipe KOed Mayorga with a "DEVASTATING" turnback side kick that landed square and broke Mayorga's nose. What had seemed like a close fight came to an abrupt end with the kick. Vanderlipe who is trained by Rick Noble improves to 4-2 while Mayorga who is trained by Mike Espinoza drops to 2 and 4. Although the title was not sanctioned by the IKF ( this time), Jack Stearns of Auburn, CA once again defeated Donovis Pooler of Daly City, but this time, he wins another title, the IFCA United States Cruiserweight title to go along with his IKF U.S. title. This rematch was clearly a better fight than the first match-up a month ago sanctioned by the IKF. Stearns seemed to have done his homework and training in preparation for the bout while Pooler, weighed in 2 lbs over the weight class at the weigh-ins and had to lose it before the fight. Once again though, like their last bout, Pooler only got his kicks in, in 2 of the 5 rounds. However, this time, no points were deducted in the fight. Even so, Stearns scored a majority decision with the scores being 50-47, 50-47 and 47-48. Stearns who is trained by Greg Kirkpatrick and Dan Stell improves to 6-0-2 while Pooler who is trained by Mike Espinoza drops to 4-3.
LTD Productions held another great Pro/Am kickboxing show at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield CA, Saturday, Feb. 17th. A near sell-out crowd watched George "TNT" Tsutsui of Vallejo California defeat John "The Iceman" Adams of Azusa California to win the IKF Pro United States Light Welterweight Title in a 7 round decision 70-61, 70-61 and 69-63. Tsutsui who is trained by the Fairtex camp improved to 13 wins and 1 loss with 10 knockouts while Adams who is now trained by Gary Ramos fell to 48 and 9 with 35 knockouts. Also on the event, Issiac Molina of San Diego CA defeated Randy Tsutsui of Vallejo CA in 4 rounds to win the IKF Amateur CA Middleweight Title , 40-37, 40-38 & 40-37. Molina, trained by Doug Dickey improves to 3-0 with 1 KO while Tsutsui, trained by brother George Tsutsui drops to 2-4. Great job in the promotion by kickboxing champion Dan Stell and brother Tim Stell! For their next event, contact Dan Stell at (707) 421-9874 or Tim Stell at (707) 426-6904. See you there! | |||||||
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