SATURDAY, November 30th, 2002, AT 11:59 AM, PT

Everyone's SKY HIGH In Rockford As
Watling & Nevitt Battle 12 Full Rounds For World Title!
IKF Pro Light Cruiserweight World Title In Rockford, Illinois, USA!

Things look strong for tomorrow nights "Rumble In The Park" at the Forest Hills Lodge (9900 Forest Hills Road) in Rockford, Illinois, USA! Looking Lean and Mean, Fit and Trim both of the top 2 IKF Pro Light Cruiserweight (179.1 lbs - 186 lbs. or 81.4Kg - 84.5Kg) World Title contenders are more than ready for their IKF Pro World Title bout.

IKF number 1 Ranked contender Mike "Tension" Nevitt (Left, 22-0/10) of Sycamore, Illinois USA and IKF number 2 Ranked James "Pretty Boy" Watling (Right, 10-4-1/0) of Morpeth, England both made their title weight with ease tonight at the official weigh-ins and held interviews with the local TV press. Both were relaxed and at ease and there was no pre fight glare from either as they both shared respectful conversations during the weigh-in session. One thing is for sure though, these guys are both ready to battle it out for the vacant IKF Pro Light Cruiserweight World Title bout tomorrow night.

Nevitt started boxing eleven years ago with Dave Murphy & Jack "The Judge" Burgess. "We called ourselves "Team Psycho" says Nevitt who was born and raised in Sycamore Illinois. His first kickboxing bout was in November of 1991 where he won by KO in the second round. He won the Rockford Toughman Contest in February of 1992 where he calls the true launch of his amateur career. He has won titles with the PKC, PCK, and WKA as an amateur.

In 1995 he made the decision to turn Pro, under the training of Z's Martial Arts' with Rob Zbilski and brother Jim where he went on to win a U.S Title. The right handed Nevitt stands 6' tall at 31 years old. Tomorrow night his pants will be his country colors of red, white and blue.

On the other side of the ring stands the 28 year old, right handed Watling with a slight height advantage at 6'1. He was born on July 25th in 1976 in a small village called Etal, which is in England, close to the Scottish border. At the age of 12 he took up thai boxing and continued with it for 7 years but never competed. At 19 years old he travelled further south to check out a local kickboxing school. There he met Master Steve Jessop. (Right) Walting was immediately hooked and just could not get over the large array of techniques that he hadn't encountered with MuayThai.

He lost his first fight by points to someone who went on to be British National Champion, a title Walting went on to attain only 5 fights later. As a pro he went on to win the British Super Lightweight Title which he successfully defended last March. "At this point, I stand on the edge of what I believe is my destiny, a crack at the World Title which I promised my mother I would one day become" says Walting. He hopes to bring the belt back home across the Atlantic to share with his partner Wendy, his daughter Kiana and one year old son Rhodes. Walting will wear black pants.

That's pretty much all there is left to know tonight. Now all of us must wait to see who will be the first ever IKF Pro Light Cruiserweight Full Contact Rules World Champion and with that being said... Gentlemen... "Bring It ON!"

IKF Promoter Sky Drysdale (Right) can't be in a better position as the show is already a sellout. If you plan to come to the door all that's left are "Standing Room Only" tickets. Here's the remainder of tomorrow nights fight card;

1. Jeff 'Armageddon' Greenwell Vs Mike 'The Heat' Heeter
   
   
2. Tim Bauscher vs Brian Jones.
   
   
3. Travis Buckholz (Eau Claire, Wisconsin, USA, 2-3/0) Vs Steve Fridh (Rockford, Illinois, USA, 3-3/0)
   
   
4. Tony Horton Vs Jason Adams
   
   
5. Jennifer Bunk vs Laura Jo Wessels.
   
   
6. Tim Austin vs Kaleb O'Donnell (exhibition)
   
   
7. Justus Keenen vs Ryan Steinkamp.
   
   
8. JUNIOR AMATEUR: 'Bad' Chad Monyelle (Right, 2000 IKF USA National tournament Junior Champion) vs. Matthew Nickel
   
   
9. Muzammal Nawaz Vs Ronnie Deleon (O'Fallon, Illinois, USA, 45-11-3/17)
   
   
10. Fernando 'El Gato' Luevano Vs Tommy Bach (IKF Pro Lightweight U. S. Champion)
    
    
11. Ricky Haynes (Former 3 Time World Champion, Rockford, Illinois, USA, 26-8-1/16) Vs Alonzo Scott.
    
    
12. Dan Erickson (2 time IKF USA National Amateur Champion, 2001 & 2002) was scheduled to fight Carl Davis Jr however due to personal reasons Davis had to withdraw from the bout. A replacement was found but his name was not available at press time.

Mason's "Play By Play" From Iowa!
IKF Representative (Right) Reviews Mihindou IKF Pro US Title Victory
And More From Waterloo Iowa!

Russ O'Connell

IKF/ISCF Waterloo, Iowa, USA, November 23rd, 2002
Ladies and Gentlemen, I have been to Waterloo, Iowa, Fight Town, USA. The 5 Sullivan Brothers Convention Center could not have held another person. The Prime Minister of Promotions, Russ O'Connell, (Left) put together a great fight and the people turned out in support. It took me five minutes to wade through the crowd to get out the front door.

Enough about the crowd, we should be used to O'Connell having a great turnout by now. Let's cover some facts.

The referee, Marco Medina, (Right) did a great job and refereed his first pro title fight. Medina was trained by the great Dan Stell about three years ago and has developed into an excellent ref. Good job Marco. On to the fights.

Jay Dinsdale versus Michael Johnson
I recently saw Dinsdale in the ring with Kevin Engel out of the Finney Camp. Dinsdale was a little intimidated by the weight difference but held his own. There was no weight difference with Johnson and Dinsdale showed us what he has learned. Johnson was joining the family for the first time and performed well for a newcomer. He kept his awareness about him with the few exceptions when Dinsdale was bouncing a fist off his head but he did well. His leg kicks were crisp and he was hurting Dinsdale with his right leg but it was not to be enough.
Dinsdale needed a good fight and he got one. Dinsdale's spinning back fist was a thing of beauty. He landed the devastating technique three times and all three sent Johnson to the canvas. Dinsdale has been an up and coming fighter for a while now and I am looking forward to him honing his craft. He faces Green in St. Louis on the 7th. Finney and I have our opinions as to who will win. Drop by the Landing and find out. As for Johnson, He's trained by Mick Doyle. He'll get over the lose. Doyle fighters fix their mistakes and move on. What beats them once will seldom work again. Dinsdale wins by TKO.

JUNIORS: Jake Goro versus Chad Monyelle
These two boys beat the snot out of each other. All three rounds were close and for the most part, could have been held in a phone booth. Toe to toe action dominated the fight but it was Monyelle's experience and pinpoint accuracy with the spinning back fist that decided the fight. Goro pressed the fight often but Monyelle (2000 IKF USA National Tournament Junior Champion) usually took control after the first one or two blows and finished the sets on his own terms. The comparison to his Dad, Craig, (IKF Pro US Flyweight Champion) is undeniable. Counter puncher, good kicker and a well honed spinning back fist. Fights like the old man but thank God he looks like his mom. Great Fight. Monyelle wins by decision.

Brooks Mason



Marco Medina

Nick Anderson versus David Froeber
To tell you the truth, I thought Anderson would win for sure. He is a sharp young fighter out of the O'Connell camp and he is fearless. Good hands and legs and is always in shape. Froeber did not see it quite that way. He caught Anderson early and often. A well-trained fighter with that innate ability to tell his opponent is hurt. Froeber gave Anderson all he wanted and finally sent him between the ropes near the end of the round. I would have liked to see another round but the fight was stopped on a technicality. Hopefully these two will fight again. Froeber wins.

Trent Tompkins verus Matt Levins
Levins biggest weapon in the fight was having Champion Jim Foreman in his corner. Levins was obviously well schooled but that is not enough in the presence of Trent "Thunder Foot" Tompkins. Tompkins (Right with his dad at left and trainer Russ O'Connell. ) fights in the court of the King and Queen of Kickboxing, Roger (On left in picture) and Deb Tompkins and they demand a level of ferocity few fighters can handle. He's a 2 Time IKF USA Amateur National Champion and Current IKF Amateur North American Super Heavyweight Champion.

O'Connell (On right in picture) has continued to develop Trent and you could see a marked improvement in his handwork. Trent scored a knockdown with a right hand at the start of the round but that's not what the crowd came to see. It's those legs baby. How do you fight a kicker like that? For the second fight in a row, Tompkins dispatched his opponent with a spinning hook kick to the chin in the first round.

There is no doubt in my mind that Tompkins will be the next Super Heavyweight Champ of the World. Winner of the fight. Tompkins by horizontal tango.

IKF Pro FCR Featherweight U.S. Title: Eric "Rico" Mihindou of Omaha, Nebraska, USA Vs Jonathan Border (1999 IKF USA National Amateur Super Lightweight Champion) of Memphis, Tennessee, USA
This was a ten round pro fight and it was an eye opener for the crowd. The rhythm and fluid motion of these two pros gave the crowd a look at the future of their young amateurs. Eric Mihindou is one of the best Featherweight Kickboxer in the world. Hallak (Current IKF Pro Featherweight World Champion) may have the title but it is strictly on loan until these two meet. Johnathon Border won eleven of the thirty rounds scored by the three judges. Border is one very tough, very smart young man. He weathered the first couple rounds and changed his fight strategy to fit the fight. Staying inside and keeping pressure on Mihindou, Border showed he is a Champion in training and will have to be reckoned with as he matures. Mihindou, on the other hand, is an animal. Coming to America for one purpose, to train with Mick Doyle. Minhindou showed kicking ability far beyond what you would see in a normal kickboxer. The unmistakable Doyle touch has done its work. The way he turns his hip over, the extension of the leg and graceful downward arch as he kicks to the head says but one thing, MuayThai. The blend of MuayThai kicking and boxing skills has carried this fighter to a new level, a level Americans have to reach to be competitive worldwide.
Ten rounds of solid professional kickboxing but the best shot of the fight came at the end of the sixth round in Mihindou's corner. How do you block that? When Doyle works your corner, you do what he says when he says. If not, the walk to the corner can be longer than the round. Great fights in Waterloo, Iowa? As my Canadian Brother Shawn Tompkins would say "You Betcha" See everyone in St. Louis. Thank you, Brooks.

