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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2008
11/8/08
Aloha
State Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)
7/26/08
Maui Jiu-Jitsu BJJ Tournament
(BJJ)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
6/27-29/08
OTM Pacific Submission Tournament
(Blaisdell Convention Center)
MMA Expo
(Blaisdell Convention Center)
6/14/08
EliteXC
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, HI)
6/5-8/08
World Jiu-Jitsu Championsihps
(BJJ)
(California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, California)
6/1/08
Hawaiian
Open of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)
5/25/08
Man Up Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
5/16/08
X-1: Legends
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, HI)
5/9/08
Man Up Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
Hawaii Fighting Championships 9
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballrooms)
5/3/08
Full Force 4
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
5/2/08
Heart-of-a-Cage-Fighter
(Kauai
Veterans Center, Lihue, Kauai)
4/25/08
Punishment
in Paradise
(Kickboxing)
(Farrington High School)
4/18/08
Local Pride
Friday, April 18, 2008
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
4/12/08
Man Up &Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
4/6/08
GrappleFest: Submission
Sundays
(Submission Grappling)
(Hawaii Room, Neal Blaisdell Center)
3/29/08
Garden Island Cage Match 7
(MMA)
(Hanapepe Stadium, Hanapepe, Kauai)
Hawaii Fighting Championships 8
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial)
3/28-30/08
Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship
(BJJ)
(Californina State University, Dominguez Hills, CA)
Registration ends 3/22/08
3/16/08
Sera's Kajukenbo Open Tournament
(Continuous
Sparring, MMA, Submission Grappling)
(Maui High School Gym, Kahului, Maui)
Icon Fitness Gym Tournament
(Submission Wrestling)
(Icon Fitness Gym)
3/15/08
Icon Sport
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
3/9/08
2008 Pacific Invitational BJJ Tournament
(BJJ )
(Hibiscus Room, Ala Moana Hotel, Honolulu)
3/7/08
Got Skillz Fighter
(Kickboxing/MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
3/1/08
USA-Boxing
Hawaii, Palolo B.C. & Kawano B.C. Presents Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park)
2/29/08
X-1 at the O-Lounge
Fight Club Meets Nightclub 4
(MMA)
(O-Lounge, Honolulu)
2/24/08
Icon Grappling Tournament
(Sub Grappling)
(Icon Gym)
2/17/08
Hawaiian
Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)
2/15/07
Midwest Invasion: Team Indiana vs. Team Hawaii
(MMA)
(Coyotes Night Club, 935 Dillingham Blvd, Kalihi)
2/8/08
Hawaii Fighting Championships 7
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
2/2/08
Man up and Stand up
(Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery
Ballroom)
1/26/08
X1 World
Events: Champions
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
1/20/08
Big
Island Open Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
(Konawaena High School)
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(POSTPONED)
1/19/08
UFC 80: Rapid Fire
(BJ Penn vs. Joe Stevenson)
Newcastle, England
1/12/08
Hawaii Fight League
Season 1, Event 2
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
|
|
April 2008 News
Part 3
|
Casca Grossa Jiu-Jitsu
is now the O2 Martial Arts Academy with 6 days a week training!
We are also offering Escrima (stick fighting) on Monday nights
with Ian Beltran and Kickboxing Tuesday and Thursday with Kaleo
Kwan!
Click
here for info!
Take classes from the Onzuka brothers in a family-like environment! |
In Memory of
Lars Chase
Rest in peace my brother
March 10, 1979 - April 2, 2008 |
Looking for a hotel
room on Oahu?
Check out this reasonably priced, quality hotel in Waikiki!
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& Icon Sport's Patrick Freitas |
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Onzuka.com
Hawaii Underground Forum is Online!
Chris, Mark,
and I wanted to start an official Onzuka.com forum for a while
now. We were searching for the best forum to go with and hit
a gold mine! We have known Kirik, who heads the largest and most
popular forum on the net, The Underground for years.
He
offered us our own forum within the matrix know as MMA.tv. The
three of us will be the moderators with of course FCTV808 being
the lead since he is on there all day anyway!
We
encourage everyone from Hawaii and our many readers around world
to contribute to the Hawaii Underground.
If you
do not have a login, it's simple and fast to get one.
Click here to set up an account.
Don't worry about using Pidgin English in the posting. After
all it is the Hawaii Underground and what is a Hawaii Underground
without some Aloha and some Pidgin?
