Fight Report

Here’s a nice KO from an event in Japan in 2002. Haruaki Otsuki stopped Hiromasa Masuda with a quick left-right followed by a nasty kick to the face. Otsuki kicked Masuda hard he injured himself and was unable to continue in the tournament.

For the first time in K1 history, a fighter has earned the title of GP Champ via disqualification.

Remy Bonjasky met Badr Hari in the finals after both men battled through two previous bouts. Bonjasky was getting the better of Hari and scored an early knockdown. Hari grew frustrated and after a striking exchange that tangled the fighters, Bonjaski fell to the floor on his back. The referee intervened to let Remy get back up but Hari snapped. He threw two punches to a downed Remy and managed to land one foot stomp before the ref pulled him off.

After a some time with the doctors, it was deemed that Remy could not continue so Hari was DQd.

Manhoef scores a nice KO at the K1 Grand Prix

Although not in the tournament, Melvin Manhoef still scored a sweet KO over Paul Slowinski. Manhoef landed a fierce left hook that sat Slowinski down.

Quick thoughts on the tourney:
Aerts is too old. He just could not get off the way he used to.
Hari is a bad man.
Zimmerman has a lot of potential, he may win won of these yet.

Remy just kicked Saki in the back. Hari-Bonjasky up next and it should be good.

Fight #1 – Mighty Mo vs Kyoung-Suk Kim

Not much of a fight. Both guys threw wild punches until Mo landed a lead left hook that knocked Kim down. It didn’t look like the punch landed that hard but Kim didn’t want to be in there in the first place.

Winner: Might Mo by KO (punch) in rd 1

Fight #2 – Jan “The Giant” Nortje vs Julius “Towering Inferno” Long

Nortje landed some good leg kicks in round one. Long began to check some of the kicks and countered with some overhand lefts that shook Nortje. At the end of the round Long, limped back to his corner.

In the second round Long came out throwing left and right hooks trying for a KO while Nortje destroyed his legs with kicks. Moments later Nortje sent Long down twice from leg kicks and he was unable to get up after the second knock down.

Winner: Jan “The Giant” Nortje by KO (leg kicks) in rd 2

Fight #3 – Gary Goodridge vs Patrick Barry

Goodridge and his exotic looking girlfriend enter to Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’. After brief introductions the fight starts.

Barry landed a series of leg kicks that sent Goodridge down a couple of times. He then connected with a nice left high kick that rocked Goodridge. Barry wailed away at Gary for awhile then backed off once Goodridge recovered. As Goodridge moved forward, the ref halted the action, took Goodridge over to the Dr. and then stopped the fight. I am guessing a cut opened up that I did not see.

Winner: Patrick Barry by TKO (Doctor’s stoppage) in rd 1

Fight #4 – Aleksandr Pichkunov vs Tatsufumi Tomihira

Rd 1 – Fight starts with both guys exchanging leg kicks. Pichkunov then stuns Tomihira with a right-left-uppercut combo. He follows up with a left knee to the head and a quick flurry that sent Tomihira down. Tomihira got up and finished the round.

Rd 2 – Pichkunov hurt Tomihira several times drawing cheers from the crowd. He stuck to throwing mostly punches but mixed in a kick or a knee occassionaly.

Rd 3 – Tomihira came out with a little more fire but Pichkunov quickly extinguished it by countering the attack. Finally a pair of straight lefts sent Tomihira down for good.

Winner: Aleksandr Pichkunov by TKO (punch) in rd 3

Fight #5 – Junichi Sawayashiki vs Randy Kim

Rd 1 – Both guys were very cautious to start the fight. The crowd started booing with about 30 seconds left and finally the fighters began to mix it up. Sawayashiki landed a nice left kick to Kim’s face that won him the round.

Rd 2 – The action picked up in this round. Sawayashiki’s execution of strikes was much crisper than Kim’s. Sawayashiki throws only when he’s in position. Kim flailed with many of his kicks and punches and constantly found himself vulnerable. Late in the round his sloppy technique caught up with him as Sawayashiki connected with a series of punches. The blows caused Kim to turn his back and the referee intervened with a count. Kim had had enough and the fight was called.

Winner: Junichi Sawayashiki by TKO (punches) in rd 2

Fight #6 – Mighty Mo vs Jan “The Giant” Nortje

Rd 1 – Both guys began with hard leg kicks. Nortje checked a solid kick with his shin and came out limping. Mo saw this, jumped on him and landed a combo that sent Nortje down. Replays showed their feet were tangled.

Rd 2 – Mo circled Nortje and only came in to throw single shots. Eventually he backed the big man into a corner and unloaded a punch. Nortje waved him on, and Mo kindly obliged by knocking him out with a powerful right hand. Nortje fell face first to the canvas and the ref immediately stopped the fight.