This event also had ISCF Mixed Martial Arts as well. For those results scroll down to the first results post of this event. For more event info contact Mr. Russ O'Connell at (319) 234-1935 or by e-mail at Tkdoc07@aol.com

IKF Promoter Sky Drysdale reported to the IKF today that the contenders for this Saturday nights IKF Pro World Title have been getting plenty of press.

Yesterday both Mike "Tension" Nevitt (Left, of Sycamore, Illinois USA) and James "Pretty Boy" Watling (Right, of Morpeth, England ) were both on three separate radio stations yesterday and they are doing a TV stint with the local ABC affiliate today for the 5:00 news. Drysdale hopes to see some of the news stations at the weigh-ins Friday but he knows for sure at least two of the three networks will be at the fight with cameras rolling Saturday night.

As mentioned in the event article below, Drysdale is doing his best to bring BIG Kickboxing Action back to Rockford Illinois. Along with some great fighters who will be in the ring, other VIPs in attendance include former world champion 'Bad' Brad Hefton, Troy 'Hollywood' Hughes and the founder/guitarist of the band "Cheap Trick", Rick Neilsen.

Buffer may have "Lets Get Ready to Rumble" but come Saturday night, we should all hear Drysdale's signature phrase of "The battles are over, . . .and the WAR is about to begin" as he announces to the already sellout crowd that it's time to "Bring It ON!" Oh, and "YES", this event is already "SOLD OUT" and the only tickets left are "Standing room only"... For more info contact Mr. Sky Drysdale by e-mail by clicking HERE

Mike "Tension" Nevitt



Chad Monyelle



Tommy Bach

IKF Promoter Sky Drysdale (Right) has been planning for this coming Saturday night since last spring. He's delt with the headaches of matchmaking and the stress that every promoter faces when planning a fight card, but for Sky, this event would have a bit more.

This is an
IKF "WORLD" Title Event.

In the past, Drysdale has been best known here at the IKF for his ability behind the mic as an event ring announcer, and a great one at that! His most recent work was at this years televised IKF North American Amateur Championships in South Carolina. In the past though he's announced the names of many well know kickboxing champions such as former IKF Pro FCR Super Heavyweight World Champion "MEAN" Mike Labree (Right, 46-2/40) of Roscoe, Illinois, USA, and many others.

LaBree won his title on May 15th, 1999 in Lowell, Massachusetts, USA, when he defeated Kevin Rosier of Buffalo, New York, USA. The win came at 26 seconds into round 10 when LaBree caught Rosier with a short left to the head and Rosier went down to his knees and the bout was stopped. Labree defended his IKF title in his retirement bout on February 3rd, 2001 in Hayward, Wisconsin. He won with a 3rd round TKO over the #1 contender at the time, George Randolph of Glenville, West Virginia, USA.

Labree has an IKF event scheduled for January 18th in Hayward Wisconsin featuring Labree's top student Dan Erickson (2 time IKF USA National Amateur Champion, 2001 & 2002) in his pro debut after an impressive amateur career going 19-1. Erickson is still scheduled to fight on Drysdale's event this weekend but as of press time, they still had no opponent for him.

Drysdale (Right) has fond memories of the great fights in Rockford years ago and it's his plan to bring the Great Fights back there once again. A region rich in tradition for kickboxing where in the past glory days of the sport saw crowds of 8-10,000 people at arenas featured on network television. However as times changed, the sport in Rockford faded, and with it the crowds. But there are those like Drysdale who have not forgotten what it was like. So far, Drysdale has been a professional and a gentleman to everyone in his dealings, crossing every "t" and dotting every "i" and double checking it again and again. If his pre-event work has any indication of how his event this weekend will run, we hope to see a GREAT SHOW!

Drysdale's plans of bringing back the strong history of the "Rockford nights of Rumble" will soon be a reality. He plans to feature some of the already great local talent as well as bring back some names of the past for special bouts. One of those names from the past will be Ricky 'The Wolf' Haynes! Haynes made quite a name for himself over the years and although the 47 year old Haynes may not be in his prime, he's sure to excite the crowd against Saturday night when he meets Alonzo Scott in the ring.

Drysdale's event, "RUMBLE IN THE PARK" this Saturday night will help introduce the world to 2 top ranked fighters who will enter the ring for the vacant IKF Pro Light Cruiserweight World Title. The top 2 IKF contenders are number 1 IKF Ranked Mike "Tension" Nevitt of Sycamore, Illinois USA and number 2 IKF Ranked James "Pretty Boy" Watling of Morpeth, England.

At 32 years old, Nevitt's is the local boy and as in any event, the hometown favorite. He feels it's his "Prime Time" to win the World Title! As a professional kickboxing he has compiled an outstanding fight record of 22 wins, *0 loses and 10 wins coming by TKO/KO. The * indicates an unconfirmed loss at the WAKO amateur World Championships long after he was a pro. We know, "Why did he fight as an amateur if he was a pro?" Well, don't ask us, ask WAKO. Seems they have a different definition of who can be called a pro fighter and who are amateur fighters over there... His amateur kickboxing record though was as impressive as his pro record with 27 wins and only 2 loses with 16 wins coming by TKO/KO.

For 28 year old James Watling, he may not be local and may not be the hometown favorite but he has no worries of being an underdog if you could call him that. Watling didn't come all the way from England to lose to Nevitt's and were sure he could care less who the crowd favors at fight time. He plans to introduce the USA crowd to winning the English way and as IKF European Director Alby Bimpson and the rest of our British friends would say, "At the End of the day" Watling plans to be the new IKF World Champion! Although he's only had 15 pro fights, don't count him short in the skill category. With a top trainer like Steve Jessop in his corner we can assure you these two have come to the show to WIN! His small record speaks volumes to the fight world when you know who he's fought with 10 wins, 4 loses and 1 draw. Watling has no problems stepping into the ring against such an experienced Nevitt, and once the bell rings, records won't mean a thing.

The referee for the event will be the head of IKF Officials worldwide, Dan Stell (Right) of Fairfield, California, USA. Although the bout judges will all be from the USA, none of them will have any ties to the Illinois region. All 3 will be neutral to both fighters from other parts of the USA for the World Title bout. The IKF event representative will be IKF President Steve Fossum.

According to Drysdale the event is getting lots of press. So far several articles have been in the local papers and they had Nevitt on the local CBS morning show last week and the local ABC affiliate did a story as well. At least two, if not all of the stations will cover the event Saturday night. The event is this Saturday night in Loves Park, Illinois, USA and the doors open at 6:PM with the first bout beginning at 7:30 PM. Speaking of those other bouts, here's the rest of the nights match-ups.

Sky Drysdale



Mike Labree




James "Pretty Boy" Watling




Dan Stell

1. AMATEUR: Mike 'The Heat' Heeter vs. Jeff 'Armageddon' Greenwell
   
   
2. AMATEUR: Tim Bauscher vs Brian Jones
   
   
3. AMATEUR: Steve Fridh vs Al Zuehlke
   
   
4. AMATEUR: Jason Adams vs Tony Horton
   
   
5. AMATEUR: Jennifer Bunk vs Laura Jo Wessels
   
   
6. AMATEUR: Tim Austin vs Kaleb O'Donnell (exhibition)
   
   
7. AMATEUR: Justus Keenen vs Ryan Steinkamp
   
   
8. JUNIOR AMATEUR: 'Bad' Chad Monyelle (Right, 2000 IKF USA National tournament Junior Champion) vs. Matthew Nickel
   
   
9. Dan Erickson (2 time IKF USA National Amateur Champion, 2001 & 2002) vs. TBA (now probably in an exhibition bout)
   
   
10. PRO: Tommy Bach (Right, IKF Pro Lightweight U. S. Champion) vs Fernando 'El Gato' Luevano
    
    
11. PRO: Ronnie Deleon vs Abu zayd Nawaz
    
    
12. PRO: Ricky 'The Wolf' Haynes vs Alonzo Scott
    
    
13. PRO IKF Light Cruiserweight World Title: Mike 'Tension' Nevitt vs. James 'Pretty Boy' Watling.

For more info contact Mr. Sky Drysdale by e-mail by clicking HERE

Phoenix, Arizona, USA: Two time (2001 & 2002) IKF National Full Contact Champion Alyssa DeFazio (*Left) recently won the Arizona State Silver Gloves Tournament (Amateur Boxing) for the third year in the row.

Also 2001 IKF International Rules Champion Brook Locklear (*Right) won her Championship match with a second round TKO. Now Alyssa and Brook will be going to the Silver Gloves Western Regionals in California in January for the Regional Championships.

For more info about the Team at Hard Knocks Gym in Phoenix, Arizona, USA please contact chief trainers and owners Mr. Clement Vierra or Mrs. Rhonda Vierra at (602) 493-1567 or by e-mail at HARDKNOCKSGYM@aol.com

(*) Both pictures are not current. Both are from the 2001 USA National Tournament.