To
go directly to the Onzuka.com Hawaii Underground Forum
click here!
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More than
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O2 Martial Arts
Academy Day Classes Start May 2!
Women & Kids Kickboxing Class starts May 4!
Click here
for pricing and more information!
O2MAA Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Day Classes will be held on Monday,
Wednesday, and Fridays from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm and will be taught
by one of Relson Gracie's first black belts, Sam Mahi!
We will be starting a Womens and Kids kickboxing class on Sunday
afternoons from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm. The class will be taught
by none other than O2's Kaleo Kwan! It will be a non-competitive,
fun atmosphere and allow the ladies and kids to get in a quick
workout and learn some legitimate kickboxing technique before
the long work week starts.
|
Want
to Contact Us? Shoot us an email by Clicking Here!
Quote
of the Day
“The
talent for being happy is appreciating and liking what you have,
instead of what you don't have.”
Woody Allen, American Film Director/Writer/Comedian
|
Franklin
a favorite with Montreal crowd
MONTREAL
– Rich Franklin wasn’t sure what sort of reaction he’d
get from the fans at the Bell Centre on Saturday night. By and
large, the festive sellout crowd got behind Canadian fighters
and rooted against Americans.
“I
stood behind the curtain and I had my fingers crossed,”
Franklin said. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to get
booed or not.”
Turns
out he had nothing to worry about. The popular former UFC middleweight
champion got a thunderous ovation, second on the evening only
to hometown hero Georges St. Pierre, as he entered the octagon
to face Travis Lutter.
“It
was crazy out there,” Franklin said. “There was this
one guy who had my right hand and wouldn’t let go, security
had to do this karate thing to get him off me.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Franklin
justified the crowd’s enthusiasm by giving the sort of workmanlike
effort that made him a UFC fan favorite. The 33-year-old from
Cincinnati took all Lutter had to offer and dished out a second-round
beatdown to win via TKO.
Lutter
looked strong for much of the first round, getting Franklin into
an armbar and nearly working it into perfect position. But Franklin
managed to get to his feet and escape.
“I
could stay on the bottom and not expend a lot of energy and hope
to ride out the rest of the round, but that’s not my style,”
he said.
By
the second, Franklin was able to dictate the pace and wear Lutter
down, which Franklin said was in the game plan.
“We
looked at a lot of tape on Lutter,” Franklin said. “I
was banking on the fact my conditioning was better. He had given
me the best he could offer and came up short. From that point
on he started to slow down and my pace stayed the same.”
After
the convincing victory, Franklin was asked what he would like
to do next, considering he’s already lost twice to the current
middleweight champion, Anderson Silva.
“This
is my first fight after a loss,” Franklin said. “My
plan for the future is another fight and another win. I would
love to make my way back to the middleweight title, but right
now I have to look at the first 200 feet in front of me.”
Michael
in the middle
Michael
Bisping looked like a brand-new fighter in his victory over Charles
McCarthy. The light heavyweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter
was a smaller-sized 205-pounder who did not cut much weight,
and he largely got outmuscled in his controversial win over Matt
Hamill in September and his split-decision loss to Rashad Evans
in November.
But
a fit, energetic Bisping took it to McCarthy and never slowed
down, earning the win when McCarthy could not continue at the
end of the first round.
Bisping
had long resisted the move down to 185, but in hindsight, he
sees it as the right move.
“Early
in my career I used to destroy guys,” Bisping said. “Then
the level of competition got tougher and I was just kind of lazy.
“I
always knew it never would be an easy thing (dropping to 185),
but I was a bit stubborn. I would get lazy, eat a slice of pizza.
I’m proud of what I achieved at light heavyweight. But I’m
excited about what I can accomplish at middleweight.”
Kalib
Starnes, track star
One
of the biggest topics of discussion at the post-fight news conference
was Kalib Starnes’ game plan, or lack thereof, against Nate
Quarry. The Surrey, B.C., native backpedaled in circles for the
better part of 15 minutes in losing a unanimous decision. One
of the judges was so unimpressed with Starnes’ performance
that he scored the fight 30-24 in favor of Quarry. The other
scores were 30-26 and 30-27.
“When
I was making my comeback, I asked for Starnes as my opponent
for my comeback fight,” said Quarry, who missed more than
a year due to back surgery before beating Pete Sell in September.
“And they refused to take it, said I wasn’t worthy.