Winner: Mighty My by KO (punch) in rd 2

Fight #7 – Patrick Barry vs Aleksandr Pichkunov

Early, Barry attacked with low kicks while Pichkunov focused on punching. In the second Pichkunov threw an amazing kick that came from about 12 O’Clock. It was delivered at more of a side angle making it look like his knee was detachable. The blow knocked Barry down but he got up and finished the round. In the third, Pichkunov knocked Barry down from a leg check.

Winner: Aleksandr Pichkunov by Unanimous Decision

Fight #8 – Hong-Man Choi vs Mike Malone

Rd 1 – The size difference is staggering as Choi totally dwarfes Malone. When the fight starts, Malone wisely gets on his bicycle and engages as little as possible. Choi tires of chasing him and waves him in. During the exchanges Choi’s strategy is clear: throw knees that are already at his opponents waist. Choi scores two knockdowns in the first round, one with a knee the other with a left hook.

Rd 2 – The match turns into a freakshow. After each engagement, Malone runs away and mugs to the crowd as if he were one of the three stooges. More of the same until Choi knocks him down with a knee to the body. Malone is up and mugging again until he runs into a sweeping left hook from Choi. His must of rolled his ankle because the fight was called off after Malone got up limping.

Winner: Hong-Man Choi by TKO (ankle injury) in rd 2

Fight #9 – Remy Bonjasky vs Glaube Feitosa

Rd 1 – Good action in the first. Bonjasky stayed busy early by throwing lots of hard kicks. He also scored with a nice uppercut that split Feitosa’s gloves. Later his output waned a bit and Feitosa got his own blows in.

Rd 2 – Another close round in which both guys scored. The best strike came when Remy jumped up, grabbed the back of Feitosa’s head and delivered a knee directly to his face.

Rd 3 – Remy took this fight over in the third. He emptied his entire arsenal of kicks, knees and punches. Feitosa tried to return fire but he ate more than he dished out. Bonjasky closed the round out with a nice flurry punctuated by a right high kick.

Winner: Remy Bonjasky by Majority Decision 30-29, 30-29 and 29-29

Fight #10 – Badr Hari vs Yusuke Fujimoto

Hari opens with some sick kicks then delivers a left jab that drops Fujimoto. Fujimoto is up quickly and engages Hari against the ropes. After an exchange the fighters naturally break when all of a sudden Hari connects with a huge left kick to Fujimoto’s face, that knocks him out cold.

Winner: Badr Hari by KO (kick to the face) in rd 1

Fight #11 – Mighty Mo vs Aleksandr Pichkunov

Rd 1 – The pace is fast and furious. Early in the round, Pichkunov knocked Mo down with a spinning back kick that caught him high on the head. Mo seemed disoriented and the ringside Dr. briefly examined his head for cuts before letting him continue. Mo then trapped Pichkunov into a corner and dropped him with a nice combination. Pichkunov got up but was sent down later in the round by body shots from Mo. Mo closed the round by wailing away at Pichkunov’s midsection.

Rd 2 – Pichkunov was able to keep the fight in the center of the ring more frequently in this round. Mo was battering his body whenever he’d lay on the ropes. The pace slowed a bit toward the end of the round, and the crowd began to chant ‘Migh-teey-Mo’ over and over. Mo closed the round with another nice body attack.

Rd 3 – Mo opened the final round with a vicious leg kick that practically crippled Pichkunov. Pichkunov got up but could barely walk so he had no choice but to lean against the ropes. From here it was merely target practice for Mo and he dropped Pichkunov with another combination. Pichkunov got up one more time but was stopped for good seconds later when Mo landed a right hand bomb to his jaw.

Winner: Mighty Mo by KO (punch) in rd 3

This is the Any Hug memorial show.

Fight #1 – Freddy Kemayo VS Hiromi Amada

Rd 1
It’s Kemayo’s leg kicks vs Amada’s head shots. Amada’s head shots are slightly more effective thus giving him the round.

rd 2
Kemayo started strong but Amada retaliated well. This fight is all offense as both guys are going for the knockout. Amada is now mixing in some excellent body work. He won this round by a larger margin than the first.

rd 3
They are both BANGING and mixing up their attacks well. Kemayo is now taking control with some excellent low kicks. He’s winning this round big, I;m not sure what is keeping Amada up. Round to Kemayo.

Winner: Hiromi Amada by judges decision.

Fight #2 – Bjorn Bregy VS Tsuyoshi Nakasako

Bregy much bigger. Both guys are throwing low kicks, Finally Bregy lands a grazing front kick that wobbles Nak, he doesn’t go down but the ref gives him a count. Shorty after Bregy gets him with a knee. Again he gets up and Bregy gives him another knee that sends him down for good.