Former fighter and current IKF Promoter and championship trainer Russ O'Connell (Right) and his promotional team are all set to host another night of exciting kickboxing action this Saturday night at the 5 Sullivan Brothers Event Center in Waterloo Iowa, USA.

The main event will be the quest for the vacant IKF Pro FCR Featherweight U.S. Title. The two top USA contenders are Eric "Rico" Mihindou of Omaha, Nebraska, USA and former 1999 IKF USA National Super Lightweight Champion Jonathan Border of Memphis, Tennessee, USA.

The co-main event will be under the ISCF Mixed Martial Arts rules. Up for grabs will be the ISCF Amateur Iowa State Title between Jon Hoppes and Roy Prazak. The event will feature other bouts under both full contact rules and MuayThai rules along with some exciting matches in Full Contact Taekwondo.

For more event info contact Mr. Russ O'Connell at (319) 234-1935 or by e-mail at Tkdoc07@aol.com

Russ O'Connell

RESPONSIBILITY & RESPECT...
Or LACK OF!
Steve Fossum, IKF President

Mike Marinoble

This news will hit home with every promoter (Kickboxing, MMA or Boxing) and a lot of fighters as well. As promoters know, it's a lot of work to promote an event. There are the unseen tasks that many don't see unless you have ever promoted an event before. On the other hand, there are the many tasks that everyone knows goes with promoting. One of of the most important tasks is matchmaking. Matchmaking is not just 1 phone call to a fighter or trainer and confirming a fighter. It's keeping in constant contact with the fighters trainer/manager to assure he/she will be at the event they "Promised" to show up at. For pro fighters, there's a fight purse involved which makes the desire to show up a lot more. With amateurs the responsibilities vary. On most amateur events the promoters cover travel expenses for the fighter and trainer. However on "Tournament" style events, there are simply too many fighters to cover any travel expenses so instead this burden is put on the fighters and their trainers. At the IKF USA Nationals, everyone knows that to "Walk The Walk" they have to pay their own way to get there. Those who do prove themselves as TRUE CHAMPIONS against their peers. Those who don't remain unproven within their own fight circles fighting whoever they can get matched up against on local events. No matter what the circumstances though, everyone has a certain amount of responsibility and obligations to fulfill to make an event work. In other words, EVERYONE is important in the events success. Which brings us to our story here today...

Although it wasn't planned to be done until 2003, with the work of South Carolina, USA Promoter Ray Thompson, (Right) the first ever IKF North American Amateur FCR Championships was recently held on November 16th, 2002 in Simpsonville South Carolina with great success. However, the success could have and should have been even greater. That lack of success in many ways came due to bad judgement by some of the pre-registered fighters and or their trainers. Of the fighters who were pre-registered, several pulled out of the event before it even happened. Some had true valid reasons for pulling out while the decisions of others may be a question of ethics and respect. Those who were registered but couldn't or didn't make the event included;

• Super Lightweight: Cody Cook of Venus, Texas, USA, was a no show at the Friday night weigh-ins and had never called promoter Thompson to inform him he wouldn't be there. It was discovered after the event that Cook's trainer (Dorsey) was unable to make the trip. However, a simply phone call to promoter Ray Thompson would have been the respectful thing to do, but was never done.
  
  
• Light Welterweight: Omar Ballard of Columbus, Mississippi, USA was a no show at the Friday night weigh-ins. Ballard was called repeatedly throughout the week and over the weekend to find out what happened but until today, we had no idea what happened to him. His absence left his opponent without a bout, but we have a lot more on this below.
  
  
• Welterweight: Joe Surack of Kokomo, Indiana, USA had to withdraw when his trainer (Eddie Bethea) informed him the week of the event that he could not attend. Surack has since left his trainer.
  
  
• Welterweight: Tommy Alcozer, Jr., Plainview, Texas, USA had to pull out of the event after his trainer's grandmother past away and his trainer (his father) could not attend.
  
  
• Welterweight: Ivan Alvarez, Durango, Mexico, had to pull off of show on 10-12-02 because he could not get his visa to come to the USA for the event.
  
  
• Super Welterweight: Walter McCall, Adel, Georgia, USA had probably the most acceptable reason not to fight of everyone. He was forced to withdraw from this event on 10-31-02 due to his fiance being in a serious car accident. Our prayers went out to her as well as Mr. McCall however, she past away the week of the event.
  
  
• Super Welterweight: Sergio Alvarado, Durango, Mexico, had to pull off of show on 10-12-02 because he could not get his visa to come to the USA for the event.
  
  
• Light Cruiserweight: Jason Ross of Southaven, Mississippi, USA, was registered and scheduled to fight in the first morning bout on Saturday. The winner of their bout would fight again in a late morning/early afternoon bout. The winner of that bout would go on to fight the USA Champion (Jardine) in the Night final. This would mean, to win it all, Ross or his morning opponent would have to fight 3 times in 1 day. A faxed letter was received from Ross' trainers (Mr. Blann) on October 24th, 2002 that stated, "After review of the Tournament format, Mr. Ross will not attend the event." We of course were sad at this, however, we respect the decision of Mr. Ross' trainers and agree, three fights in one day is a lot. Although we stated in the beginning of this event, some fighters may have to fight as many as 3 times on Saturday, this would have been the only situation where this could have happened.
  
  
• Cruiserweight: Andy Foster of Dalton, Georgia, USA pulled out the week of the event because he said he was cut in a sparring session. WHY was he sparring the week of the event.....?
  
  
• Heavyweight: Dan Erickson, Cable, Wisconsin, USA, took another bout in Ireland 2 weeks before the event and was knocked out making him ineligible for this bout leaving his opponent without a fight.
  
  

Ray Thompson

Of all these, there were two that stood out to us. Heavyweight Dan Erickson is a great fighter. He had an undefeated record of 19-0 and was starring at a shot at the IKF Amateur Heavyweight World Title against a European opponent for early 2003. However his choice for taking another bout so close to the IKF North American Amateur FCR Championships was a bad one, no questions asked. Sure, it was probably fun to go to Ireland and fight, but to risk what happened when he had already made a "COMMITMENT" to fight on another event?

As mentioned, Erickson had never lost in his life so were sure losing wasn't even on his mind in Ireland, let alone a loss by KO. In Erickson's lone defense if there is any at all, he and several other fighters on the trip came down with food poisoning. Erickson's decision to save the Ireland promoters event by fighting sick was nice, but in the end, it hurt the promoter of the IKF North American Amateur FCR Championships, Ray Thompson over here in the USA. Making things worse for him was that after he returned from Ireland he didn't even take a moment to contact Thompson or the IKF to inform us of what happened and that he couldn't fight in North American Tournament. Thompson and the IKF only found out after Thompson's Team made several calls to him. And as if it couldn't get any worse, it does... For Erickson...

Erickson had to win the North American Tournament to be able to fight for the IKF Amateur Heavyweight World Title. Now he destroyed all hopes of that for now and what did he get for it? A trip to Ireland where he got sick and knocked out.... Not only did the promoter Ray Thompson get hurt here and Erickson's opponent (Mike Marinoble (Left) who traveled from California) but Erickson hurt himself tremendously as well.

However compared to Erickson, what someone else did made Erickson's act seem trivial to a point. Someone else crossed the line even more when it comes to professional responsibility in the fight game. As all promoters know, it's a major loss when a fight drops out of their show. This loss is also felt with the scheduled opponent who was to fight this individual who dropped out. WORSE YET though is when a fighter chooses not to show up at an event, leaves the promoter and other fighter hanging and goes and fights on another event without bothering to call the other promoter. This would be a shameful lack of professional respect and a total lack of professional responsibility right? Of course it is... and it just happened...

As mentioned above, North American contender, Omar Ballard (no picture on file) of Columbus, Mississippi, USA was a no show at the North American Championships on November 16th, 2002 in Simpsonville South Carolina for an IKF North American Amateur Title bout. The night of the weigh-ins, Friday, November 15th, 2002, everyone waited for Mr. Ballard and his trainer to show up, however he never did. Mr. Ballard was scheduled to fight for the IKF North American Amateur Light Welterweight title against Doyle Gayler (Right) of Kaufman, Texas, USA. Mr. Gayler and his trainer Mr. Chuck Best "DROVE" all the way to South Carolina for this fight only to discover that Mr. Ballard was a "NO SHOW" leaving Gayler without a fight, winning the title by forfeit. As all promoters know, this cost the event promoter, Ray Thompson, a valuable fight for the night time finals. None of the phone calls the Thompson Team made were returned and no one ever heard a thing from Mr. Ballard. NOTHING! Until today...

Today we received an e-mail that noted something of great interest to us here at the IKF and answered a question as to "Where was Mr. Ballard at the North American Championships?" The e-mail listed some results of an event held in New Orleans on November 15th. The promoter of this event was Mr. Joe Ancona. Mr. Ancona promotes a show a week in New Orleans and is a very active promoter. What we are about to tell you, to the best of our knowledge is not the fault of Mr. Joe Ancona. In fact, we feel he may even be surprised, at least we hope so. An attempt to reach him by phone was made today 11-22-02 at 11:12 AM PT) but we only got an answering machine. Here is what was written in a portion of the e-mail;

RESULTS OF THE BIG EASY FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS HELD ON FRIDAY NOV 15TH;
"OMAR BALLARD WINNER OVER CHRIS GRIFFIN IN A KICKBOXING MATCH!!!"

As everyone might expect we were sickened and shocked that Mr. Omar Ballard and his trainer Mr. Miller not only didn't show up for his scheduled IKF North American Amateur Tournament bout, but never even called to inform anyone that he wasn't going to show up. Now, WORSE YET, we see that he shunned promoter Ray Thompson and his scheduled opponent, Mr. Doyle Gaylor by taking a fight on the night before this event without saying a word to anyone. This is totally unacceptable and a lack of professional respect for all who were shorted here. Mr. Ballard and his trainer, Mr. Miller should be ashamed of themselves to have done this to the event promoter and Mr. Gaylor. There is NO EXCUSE for this and it will be remembered with all of us involved.