So then he comes out and he doesn’t fight.”
The
Bell Centre crowd of 21,390, which passionately cheered the action
for the bulk of the night, turned on the match as Starnes did
his Michael Johnson impersonation, at one point chanting “boring.”
Eventually, though, the crowd recognized Quarry was at least
attempting to engage.
Quarry
let out his frustrations at the end of the fight by high-stepping
toward Starnes as Starnes ran, then followed by taunting his
opponent, drawing gales of laughter from the audience.
“I
loved the crowd,” Quarry said. “They were going to
side with whoever showed a warrior’s heart and not just
cheer guys because of what country they’re from.”
Perhaps
ominously for Starnes’ future, his boss wasn’t impressed.
“It
takes two guys to fight,” UFC president Dana White said.
“Nate Quarry was the only person who showed up to fight.
If you’re fighting in your home country, I’d rather
fight and get knocked out than run in circles for 15 minutes.”
TUF
enough
Ultimate
Fighter 6 winner Mac Danzig won a grueling battle over Mark Bocek,
opening up a gruesome cut over Bocek’s left eye before the
fight was stopped late in the third round.
It
was Danzig’s first match since winning the welterweight
Ultimate Fighter 6. Danzig, who now fights at lightweight, was
asked about the “TUF” tag.
“For
whatever reason, people tend to discount the people on the show,”
Danzig said. “(TUF 5 winner) Nate Diaz is doing really good
and showing the guys from the show are not to be taken lightly.
It shows how this (TUF) is an opportunity. It’s good to
shut people up, but some people will never will shut up (no matter
what).”
Bonus
babies
With
a gate of more than $5 million, the UFC was generous in handing
out bonuses, giving $75,000 to each of the evening’s standout
performances. Local favorite Jonathan Goulet and Kunyioshi Hironaka
took fight of the night honors for Goulet’s second-round
TKO win in the opener of the 11-fight card; Jason MacDonald got
KO of the night for his flurry of elbows which took out Joe Doerksen;
and Demian Maia took submission of the night honors for his leg
triangle against Ed Herman.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
What
would happen if Silva faced Jones?
What
would happen if you matched up a mixed martial artist and a boxer?
The recent talk of an Anderson Silva-Roy Jones Jr. boxing match
has revived an old question.
It
was actually Silva, the UFC middleweight champion and top ranked
pound-for-pound fighter, who came up with the idea of fighting
Jones, one of his idols, under Jones’ rules. Jones, the
former top pound-for-pound boxer, was up for the challenge, even
talking about it on an HBO boxing broadcast last weekend.
And
why wouldn’t he be? Under boxing rules, Jones would be a
prohibitive favorite. It’s a fight that would garner far
more interest than a past-his-prime Jones bout at this point
could with an opponent who, based on Silva’s 1-1 pro boxing
record record, would appear to pose less of a threat.
Why
Silva, with far more to risk by going into someone else’s
game, would ask for this fight is a bigger question.
Ed
Soares, the Brazilian Silva’s interpreter, claimed Silva
and his boxing coaches believe that with five months of intense
boxing training, he could be competitive. Silva, arguably the
best striker in MMA, gets tired of hearing about how mixed martial
artists lack the skills with their fists that boxers have. But
the key to Silva’s striking skills is a multi-pronged attack
of knees from the clinch, and kicks, as well as the punches.
Jones
has made it clear doesn’t have the background to do MMA,
Muay Thai, or even kickboxing. Under any of those scenarios,
Silva would be a huge favorite.
Longshot
The
fight isn’t going to happen any time soon. Silva has an
exclusive contract with UFC, and it’s really a no-brainer
for UFC president Dana White to not allow the match. Besides
the obvious of not wanting one of his top fighters to fight outside
the organization, it’s a clear case of the risk not being
worth the reward.
Even
if Silva is competitive, those defending boxing will note that
it’s UFC’s best striker against a boxer who is past
his prime. If Jones were to win, and by all rights he should,
to the general public, it would be viewed, even though it’s
a wrong perception, that even the best fighter in UFC is not
at the level of fighter as a name pro boxer.
On
the remote chance Silva could win, it’s not like he beat
the current widely recognized world champion. But for White and
UFC, it’s only the latter remote chance scenario that doesn’t
come across as a negative to the company in the eyes of the average
sports fan. The odds are strong this would be a setback for MMA
in general.