Winner: Bjorn Bregy by TKO (Knee) in rd 1

Fight #3 – Poul Slowinski VS Tatsufumi Tomihira

Slowinski’s low kicks are immediately a factor as he knocks down Tomihira in the opening seconds of the fight. Slowinski is also showing good defense as he is absorbing most of the blows on his gloves. Finally near the end of round 1 Tomihira lands a good left hook that stuns Poul and opens a cut over his eye. Ref has the Doc look at it and then the fight continues.

Rd 2
More effective leg kicks by Slowinski and more decent punches by Tomihira. Slowinski is still getting the better of the action and takes the second round.

rd 3
Finally the brutal leg kicks Slowinski has been throwing are taking their toll. Tomihira can barely walk. A few more and the fight is over.

Winner: Poul Slowinski by judges decision.

Fight #4 – Yusuke Fujimoto VS Bobby Ologun

Rd 1
Ologun seems freaked out. He clearly does not want to fight on the outside as he keeps charging Fujimoto and wrestling with him. Fujimoto remains calm and waits for the ref to break them so he can throw. Finally the ref takes a point from Ologis for excessive holding. They resume and Fujimoto connects with a BIG right that sends Ologus flying across the ring. Ologun is up and acting like he didn’t get knocked down. Ologun continues to wrestle to the end of the round.

Rd 2
Ologun is still panicking and trying to wrestle. He loads up on one big punch and if he misses he simply grapples with Fujimoto. Ologun needs to switch to MMA, standup fighting is not for him. 30 seconds left in the round he brutally throws Fujimoto down and the ref takes another point away. This is possibly one of the sloppiest kickboxing matches I’ve seen.

Rd 3
More horrid grappling with an occassional punch landed by Fujimoto. Another body slam by Ologun costs him a third point in as many rounds. Fujimoto has had enough so he body slams Ologuden back and the ref takes a point from him. Finally the bell rings, thank god this atrocious fight is over.

Winner: Yusuke Fujimoto by judges decision

Fight #5 – Peter Aerts VS Gary Goodridge

Rd 1
Aerts comes in wearing shin guards. He begins throwing effective low kicks. Gary counters with a right, Aerts takes it well. Aerts is now mixing up his attack, going high to Goodridge’s head and low to his legs. Gary is taking a beating. A big head kick rocks him in the corner, somehow he weathers the storm. Back in the cneter of the ring Aerts lands another head kick Gary is wobbled. but still coming forward. Big round for Aerts.

Rd 2
More low kicks from Aerts but again Gary continues to plod forward looking to land a bomb. Finally he begins to work Aerts body. Another high kick from Aerts stuns Gary but amazingly he weathers the storm. Another round to Aerts.

Rd 3
They continue to trade, Aerts with some excellent kicks while Gary is siwinging for the fences. Aerts is showing good movemement getting in and out, Goodridge finally lands a good blow but it’s too little too late. Round to Aerts.

Winner: Peter Aerts by judges decision

Fight #6 – Remy Bonjasky vs Mighty Mo

Rd1
Bonjasky comes in to a classic Ennio Morricone tune (He scored Sergio Leone’s spaghettie Westerns). They touch gloves and start trading. Mo stalking Remy and Remy getting in and out with strikes and kicks. Remy’s landing a little of everything, low kicks, mid-section kicks and knees in the clinch. He covers up well when Mo runs in and flurries. Big round for Remy.

Rd 2
Remy starts cautiously, Mo senses this and charges and flurries. He lands a good hook and this seems to wake Remy up as he begins to kick the crap out of Mo’s legs. Remy is peppering Mo with blows, including a switch kick and a knee. Mo is hurting and checking much more now. This of course limits his offense. Another big round for Remy.

Rd 3
Mo closes the distance but now that he’s in close he gets to eat knees instead od kicks. Remy is relentless as he continues to pound away at Mo’s body with kicks. Remy is taking more chances going for a big head kick but nothing lands squarely. Mo survives the round.

Winner: Remy Bonjasky by judges decision

Fight #7 – Hong-Man Choi VS Akebono

Time for the freakshow match. Both guys are moving in slow motion. Choi is the pursuer, Akebono is the pursuee. Choi at least has some resemblence of someone who’s been taught some basic fundamentals. His best work in the round came when he landed a knee to Akebono’s massive gut that knocked the big guy down. Later he attempted a jumping knee that was partially blocked. Round to Choi

Rd 2
Akebono coming out more aggressively, he is actually throwing some hard punches. Choi has enough of this and lands a few punches of his own which sends Akebono into retreat mode again. Finally a big flurry and Akebono hits the deck. More because he doesn’t like getting hit in the face than because he was buzzed.