This is not about the IKF here. This is an issue that can relate to EVERY Promoter in the World for EVERY Organization in the world. The IKF lost nothing here. The promoter Mr. Thompson and Mr Gaylor did. This article is not about the IKF crying over a fighter who choose not to show up to fight for an IKF title. It's about our anger towards a fighter and a trainer who would do such a disrespectful thing to ANY PROMOTER!

In regards to the New Orleans promoter Mr. Ancana, the question is, "Did he have any idea that Ballard had been booked to fight on another event the night after his in South Carolina?" Regardless if he did or not, the fault here lands on the fighter (Ballard) and his trainer (Miller).

NO FIGHTER, trainer or manager should EVER BOOK a fight inside the 45 day mark of another previously scheduled bout.

The reason for this is in case the fighter were ever to be knocked out (Like in Erickson's case) or injured in the first event, the 45 day time-line gives time for the fighter to recover.
However some times, more time could be needed.

All of us in this sport or any sport need to act responsible and respectful to those around us in order to earn the respect we need to succeed. Heck, we all need to do this in any act of our lives for that matter. There's a saying that's known as the "The Golden Rule". Some may have heard it or read it, some maybe not. I remember it well since it hung by the door of our family home as I was growing up. Since it was by the door I saw it everyday I left the house and it reminded me how to treat others every day. . If you know it, I ask you to remember it. If you never seen it, I ask you to learn it. The saying to me is as simple as asking "How hard is it to do the right thing." It reads;

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you..."

I'll never forget it. Hopefully you won't either.

Battle in Paradise 3...
The Lords of the Ring

From IKF Barbados: On Saturday, December 14th 2002 the National Kickboxing League of Barbados and the IKF will be hosting its Battle in Paradise 3: The Lords of the Ring Pro-Am Kickboxing tournament. The event will feature international kickboxers and mixed martial artists from Canada, Haiti, the United States and host country Barbados.

The main event on the evening's card will be a professional Muay Thai contest between Barbadian Kirk Bovell and Greg Ardon of the United States. Professional Muay Thai bouts consist of five 3-minute rounds and contestants are allowed to punch, kick and knee their opponents to the legs, torso and head. This will be the first official Muay Thai contest to be held in Barbados.

Bovell (Left & Right) is Barbados' most prominent kickboxer. His reputation as a powerful kicker has earned him the ring name 'Thunderfoot'. He is the former amateur National Lightweight Free-style rules champion having amassed an amateur record of 6 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw before his ascension to the professional ranks in 2001. To date, Bovell has won both of his professional bouts the most recent being a Super-Lightweight contest against Stefan ButinBik of Holland. This bout was the main event of the Shin Do Kumaté Bouts held in Pinellas Park, Florida on July 20th of this year.

His opponent, Greg Ardon, (Making his Pro debut) has been a student of Muay Thai for the past five years and trains at the Muay Thai Lug Sitnarong Camp in New York. His trainer is British and European Welterweight Muay Thai champion Phil Nurse. Ardon holds a fight record of 4 wins, 4 losses and 1 draw.
The Barbados contingent will comprise members of the Kime Kan Karate School and the Unified Martial Art Academy. They are the amateur national champions and top rated fighters of the NKL. They include Leon Mcgarrell - National Bantamweight champion, Damion Williams, Shane Garner, Dale Prescod - National Welterweight champion, Randolph Boyce, Emmanuel Boyce, Sean Carrington and former National Light-Heavyweight champion Charles Rudder.

The North American fighters consist of Darren Cassidy of Pennsylvania, Adam Rogers, the IKF Amateur California Light-Middleweight International rules champion and Mark Durant the North Canadian Amateur Middleweight champion. Odias Dumezil heads the Scorpion D'Haiti kickboxing club and will compete in the Middleweight division. The team includes St. Juste Smith and heavyweight Elysee Kinny Dominique.
Another feature event on the evening's card will be a light-heavyweight mixed martial art contest between Roland Jones of Barbados and James Wakefield of Oklahoma, USA. This event will include striking, throwing and grappling and a contestant may win by knockout, submission or on a point decision. This amateur contest will comprise of two 4-minute rounds.
Battle in Paradise 3: The Lords of the Ring Pro-Am Kickboxing tournament is sanctioned by the National Kickboxing League of Barbados (NKL) and the International Kickboxing Federation (IKF). It is sponsored by BWIA West Indies Airways, Wings & Tings Restaurant & Bar and All About Attitude sportswear. The event commences at 7:PM and general admission is BDS $20.

DragonFest…
An Event for All Martial Arts!
By Johnny Davis

Mr. Gerald Okamura's (Right) 25 years in movies and television makes him a standout among many martial artist. However, its his passion to bring the entertainers to the fans that really seems to be his forte'. He speaks passionately about his commitment "My goal is to give the fans the opportunity to meet some of their movie star heroes, I recognize that this may be the only chance many will ever get to meet them."

Mr. Okamura was in deed successful with his 2002 installment of DragonFest!

This past weekend, Glendale, CA, USA was humming with movie stars and martial artist from across the nation. The Civic Auditorium was surrounded by hundreds aspiring fans at least two hours before the start of the event. Moreover, it never seems to amaze me to how loyal martial arts fans are. There were some who came as early as 5:AM in the morning to get first peak at the lineup of who's who in the martial arts. Most of them were armed with cameras and pens anxiously awaiting the opportunity to get the autographs and pictures of their idols.

The movie stars really came out to give support to this great event.

Some of them well known to most of us like; Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, one of the greatest Kickboxers to grace the ring; Multiple World Champion (Including former IKF World Cruiserweight Champion) and movie star Don "The Dragon" Wilson (Left); Women's World Champion, Kathy Long; (Right) World Champion Kickboxing Great, Pete "Sugarfoot" Cunningham and underground street fighter (The Jean - Claude Van Damme movie BloodSport was made from his claims of fighting) Frank Dux… (Left) whom I had the pleasure of joining for dinner after the event. The list goes on and on and there were far too many names, companies and actors to list. But know this, it was a star studded and well organized event!

The IKF actually made a stunning introduction to many martial artist who were not familiar with our work. We set up a well merchandised table displaying our championship belts, pictures and banners from our graphics dept. Additionally, we had other IKF logo items like water bottles, license plates and T-shirts that enhanced our appearance at the event. Everyone seemed impressed with our pamphlets and Press Packets as well as the general setup of the IKF.

It is one of the goals of the IKF to reach out and work with all in the martial arts community, our attendance at this weekend's DragonFest event was a major step in that direction.
I had the pleasure of talking to hundreds of people about the IKF and my Kickboxing training manual. To my surprise, I met some of the people who had e-mailed me, read my articles and remembered some of my fights. Some attendees had purchased the manual and had great things to say about its contents. Heck, I was actually humbled by so many requests for my autograph and photo opts.
The DragonFest is indeed an event for all who love the martial arts! I had a great time making new acquaintances and contacts and will be sure to make it an annual event to attend…you should too!
For more information on DragonFest go to www.DragonFest.com or e-mail Gabe Frimmel Promotions at gabe@dragonfest.com or call (626) 795-3147.

Gerald Okamura




Kathy Long

History Has Been Made!
Success Is Too Small A Word For The First Ever

IKF
North American Amateur
Full Contact Riles Championships!

History has been made and those involved will be remembered forever! IKF North American Championships Promoter Ray Thompson (Left) finally took a moment to rest his feet as he sat along the wall of the venue and watched part of his Iron Spirit Promotions Team picking up chairs and cleaning up after their event tonight. He had the look of success and contentment in his eye that twinkled like someone who just took on the world and won, and he did!

Thompson's Team from his Upstate Karate School in Simpsonville South Carolina were the hosts to one of the greatest Amateur kickboxing events we have ever been a part of and with it, have set the standard as to what will follow with more IKF Championship Tournament events for the years to come. No, there were no fighters from Canada or Mexico there for this "North America" Championship event, but no worries. No offense to them but hey, they weren't needed to make this a great event. This was all USA tonight and the fighters who "Walked the Walk" this time knew the prize was higher and showed it in their performance as well.

We saw some wars tonight that made the crew from Charter Communications proud to be a part of IKF Kickboxing. Charter was so pleased with the event that they are now going to show the event on their South/East sports channel which includes all the south eastern states of the USA. In addition, the show may be released nationally to other Charter affiliates. Simply put, this event was the start of something big! Not just for the North American Tournament system but for the major plan of IKF Kickboxing events on TV!

Sometime event reports tend to brag a bit too much about sellout crowds when there are clearly seats available. Well kickboxing fans, if you were there, you were witness to a TRUE sellout, standing room only crowd. If you weren't there, well... simply put, you missed out BIG!

There were a total of 7 IKF Amateur North American Championship Bouts accompanied by 2 woman's exhibition bouts. We'll be writing more on this event later in the week but for those who are eager for the results lets get to them.

Due to several no shows at the weigh-ins there was only 1 prelim bout for the event that took place Saturday morning. It was in the Light Cruiserweight division between Stephen Thompson of Simpsonville, South Carolina, USA, (23-0/13) and John Scanlon of Chicago, IL, USA (3-2/1). In the bout, Thompson won by head kick TKO at 1:37 of round 1 to advance to his night time championship bout against Bill Jardine of Mondovi, Wisconsin, USA, (8-0). We'd like to point out the heart of a lion in Scanlon. With only 6 amateur kickboxing bouts he's had 3 loses. Two of them now have come from Thompson and the 3rd from National Tournament Champion Kevin Engle (14-3/8) in 2001. Our point is, is that while these other fighters "No showed" for this event, here's Scanlon, matched up against probably the best fighter of the tournament (Record wise at least, if not overall) and he shows up as promised. Talk about "Walking the Walk!" Lets give a round of applause to Mr. Scanlon who knew what he was getting into, but stayed strong as he faced Thompson's storm as long as he could. This is what makes Warriors out of men.