Anyone
who has followed both sports closely, or is involved in both
sports, will tell you the truth that the idea of the Superman
fighter was always a myth. But there is a generation that grew
up on the idea that the heavyweight boxing champ, from Joe Louis
to Mike Tyson, was the baddest man on the planet. But the truth
is, and always was, when you have top athletes from different
fighting disciplines competing, the outcome will largely be determined
based on who the rules favor.
“For
me, it’s a circus,” said Gary Shaw, who promotes both
sports. “I love boxing and I consider myself an expert in
boxing and I’m a lot newer to MMA, but there’s no way
any pure boxer can compete in MMA with someone with equal skills
in his sport as the boxer.”
At
the same point, a honed pure top-level boxer under his specific
rules is going to be far more skilled than even an MMA fighter
whose fists are his best weapon and even trains with boxers,
because it’s a different game.
MMA
gloves are smaller, so a mixed martial artist isn’t going
to have the defensive capabilities of blocking a boxer’s
punches. Stances are also different as the MMA fighter, even
if you see him win with punches standing, has to be able to constantly
defend takedowns and low kicks, which are not a consideration
in boxing.
But
in a fight, nothing is 100 percent certain. Years ago in Japan,
current UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage”
Jackson was offered up as a sacrificial lamb for kickboxer Cyril
Abidi under kickboxing rules.
Abidi
was well known in his sport, but not a top level guy. Jackson
overwhelmed Abidi early and knocked him out, and even won a decision
in a rematch. It is highly unlikely, but possible a boxer in
an MMA match could get in the right punch in an before a clinch
or takedown and do damage. It’s possible a boxer could fight
an MMA striker in a boxing match, perhaps come in overconfident
and get caught.
Shaw
said he would bet everything he owns on the MMA fighter if the
fight is held under MMA rules.
Shaw
did say he’d love to promote a name vs. name MMA vs. boxer
fight, but also felt the idea you could do huge business based
on getting the MMA fan base and boxing fan base both buying the
show may not be the case. He also said his ultimate goal for
his biggest MMA start, Kimbo Slice, was to first make him a name
in MMA, and then cross him over to boxing with the idea he’d
draw from both fan bases.
“As
a promoter, while I will always love boxing, for sure the MMA
fans will be interested (in a star vs. star mixed match),”
he said. “But I don’t think the boxing fans would be
as interested.”
War
of words
When
UFC started gaining popularity, the sport of boxing felt threatened,
which is a good thing, because the result has been the making
of more high-quality boxing matches the past few years.
It
was inevitable that challenges would be thrown between the two
sports, and the first verbal volley came from Floyd Mayweather
Jr., who ran down MMA while building up the Oscar De La Hoya
fight last year. The idea was probably as much to get press as
being serious. Since that period of time, Mayweather has teased
fighting MMA for Mark Cuban, which will probably never happen,
done pro wrestling, and even appeared as an MMA team owner and
got into an argument with MMA fighter Shonie Carter on BET’s
“Iron Ring,” claiming boxing was better because they
have to go 12 rounds instead of three to five.
White
tried to take advantage of the press by having his lightweight
champion at the time Sean Sherk, challenge Mayweather, which
went unanswered. Kermit Cintron, a top-level boxer who had a
good high school wrestling background, was interested in doing
an MMA match, but White felt Cintron was hardly Mayweather-level
as far as promoting a big fight as he had no fame outside the
boxing hardcore fan base.
Wayne
McCullough, a former WBC bantamweight champion in boxing, who
now trains with UFC fighter Martin Kampmann and does public relations
work for the company, said his feeling is neutral rules would
be kickboxing rules, because you eliminate the MMA fighters beat
weapon against a boxer, which is taking him down and working
for submissions.
“But
once you get hit with a knee, it’ll be over quick,”
he said.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
New
date set for Gilbert Melendez vs. Josh Thomson
Gilbert
Melendez (14-1) will defend his Strikeforce lightweight belt
against Josh Thomson (14-2) on Friday, June 27 in San Jose, California.
The
two Californians were originally scheduled to clash on the main
card of the hugely popular "Shamrock vs. Cung Le" event
on March 29 but Thomson withdrew in January because of a left
shoulder injury that required surgery. Now the two will headline
Strikeforce's next event, the appropriately titled "Melendez
vs. Thomson" at the HP Pavilion.