Winner: Hung-Man Choi by KO in rd 2

Fight #8 – Glaube Feitosa VS Musashi

Fight starts with Feitosa stalking Musashi. Feitosa is busier throwing more strikes than Musashi. He is also mixing his attack throwing in a side kick and an ax kick in the opening round. Musashi is throwing back but Feitosa is controlling the action. Round to Feitosa.

Rd 2
Musashi is having a better round by countering Feitosa especially with good inside low kicks. Feitosa is still getting off first but he is getting caught with some shots. Halfway through the round Feitosa is trying to reassert dominance by putting even more pressure on Musashi. It works but Musashi did enough to take the round.

Rd 3
Both guys are going for it. They are trading punches kicks and knees, finally Feitosa staggers Musashi with a ard punch. He goes in for the kill and lands a brutal comboination but cannot finish Musashi. Musashi eventually weathers the storm and knows he needs to land something big. He concentrates entirely on offense and BAM! He gets caught with a huge right hand that sends him down with less than 10 seconds left. He beats the count but loses the decision.

Winner: Glaube Feitosa by judges decision.

By Monty DiPietro

AMSTERDAM, May 13, 2006 — Swiss karate stylist Bjorn Bregy scored three KO victories to win the Event Tournament; while American fighter Bob Sapp went AWOL from his Superfight with Ernesto Hoost at tonight’s K-1 Europe Grand Prix ’06.

If K-1′s soul resides in Japan, then its heart beats in Holland — Dutch fighters have won the annual K-1 WGP Final an astounding ten times in the sport’s thirteen-year history. The Dutch fans are also extraordinary — some 20,000 filled the Amsterdam Arena tonight to set an all-time international attendance record for K-1.

The Main Event Superfight was supposed to be a showdown between Ernesto Hoost and Bob Sapp. Much-anticipated round the world, the fight was a matter of pride for K-1 fans in Holland.

A cool, technical style earned veteran Hoost the nickname ‘Mr. Perfect,’ while expert kick and punch attacks earned him an unequalled four K-1 WGP Championships. But Hoost has a nemesis in Sapp — the American NFLer-turned K-1 fighter who upset Hoost in their two meetings. On the occasion of his last fight in Holland, Hoost wanted very much to exact revenge.

But in an incredible sequence of events, Sapp disappeared from the Amsterdam Arena just moments before he was scheduled to fight. Only Sapp himself can provide the full story of what precipitated the terse statement from ring announcer Roland Wustenberg: ‘We are sorry to announce that Bob Sapp has left the arena. Simon Ritz Promotions did everything they could to keep him here, but he ran away from the fight.’

The Dutch audience seemed accustomed to last-minute cancellations — jeers quickly turned to cheers when it was announced that the resourceful organizers had persuaded Peter Aerts to step in as a last-minute substitute.

Wearing a baggy pair of trunks borrowed from Semmy Schilt (perhaps a right Aerts earned by beating Schilt in Auckland earlier this year?), Aerts performed surprisingly well for someone who had come to the event expecting to do television commentary. Hoost and Aerts put on a friendly, sparring out a decent consolation prize in lieu of the Hoost/Sapp showdown that was not to be. Both challenged with power, their crisp attack and defense techniques compensating for an understandable lack of killer instinct. The dance went three rounds and the judges liked Hoost, but both fighters got a warm response from the crowd.

Said Aerts: ‘I’d just finished eating when they told me Bob was gone and asked if I’d fight. It was a risk, Ernesto might have knocked me out, but it’s always a risk so I decided to go in for K-1, although my wife wasn’t very happy about it!’

‘I have mixed feelings,’ said Hoost afterward. ‘I am very sad Sapp didn’t come into the ring, but I’m happy Peter stepped up at the last minute. Because he didn’t have a chance to train properly, I’d like to offer him a rematch later this year, of course, if he isn’t fighting in the Tokyo Dome Final again.’

In the second Superfight, K-1 World GP ’03 and ’04 Champion Remy Bonjasky of Holland went up against Jerome LeBanner, a French powerhouse oft-cited as the best K-1 fighter never to win the World GP.

This started quickly, Bonjasky flying in with a knee, LeBanner brusquely swatting him away. Both men worked the low kicks in the first, Bonjasky tried some fancy stuff but LeBanner wasn’t going to let him through. Again in the second the Frenchman blocked Bonjasky’s high kicks well, and got in the work the fists, but could not sustain pressure. The third was the best of the bout, the fighters trading blows and clashing frequently and violently. LeBanner connected with punch combinations, Bonjasky characteristically more jazzy, with legwork. The call was a slim majority decision in favor of Bonjasky, who took center-ring to appealed to the audience to support relief efforts for his country of birth, Suriname, where 22,000 people have lost their homes in recent flooding. (Donations can be made through the Red Cross.) Bonjasky had problems of his own, he left for the hospital soon afterward to have his injured left ankle examined.
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