NIGHT EVENT
Before the night's Championship bouts 4 women fighters put on a show for the crowd in 2 exhibition bouts. In the first exhibition Andrea Zalas of Mauldin South Carolina sparred with Lisa Advent of Fountain Inn, South Carolina. In the second exhibition bout, Nicole Hess, Alexandria, Virginia showed why she is the 2002 IKF USA National Junior Girls Flyweight Champion with a strong sparring session against Rachael Preacher of Simpsonville, South Carolina. When the ladies smoke cleared the ring it was time for the men to take the stage and what a performance they gave. Here's the nights results...

BOUT 1: 1. Lightweight - 128.1 lbs. to 132 lbs.
Kicking off the night was Brent Hess of Alexandria, VA, USA (5-0/2, 131, 5'7", 17, 6-25-85, Mike Hess) Vs Joseph Balkis of Robbins, IL, USA (9-7/4, 128, 5'5", 33, 6-28-69, Glenn Hudson) Hess was this years 2002 IKF USA National "Junior Division Featherweight champion at ages 16-17 Year Olds. At the nationals he successfully defended his 2001 National title by defeating Jason Adam of Ean Claire, WI, by TKO at 1:20 of round 1. Balkis was this years 2002 IKF USA Nationals Featherweight runner-up when his bout was stopped due to a cut over his eye at :50 seconds into the 1st round giving the title to Billy Byrd of Aurora, IL. In tonights bout, there was no early stop but plenty of strong action, and most of it all from Hess as he took the title easily by the score of 50-44, 50-43 and 50-42 to become the first "Fighting" IKF North American Amateur Champion. We say "Fighting" because remember, 2 fighters, Light Welterweight Doyle Gayler of Kaufman, Texas, USA and Heavyweight Mike Marinoble of Fair Oaks, California, USA won their titles by forfeit when their opponents were no shows at the weigh-ins. After the event Marinoble announced he will now be turning pro which will make the title vacant again.

BOUT 2: Super Lightweight - 132.1 lbs. to 137 lbs.
This was a straight across rematch from this years 2002 IKF USA National Championships between 2002 IKF USA National Super Lightweight Champion Robert Elledge of Roseville, CA, USA (10-0/3, 136, 5'9", 17, 7-28-84, Dave Marinoble) Vs Justin Pickett of North Augusta, GA, USA (8-1/3, 136, 5'5", 18, 8-18-83, now training with Ray Thompson) These two are currently ranked 1 and 2 in this division. At the 2002 IKF USA National Championships, Elledge won by split decision, 29-28, 29-28 & 28-29. Previous to the final though Pickett had to earn his way there by defeating Joe Surack in the opening round by unanimous decision, 30-27 on all 3 judges cards. Surack was scheduled to be here at the North American Championships but had to withdraw last week when his trainer informed him he could not attend. With the stage set, the two were ready to rock. It was in round 1 that made the scoring difference in this bout as Elledge forced Pickett to a standing 8 count giving him a strong 10-8 advantage on the score cards. From there out the two traded rounds but in the end Elledge would be awarded the belt by unanimous decision, 49-45, 49-46 and 48-46 to claim the IKF North American Super Lightweight title.

BOUT 3: Welterweight - 142.1 lbs. to 147 lbs.
This title matched up Jarett "JP" Perelmutter of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA (AKB: 3-0/2, AKB: 3-0/2, 147, 5'6", 27, 4-5-75, Mike Hess) Vs Neil Halmstad of Wrenshall, Minnesota, USA (10-5/0, 152, 5'10", 27, 2-9-75, Self) This was the height and reach of Halmstad (4 inches taller) against the strength of Perelmutter. Coming into the bout ranked number 7 in the super lightweight division Perelmutter had a strong desire to prove he should be ranked higher. As far as Halmstad, at the 2002 IKF USA National Championships he was registered in the light middleweight division where he first defeated Lucus Larson of Mondovi, Wisconsin USA, by unanimous decision 30-27 on all 3 cards but lost to eventual champion Anthony McGaughey by unanimous decision 30-27 on all 3 judges cards. For this event he moved down to a more natural weight for him which was a smart move as far as being crisp on his kicks and punches but at the lower weight, lacked the punching power he had when heavier. Halmstad set the pace early winning the first 2 rounds on 2 of the 3 judges cards but in rounds 3 and 4 he seemed to play into Perelmutter's inside fight game instead of using his reach which cost him dearly as Perelmutter took rounds 3 and 4 on all 3 judges cards. This one came down to who had what in the final round and in the end Perelmutter took the round on all 3 judges cards and with it, took home the belt with a unanimous decision win, 48-47, 48-47 and 49-45.

BOUT 4: Light Middleweight - 153.1 lbs to 159 lbs.
When it comes to winning, Anthony McGaughey of Norman, OK, USA (20-0-1/14, 159, 5'11", 24, 9-27-77, Scott Mincey) may not know how to. McGaughey is the 2002 IKF USA Light Middleweight Champion. At the nationals he successfully defended his 2001 National title by defeating Neil Halmstad by unanimous decision 30-27 on all 3 judges cards. Across the ring was a very game Shaun Gay of Valdosta, GA, USA (3-6/3, 159, 6'1", 23, 5-6-79, James Corbett) Gay is currently ranked number 9 in the super welterweight division. Like at the national championships, McGaughey took his time getting started against Gay and although McGaughey forced Gay to a standing 8 count in the round, he allowed Gay to land some good shots. In round 2, McGaughey decided to turn up the heat and did so with precision which brought an end to this bout at 1:02 of the second round giving McGaughey the first IKF North American Tournament win by TKO. In his defense, Gay could have been like the other "No show" fighters when he read about McGaughey's fight record. But give him credit for being true to his word and showing up to "Walk the Walk" with one of the best.

BOUT 5: Middleweight - 159.1 lbs to 165 lbs.
Have you ever been a judge and thought once a round was over you wish you could just toss a coin in the air to determine who won because it was so close? Well if so, you can relate to the action we all saw in the bout between 2002 IKF USA Middleweight Champion Peyton Russell of Minneapolis, MN, USA (26-4/6, 165, 6', 32, 9-11-69, C. B. Bunkholt) and 2002 runner up Shannon Hudson of Greer, SC, USA (9-5/4, 165, 5'8", 22, 10-11-79, Kevin Hudson) At the 2002 USA Nationals Russell successfully defended his 2001 National title by defeating Travis Buchlolz of Eau Claire, WI, by unanimous decision 30-27 on all 3 judges cards. Hudson was the 2002 USA Nationals runner up in the super middleweight division. At the Nationals in round one he first defeated Brett Crosby of Clinton, MD by TKO at 1:34 of round 3. In the final he lost to Kevin Engle of St Louis, MO by unanimous decision 29-28, 30-27 & 30-27. Hudson choose to move down in weight for this event since no one else registered in his division. It was probably the best move he's made in his fight career. At this weight he was quick, strong and aggressive and his energy level seemed to never go away. On the other hand, remember who he was up against... Peyton Russell has been around the world in his career and has come home a winner 26 of 30 times. Many thought Russell would be too strong for Hudson but to the surprise of many, Hudson turned out to be the strong one. This was yet another great battle between two warriors with strong hearts and plenty of skill to go to war with. We can't tell you what bout one judge was watching who gave Russell all 5 rounds scoring it 50-45, but the other two judges saw the fight we saw. One judge gave them each 2 rounds and couldn't come to an answer in round 3 giving them both 10 for an ending score of 48-48. The third judge forced himself to a decision and it was the small difference that gave the bout to Russell by majority decision with a score of 48-47 Russell. With the question of the one judges scoring in mind (50-45), do all of you hear what we hear in the echoes of our heads..."Rematch... Rematch..." What a GREAT FIGHT!

BOUT 6: Cruiserweight - 186.1 lbs to 195 lbs.
Adam Sylvia of Alexandria, VA, USA (11-0/8, 194, 5'11", 28, 11-5-73, Mike Hess) is a 2 time IKF USA National Amateur Champion. At this years nationals he fought one of the most memorable and classic kickboxing wars we can remember against Tim Mazurkiewicz of Beloit, WI, USA (16-3/13, 190, 6'1", 30, 5-4-72, Pete Hetrick, Butch Elliot). This bout could have gone either way and on this night, the odds favored Sylvia as he walked away with a majority decision victory, 30-26, 30-26 & 28-28. Tonight he faced across the ring a fighter we've seen for several years now come up just short of attaining a deserving title, Adrian Turpin of Anderson, GA, USA (6-6/0, 192, 6', 34, 1-4-68, Ben Turpin) At this years nationals, Turpin had lost to in the opening round to Mazurkiewicz by unanimous decision 29-28, 30-26 & 30-26. The odds makers had Sylvia way ahead to win this bout and win it quick, but on this night, there would be a new Turpin who showed up for the show that would surprise and even at times, confuse Sylvia with his hear, desire and some strong kicks. As expected, Sylvia took rounds 1 and 2 on the cards, but not by much. Turpin hung tough and toe to toe all the way through them. The surprise came in round 3 where Turpin took 2 of the 3 judges scores. Although he hung tough, tough wasn't enough as Sylvia picked, jabbed and sliced his way to the end to take home the title with a unanimous decision win 48-43, 49-45 and 50-42. NOTE: Our prayers go out to Adrian's father who was put into the hospital last night and is in critical condition. We can only hope for him to recover soon.

BOUT 7: Light Cruiserweight - 179.1 lbs to 186 lbs.
Can you say "MAIN EVENT?!"
This was the bout the hometown crowd had been waiting for. It was champion against champion and neither had ever lost a bout. Between them they had 31 wins but in the end, someone would have to lose and with it, experience their first ever kickboxing loss. 2002 IKF USA National Light Cruiserweight Champion Bill Jardine of Mondovi, WI, USA (8-0/0, 186, 6'3", 24, 9-22-77, Michael Lind) had no plan to see that 1 loss on his fight record, but than again, he never faced Stephen Thompson of Simpsonville, South Carolina, USA (23-0/13, 179, 6', 19, 2-11-83, Ray Thompson). They call Thompson "The Wonderboy" and well, you just have to see him face to face to know why they dare to call him "Boy" but after you see him fight, you'll see where the word "Wonder" came from. Thompson was this years 2002 IKF USA National Light Heavyweight champion and had registered for this event in the light heavyweight. However, his only challenger was the same person he beat in 44 seconds of round 1 to defend his Nationals Title (A title that he's held for 3 years in a row) this year, John Scanlon. No offense to Scanlon but Thompson knew he wanted to be challenged more so he moved up to Jardine's weight bracket and Scanlon followed him. As mentioned, above, Thompson had to face Scanlon in a prelim bout and defeat him again before moving on to face Jardin, which he did.

For Jardine, at this years 2002 IKF USA Nationals he first defeated Scott Christopher of Cudaley, WI by unanimous decision, 30-25, 30-26 & 29-25. In his championship bout he defeated Jason Ross of Southaven, Mississippi by unanimous decision 30-27 on all 3 judges cards to win the National title.

When the bell rang, the two went to work and Jardine saw a different level of competition then he had ever seen before. Although he has a champions skill, Jardine encountered something usually seen by opponents of pro IKF Heavyweight Champion Dennis Alexio. When your on the ropes and Thompson starts a combination, he doesn't quit until you either move, throw a successful counter or, as happened in this fight, have a referee like Dan Stell step in to give you a deserved 8 count. Although he was strong in round 1, Jardine had no answer to Thompson's non stop punch and kick attack in rounds 2 and 3 forcing referee Stell to give him standing 8 counts in both rounds. Still game with heart to match, Jardine had no plans of stopping early as he entered round 4 with his eyes wide open. However Thompson just gets stronger the longer he fights and by now he was just warming up. He was too much for Jardine who fought like a warrior, but this night belonged to Thompson as referee Dan Stell stopped this one at 1:26 of the 4th round giving Thompson the title and Jardine his first loss.

As we close this story we need to say something to all of you. We have "NEVER" see such heart, such effort and such passion in the ring as we saw tonight for not just those who won, but for those who didn't. Fighters we thought may be stopped early fought to the end and made us all respect them more as warriors for it. We are "PROUD" to be associated with such a great cast of fighters as we were tonight. Fighters who kept their word and "Walked the Walk" to fight for the IKF Brass! For those who won, congratulations on your accomplishment tonight. For those who didn't, may we remind you that one fight does not dictate your career. It's not that you lost but how you learn from your loss that will be the important lesson of your life. As the martial arts saying goes, "Fall down 6 times, get up 7." Any trainer knows, you can always improve a fighters skill, but you cannot teach HEART, PASSION and DESIRE. These are things we saw from EVERY fighter we saw today. Were sure to see you all again and maybe next time, we will see the IKF Brass around your waist.

On behalf of Ray Thompson's Upstate Karate and Iron Spirit Promotions Team, Charter Communications, Foothills Ford of Simpsonville South Carolina, the officials, the IKF and of course, kickboxing fans around the world, we bid you goodnight from yet another great night of IKF Championship Kickboxing from Simpsonville, South Carolina, USA!

For more information on this event please Upstate Karate, Inc. Ray & Gloria Thompson or Rebecca Preacher at (864) 967-3930, Cell (864) 505-4237, e-mail- tetsushin2@aol.com.

After Weigh-Ins... Several
"No Show"
To "Walk The Walk"

Like at any Tournament, last minute drop outs are bound to happen. However, when a North American Title and a $240.00 Title belt is on the line, we rarely see any fighters pull away... Well, sadly to say, after weigh-ins yesterday there were some missing fighters who failed to show up to the first ever, IKF North American Amateur Championships. Some of them had their reasons while others have yet to even return a call to explain why they are missing here today...

Of them, they include, 2002 USA Nationals Champion Cody Cook (Left) of Venus, Texas who we have no reason why he didn't show up. Andy Foster of Dalton, Georgia who informed Promoter Ray Thompson that he suffered a cut in a sparring session and Omar Ballard of Columbus, Mississippi who as well is missing without any reason given.

Doyle Gayler (Right, 2002 IKF USA National Champion, 36-5/25) of Kaufman, Texas drove all the way here only to find out his opponent Omar Ballard was a "No Show!" Because of this, Gaylor automatically wins the IKF North American Light Welterweight title making him the second (Marinoble below being the first) North American Title winner by Forfeit.

The outcome of all this meant a major change in the morning portion where there will now only be 1 morning prelim bout between Light Cruiserweights Stephen Thompson of Simpsonville, South Carolina against John Scanlon of Chicago Illinois. The winner of which will fight Bill Jardine of Mondovi, Wisconsin in the Main Event on tonights show. Below is the revised fight card schedule...

• SATURDAY MORNING 3 ROUND PRELIM BOUT ORDER
  
  
  1. Light Cruiserweight - 179.1 lbs to 186 lbs.
     • Stephen Thompson, Simpsonville, SC, USA, 23-0/13 Vs John Scanlon, Chicago, IL, USA, 3-2/1
       
       
• SATURDAY NIGHT FINALS - All 5 Round Bouts
  
  
  • 7:00 PM: 2002 IKF North American Amateur Championship Title Bouts Begin.
    
    
  1. Lightweight - 128.1 lbs. to 132 lbs.:
     • Brent Hess, Alexandria, VA, USA, 5-0/2 Vs Joseph Balkis, Robbins, IL, USA, 9-7/4.
       
       
  2. Super Lightweight - 132.1 lbs. to 137 lbs.:
     • Robert Elledge, Roseville, CA, 10-0/3 Vs Justin Pickett, North Augusta, GA, USA, 8-1/3.
       
       
  3. Light Welterweight - 137.1 lbs. to 142 lbs.:
     • Doyle Gayler, Kaufman, TX, USA, 36-5/25 Vs Omar Ballard Columbus, MS, USA, 9-1/5.
       
       
  4. Welterweight - 142.1 lbs. to 147 lbs.:
     • Neil Halmstad Wrenshall, Minnesota, USA, 10-5/0 Vs Jarett "JP" Perelmutter, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA, AKB: 3-0/2.
       
       
  5. Light Middleweight - 153.1 lbs to 159 lbs.:
     • Anthony McGaughey, Norman, OK, USA, 20-0-1/14 Vs Shaun Gay Valdosta, GA, USA, 3-6/3.
       
       
  6. Middleweight - 159.1 lbs to 165 lbs.:
     • Peyton Russell, Minneapolis, MN, USA, 26-4/6 Vs Shannon Hudson, Greer, SC, USA, 9-5/4.
       
       
  7. Cruiserweight - 186.1 lbs to 195 lbs.:
     • Adam Sylvia, Alexandria, VA, USA, 11-0/8 Vs Adrian Turpin, Anderson, GA, USA, 6-6/0
       
       
  8. Light Cruiserweight - 179.1 lbs to 186 lbs:
     • Bill Jardine, Mondovi, WI, USA, 7-0/0 Vs Winner of Morning Prelim Bout number 3.
       
       

For more information on this event please go to the event info site by clicking HERE. Or, please contact the event Promoters, Upstate Karate, Inc. Ray & Gloria Thompson or Rebecca Preacher at (864) 967-3930, Cell (864) 505-4237, e-mail- tetsushin2@aol.com. Thank You.

IT'S HERE!
The First
IKF
North American Amateur FCR Championships!

Ray Thompson



Brooks Mason

As for the fighters, all the training is done but the work has just begun for IKF North American Amateur Full Contact Rules Championship Promoter Ray Thompson (Left) and his promotional staff. By tonight, all the fighters will be in Simpsonville South Carolina USA, checked in, weighed in and given final instructions before laying down for the night. By Saturday morning, all of them will be ready to fight in the first IKF Amateur North American Championship Tournament.

Along with Thompson and his staff will be IKF Referee Dan Stell (Right) who gave an officials seminar last night. Stell is one of the top referees in the world and will share duty with Referee Tommy Seigler.

Also on hand will be IKF Representative and World Ambassador Brooks Mason (Left) who will handle some of the Charter TV "Play by Play". Since there was some problems with the phone line hook-up, Mason will not be teaming up with IKF Internet Radio Chief Johnny Wall as they did at this years IKF USA National

The event will be filmed by Charter Communications out of the South East Region of the USA. Charter is one of the largest cable companies in the Nation and if the company likes the event there is a possibility of it being shown around the USA through other Charter affiliates."It's a start for something big as far as TV goes" says Fossum. "TV is no easy task to attain for the sport of kickboxing so as in many things, we feel we have to reinvent the wheel as far as broadcasting of kickboxing on TV. We have to approach it as if its never been done before and this is our foundation."

Here are the weekend schedule and match-ups for the one day Tournament on November 16th.

• FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15th, SCHEDULE:
  
  
  • 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM: Fighters Check-In, Weigh-ins & Pre-fight Dr.'s checkup.
  • 7:10 PM - 7:30 PM: Fighter rules meeting. ALL FIGHTERS and CORNERMEN MUST BE PRESENT AT THIS MEETINGS!
    
    
• SATURDAY NOVEMBER 16th, SCHEDULE:
  
  
  • 8:00 AM: Doors open for "ALL" fighters and trainers to prepare for their bouts.
  • 9:00 AM: Doors open for spectators.
  • 9:30 AM: First fight begins. ALL "PRELIM" FIGHTERS MUST BE READY TO FIGHT. ALL "PRELIM" FIGHTERS MUST REMAIN ON PREMISES until Prelims are over.
  • 5:30 PM: All preliminary bouts end. (that's the plan anyway)

Dan Stell

A surprise to many is that we already have our first IKF Amateur North American Champion and he probably doesn't even know it yet. Heavyweight Mike Marinoble's (Right) of Fair Oaks, California, USA (8-2/4 & 1 no contest, 5'11", 204, 35, 5-31-66, Trained by Dave Marinoble) won his title without even stepping into the ring.

Marinoble's opponent was 2002 IKF USA National Amateur Heavyweight Champion Dan Erickson (Left) of Cable, Wisconsin, USA (19-1/9 - (1 no contest), 210, 6'6", 27, 10-10-74, Trained by Mike LaBree). However a poor management decision was made and Erickson took another bout in Ireland about 2 weeks ago. In the bout, Erickson not only lost his first bout ever, he was knocked out making him ineligible for this bout. On the other side of the ring, Marinoble had already bought his ticket to travel across the country. Since it was too close to fight date for him to drop the weight to fight in Cruiserweight (186.1 lbs. - 195 lbs.) a decision was made tonight to give Marinoble the title by Forfeit. Our sources have told us that Marinoble may already be in South Carolina at the time of this posting. He traveled there with his trainer and fellow fighter from his gym, Robert Elledge (2002 USA National Champion) who will fight for the Super Lightweight North American Title. What a welcome this will be after the frustration of discovering he had no one to fight.

For more information on this event please go to the event info site by clicking HERE. Or, please contact the event Promoters, Upstate Karate, Inc. Ray & Gloria Thompson or Rebecca Preacher at (864) 967-3930, Cell (864) 505-4237, e-mail- tetsushin2@aol.com. Thank You.

SHARP Decisions STEPHENS
In Wyoming!
A More Detailed Account of "THE WAR" & The Event By Brooks Mason

Boys and Girls, The center of the Muay Thai Universe this past weekend was Casper Wyoming, yeah Casper, Wyoming. David Smith put on one of the best-produced shows I have ever seen. The venue, the lights, VIP dinner before the show, it was all first class. Sam compared it to the treatment he got at K-1 in Vegas. Well Casper is no Vegas but Smith takes a back seat to no one when it comes to putting on a fight. I have never seen fighters treated better and with more respect. Thank you Dave for a great experience I will never forget.

You know the results of the fights and I did not catch them all because I was wrapping hands and got to work some corners. You know working a corner is something I am not about to turn down. Unfortunately, I had to work corner across from Tommy Alcozer Sr. Tommy is one of the best trainers and corner men I have ever seen. He beat me 2 to 1 and took great delight in rubbing it in. Thank goodness Tommy has a beautiful wife who keeps him in line.

Let's touch on what I learned here. Casper Wyoming is going to be a force in Muay Thai in the coming years. Promoter Dave Smith has a program going that is being very well received by the community and he has no lack of talent to choose from, both as fighters and his ability as a trainer. Dave has the ability to draw the best from his students. They fought as if their lives depended on it. Knowing Dave, it may have.

Steve Alley is turning out fighters in the Denver area. I have to admit I thought Bean was the big boy in Denver but I stand corrected. Quality, well schooled fighters who were ready mentally and physically to represent Denver in their art. Very nice job Steve. If you haven't visited Steve's website at www.martialartsradio.org you are missing a great site with photo's of the fight and interviews from some of the fight games best.

Sam at the World Muay Thai Team USA in San Francisco is the real deal. His fighters had a certain rhythm about the way they move, how they work around the ring. There is no rest for anyone who enters the ring against his fighters. Constantly aggressive and schooled from clinch to gloves they were all complete fighters and consummately Muay Thai.

Sakasem Kanthawong runs the Muay Thai Institute of Kunponli in Salt Lake City. Need I say more? This legendary fighter has more time in the gym than most fighters have walking around period. Is it any wonder Kwame Stephens (Left) has moved to Salt Lake City to continue his outstanding career.

Larry Sharpe runs Pine Falls Kickboxing in Manitoba Canada. How do I miss these great gyms? If the fighters there are half as good as their leader Larry Sharp they too will have a dominant voice in Muay Thai on the North American Continent. Well schooled and extremely confident in the ring, Larry Sharpe has a future with no boundaries in sight.

Speaking of Sharpe & Stephens, they were the feature Main Event for the vacant IKF Pro Muay Thai title. It was a war! Larry Sharpe won this fight without any doubt. He countered better and took advantage of the clinch for knee work quicker and more effectively than Kwame. Taking some hard shots from Kwame, Sharpe stayed the course and proved he is truly the North American Champion. Something else Larry Sharpe saw in the ring was a few quick glimpses of the real Kwame Stephens. There were stretches during the fight of up to a minute at a time that the real Kwame was in the ring.

Let me make a couple of observations. Sharpe won the first three rounds and even manages to put Kwame on the canvas. The last two rounds went to Kwame on the majority of the cards. What we should have seen did not happen. Larry Sharpe is destined for a world title shot and it wouldn't surprise me a bit if he were looking across the ring at Kwame to take that title. For those brief stretches, Larry Sharpe was in the ring with one the very best Muay Thai middleweights in the world. I look forward to the fight when we see Kwame show up for real and take his rightful place as one of the best among the best. In the mean time, Larry Sharpe holds the title and I pity the fool who tries to take it.

Aside from the fight were two of the best referees in the world. David Smith spared no expense. Dan Stell(Left) is the busiest referee in kickboxing and one of the slickest I have ever seen in the ring. Fighters seem to rise to a higher level with Stell inside the ropes. His reputation as a fighter and his excellence as a referee is enough to make any fighter work harder. On the other hand if you share a room with him, he snores and uses up all the hot water, and in a hotel that is hard to do.

Fred Fitzgerald (Right) is the best Muay Thai referee I have ever seen or expect to see. It is worth a ticket to watch him referee. In Muay Thai the beauty of the fight is the rhythm ,the interplay between the music, the referee and the fighters. Fred Fitzgerald can play this tune better than anyone.

As far as the other fights I saw while not working the corners or wrapping hands, here's the ringside play by play on them...

1. Tommy Alcozer Jr. Vs Chris Archuleta
   • This fight went the full three rounds. What a learning experience for Archuleta. Tommy Alcozer Jr. showed why he is one of the best amateurs at 140 Lbs in the world. Excellent footwork and a ring presence that belies his 19 years, he controlled the fight from the opening bell. Now Chris is no one to play with and a comment from the Alcozer corner was made after the fight about how hard Chris hits but you need to catch'em to hit'em. I cannot imagine how he lost at the nationals. Although I hear he had to withdraw from this weekends North American Tournament, the question I have to ask is "When do we see Gayler (2002 USA National Champion) and Alcozer in the ring?"
     
     
2. Raoul Doucet Vs Darren Walters - Super Heavyweight Bout -
   • This was a pro fight with leg kicks. It seemed to me both fighters would have been more comfortable with above the waist rules. I saw footwork that has the distinct signature of American rules training. In the first round Walters landed some telling leg shots that had Doucet exposing his hamstring. He quickly corrected this maneuver and landed some telling leg kicks of his own. The fight was Doucet's hands. He has them and they are quick and hard. Sending Walters to the canvas early, Doucet proved he deserved his purse. Walters suffered an injured shoulder as a result of Doucet assisted gravity and was unable to continue. I am sure Walters is a fine fighter and with a coach like Tommy Alcozer, I know he will be back. Doucet is trained by Vic Theriault and is hungry for the kind of fights that will lead to his shot at fame. Coming from a gym with the reputation of the Theriault boys, how can he go wrong? If you are looking for a young super heavyweight pro in above the waist fights I highly recommend Doucet. Tall, chiseled and a no nonsense fighting style, he would be an addition to any promoters card. Thank you Raoul for the honor of working your corner and give my best to Vic.

• Larry Sharpe and Kwame Stephens were made better fighters because Fred Fitzgerald was in the ring.
• As far as fights go, there were some really good ones.
• As far as venues go, this one was outstanding.
• As far as promoters go, David Smith is going to show us all how it is done.
• As far as experiences go, I met new friends, visited with old ones and shared time with them all in the greatest martial art on Earth.

Thank you all. It was an honor. Brooks...

For more info, contact Mr. David Smith by e-mail at david@eagleacademy.com. For more event info go to www.FightFest2002.com

Vierra's Set To ROCK
At Rodeo Nights!
Phoenix, Arizona, USA

IKF Promoters Clement and Rhonda Vierra (Trainers of IKF Pro World Champion Anthony Bartanalli with them at left) are ready to bring more Kickboxing action to Phoenix Arizona. The Vierra's next event will be tonight, November 5th at the Rodeo Nights night club in Phoenix.

The main event will feature Christopher Terry of Phoenix, Arizona, USA (8-3/5, 171, 6'3") facing off against Rick Tybor while the semi main event will feature Oscar Montano against Naeem Munir. Both are non title bouts.

Montano is the 2002 IKF USA National Amateur International Rules Middleweight Champion. at the 2002 Nationals Montano of Surprise, Arizona, USA (6-4/2, 174, 6'3") first defeated Mike Morello of Santa Barbara, California, USA in round one on Saturday by unanimous decision, 29-28, 29-28 & 29-28. In round 2 on Sunday, Montana defeated Jeff Barney of Grand Junction, Colorado, USA by unanimous decision, 30-27 on all 3 judges cards.

For more event info, please contact the Vierra's at (602) 493-1567 or e-mail by clicking e-mail. For more info, see the upcoming Events page by clicking HERE.

Stewart Moves Forward with
"BRAWL FOR IT ALL"
Event, November 8th in Butler, Pennsylvania, USA

IKF Pro Champion and event promoter Jimmy Stewart (Right) had planned on having his shot at an IKF World Title by now. However, some problems with his opponents trainer/manager attaining their necessary travel Visa's to make it from Omsk Siberia Russia to the USA forced a cancelation of the bout. (See full story on October 17th, 2002)

Because of the circumstances surrounding the Visa's, the current IKF Pro FCR Super Welterweight World Champion Vladimir Avtamonov's World Title is now under review. A decision on whether he will be allowed to keep the title will be made by the 18th of this month.

After the decision is made, Stewart will find out if he will be scheduled to meet Avtamonov or another top contender such as IKF Super Welterweight U.S. Champion Jim Zbilski of Lake In The Hills, Illinois, USA or IKF Welterweight U.S. Champion Erik Marshall of Bradenton, Florida, USA.

So instead of an IKF World Title bout, Stewart and his promotional staff elected to continue forward with a planned event that won't have the excitement of a Pro World Title but will have the excitement of Stewart Promotions Kickboxing on it. Stewart will instead face off against Terry Johnson of Dayton, Ohio in a non title pro "Boxing" bout November 8th event at the Days Inn in Butler, Pennsylvania, USA.

For more event info, see the Stewart Promotions event page by clicking HERE. For more info on the event, contact Mr. Travis Squyres at (412) 623-3980 or by E-Mail at shaolinkungfu101@hotmail.com.

To contact Stewart Center Boxing directly call (724) 284-3725 or see their website at www.stewartcenterkickboxing.com

TEAM Z Promotions Presents
BATTLE OF THE CHAMPIONS
American Sports Center, Crystal Lake Illinois, USA

IKF Promoter Rob Zbilski of Lake In The Hills Illinois, USA and his Team Z Promotional Team are all set to host
"BATTLE OF THE CHAMPIONS"
at the American Sports Center in Crystal Lake Illinois, USA, November 9th.

The event will feature fighters from Canada and USA battling it out in their
IKF TEAM USA Vs IKF TEAM CANADA.

Two of the nights featured fighters will be undefeated Pro fighter Kyle McElroy (Left) who is also a former 2 Time IKF USA National Champion (22000 & 2001). Also on the card will be IKF Pro U. S. Super Lightweight Champion Tommy Bach (Right). The two will be fighting in non title feature bouts on the night.

For more info on this event please contact Mr. Rob Zbilski (847) 458-8333 or by e-mail at teamz@3di.net. For more info see the upcoming events page by clicking HERE.

FRIDAY, November 1st, 2002, AT 11:50 AM, PT

"Jungle Wars SIX"
IKF Promoter Morris Young Features 2 IKF Title Belts.

NOVEMBER 3rd, 2002, Northampton, England
IKF promoter Morris Young is all set to "Bring It ON" this coming Sunday night, November 3rd in Northampton, England. Young will feature 2 IKF title bouts on his event, "Jungle Wars SIX".

One of the titles will be for the vacant IKF Super Welterweight British Full Contact Rules title between Greg Mead and Darren Forrest. The other will be the quest for the vacant IKF Light Welterweight English Full Contact Rules title between Mohammid Atik and Rob Horton. For more information about this event please contact Mr. Morris Young in England at 01604 475 488 or by e-mail at HQ@fbis.co.uk. For more info, see the Upcoming Events Page by clicking HERE.

MORE NEWS OF 11-1-02

Salt Lake City's Reynaud's
Ready For More Kickboxing Action!

IKF Promoter Griffin Reynaud is gearing up for another night of amateur kickboxing in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA next week. His next event will be on Monday night at "AEXS" at 105 South 500 West in Salt Lake City. Reynaud has several other bouts planned over the next 2 weeks. He has another event planned the night after this one on Tuesday night, November 5th at CLUB 90.

For more info contact Mr. Griffin Reynaud directly at (801) 273-0772 or by e-mail at griffin@utah-inter-net. For more info on this event and other upcoming events by Reynaud's KO Promotions, see the Upcoming Events Page by clicking HERE.

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MORE NEWS OF 11-1-02

Halmstad's Response To McCall
Proves He's A CLASS ACT!

Yesterday we reported of the tragedy of Nikki Truett, the fiance of the registered North American Contender Walter "Peewee" McCall. (Please see story below from yesterday, October 31st). Due to the tragedy, McCall was forced to drop out of the 2002 IKF North American Amateur Championships leaving contender Neil Halmstad of Minnesota without an opponent in his weightclass (Super Welterweight). The following is an e-mail response from Mr. Halmstad which we feel was a VERY CLASS ACT under the tragic circumstances.

Mr. McCall
My family would like to extend prayers and sympathy to you and Nikki. I can only imagine the feeling of having someone that important in your life come into such a horrible incident. Hopefully now with rest and time the healing will begin.
If the situation where reversed I would also set aside everything to be with the one Love. That is more important than any fight no matter how big. When I received a call from Mr. Lassi I was unaware of the situation at hand. After reading the news on the IKF site it made things quit clear that you would not be able to compete. You have nothing to be sorry about, I completely understand. Please feel free to keep use updated on Nikki's condition. I'm sure at some point after all of this is behind you we would be able to have that fight.
God Bless
Neil Halmstad
Psalm 57 (1) Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.

NOTE: Today Mr. Halmstad was moved down to the Welterweight division where he and 3 other contenders will battle for the 2002 IKF North American Welterweight Title.

MORE NEWS OF 11-1-02

Changes In The Welterweight Division
For the North American Championships

• SATURDAY MORNING 3 ROUND PRELIM BOUT ORDER;
  
  
  1. Super Lightweight - 132.1 lbs. to 137 lbs.:
     • Cody Cook, Venus, TX, USA, 4-0/0 Vs Justin Pickett, North Augusta, GA, USA, 8-1/3.
       
       
  2. Welterweight - 142.1 lbs. to 147 lbs.:
     • Tommy Alcozer, Jr., Plainview, TX, USA, 49-8/10, Vs Jarett "JP" Perelmutter, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA, AKB: 3-0/2.
       
       
  3. Welterweight - 142.1 lbs. to 147 lbs.:
     • Joe Surack, Kokomo, IN, USA, 8-2/4 Vs Neil Halmstad Wrenshall, Minnesota, USA, 10-5/0
       
       
  4. Light Cruiserweight - 179.1 lbs to 186 lbs.:
     • Stephen Thompson, Simpsonville, SC, USA, 23-0/13 Vs John Scanlon, Chicago, IL, USA, 3-2/1
       
       
  5. Cruiserweight - 186.1 lbs to 195 lbs.:
     • Adrian Turpin, Anderson, GA, USA, 6-6/0 Vs Andy Foster, Dalton, GA, USA, 0-2/0
       
       
• SATURDAY NIGHT FINALS - All 5 Round Bouts.
  
  
  • 7:00 PM: 2002 IKF North American Amateur Championship Title Bouts Begin.
    
    
  • ALL TITLE FIGHTERS MUST BE READY TO FIGHT. ALL "TITLE" FIGHTERS MUST REMAIN ON PREMISES until their bout is over.
    
    
  1. Lightweight - 128.1 lbs. to 132 lbs.:
     • Brent Hess,Alexandria, VA, USA, 5-0/2 Vs Joseph Balkis, Robbins, IL, USA, 9-7/4.
       
       
  2. Light Welterweight - 137.1 lbs. to 142 lbs.:
     • Doyle Gayler, Kaufman, TX, USA, 36-5/25 Vs Omar Ballard Columbus, MS, USA, 9-1/5.
       
       
  3. Light Middleweight - 153.1 lbs to 159 lbs.:
     • Anthony McGaughey, Norman, OK, USA, 20-0-1/14 Vs Shaun Gay Valdosta, GA, USA, 3-6/3.
       
       
  4. Middleweight - 159.1 lbs to 165 lbs.:
     • Peyton Russell, Minneapolis, MN, USA, 26-4/6 Vs Shannon Hudson, Greer, SC, USA, 9-5/4.
       
       
  5. Heavyweight - 195.1 lbs. to 215 lbs.:
     • Dan Erickson,Cable, WI, USA, 19-0 Vs Mike Marinoble, Fair Oaks, CA, USA, 8-2/4.
       
       
  6. Super Lightweight - 132.1 lbs. to 137 lbs.:
     • Robert Elledge, Roseville, CA, 10-0/3 Vs Winner of Morning Prelim Bout 1.
       
       
  7. Welterweight - 142.1 lbs. to 147 lbs.:
     • The Winner Of Morning bout 2 will fight the Winner of Morning bout 3.
       
       
  8. Light Cruiserweight - 179.1 lbs to 186 lbs:
     • Bill Jardine, Mondovi, WI, USA, 7-0/0 Vs Winner of Morning Prelim Bout number 4.
       
       
  9. Cruiserweight - 186.1 lbs to 195 lbs.:
     • Adam Sylvia, Alexandria, VA, USA, 11-0/8 Vs Winner of Morning Prelim Bout number 4.
       
       

For more info, please Contact: Upstate Karate, Inc. Ray, Gloria Thompson or Rebecca Preacher at (864) 967-3930, Cell (864) 505-4237, e-mail- tetsushin2@aol.com.

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