Melendez,
a product of the Cesar Gracie camp, has defeated the likes of
Tatsuya Kawajiri, Clay Guida and Rumina Sato and is currently
ranked #5 on MMAFighting.com's list of the top ten lightweights
in the world.
Thomson,
who trains with Team AKA in San Jose, compiled a 2-1 record with
the UFC and a 1-0 record with PRIDE Bushido.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Cro
Cop to face Jerome LeBanner at DREAM.4
MMA-ID,
a virtual community that sponsors Mirko Cro Cop, has confirmed
that the Croatian's next fight will be against French kickboxing
phenom Jerome LeBanner at DREAM.4 on June 16.
Rumors
of the bout have been swirling since a March 11 post on Cro Cop's
blog in which he stated there was "a possibility of facing
some good fighters from K-1 under MMA rules."
After
two lackluster performances in the UFC, Cro Cop headed back to
Japan and signed with the upstart DREAM, where it took him less
than a minute to dispatch of Tatsuya Mizuno in his first fight
with the promotion.
LeBanner
is only 3-1-1 in mixed martial arts competition but has amassed
a stellar 73-14 record in professional kickboxing. His most recent
fight was a KO loss in the K-1 World Grand Prix 2007 Final to
eventual champion Semmy Schilt.
The
two last fought in March of 1996, with Cro Cop scoring a decision
win.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Jacare
faces Ian Murphy at Dream 2
The
Dream organization today announced the wrestler Ian Murphy will
be the opponent to face Ronaldo Jacare at Dream 2, the event
to take place on the 29th, in Saitama, Japan. Initially the Brazilian
was quoted to face Frank Trigg, but the American thereafter denied
ever having signed a contract with the Japanese organization.
The
bout Jacare vs Murphy is part of the middleweight GP. Dream 2
has seven other bouts already defined. Check it out:
Middleweight
GP
Kazushi
Sakuraba vs Andrews Nakahara
Denis Kang vs Gegard Mousasi
Kiyoshi Tamura vs Masakatsu Funaki
Ronaldo Jacaré vs Ian Murphy
Magomed Sultanakhmadov vs Zelg Galesik
Yoon Dong Sik vs Shungo Oyama
Kin Taiei vs Ikuhisa Minowa
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Hendo:
‘Anderson was lucky’
Fighter looks to next fight
Despite
a devastating loss by submission in the second round, Dan Henderson
seems unconvinced as to the abilities of Anderson Silva. The
veteran wrestler, waiting to find out who his next opponent will
be and when he will be back fighting in the UFC, seems not to
have forgotten his defeat suffered at the hands of the Brazilian
at UFC 82, in March.
In
a recent interview with NBCSports.com, the fighter justified
his loss in a way that keeps with all the experience from his
11-year career as a professional MMA fighter and went off on
the fighter who defeated him. The “Spider”, who also
does not know when he will return to the octagon, is considered
by many to be the best pound for pound fighter in MMA currently.
My
body was feeling odd that night. I didn’t have the best
weight-cut the last day and a half. My body felt a little fatigued.
In the second round my body was real fatigued and I should have
had a takedown when I had him in the clinch. I’m a much
better fighter than him and more well-rounded. He caught me and
that’s the way it goes. I felt he was more lucky against
me,” said Hendo.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Xande
praises Brazilian fighters at FFF
At
the corner of the Brazilian fighters Vanessa Porto and Carina
Damm on the Fatal Femmes Fighting at Los Angeles, United States,
at April 3rd, the three times BJJ world champion Xande Ribeiro
gave total support to the athletes, that were well at the American
octagon with a good fight of Vanessa Porto and a great exhibition
of Carina Damm, that puts her as a big name for the title shot.
“I loved to be at the corner of two of the biggest Brazilian
fighters, I wanted to help with my best. I was screaming there
like a crazy guy, Vanessa dominated the fight, put the opponent
to the ground, but failed a little”, analyzed Xande, that
commented about the new gym with his brother Saulo, at San Diego,
California.
“The
gym is great, we have an interesting proposal, fighting for the
athlete’s profissionalization. It’s a great work, my
brother and I have an open mind, Jacaré went there, Lovato
too, we don’t have a ego competition, we’re there to
learn”, told the BJJ world champion, that is training the
UFC athlete Diego Sanchez and EliteXC’s and IFL’s Fabrício
Morango.
Source: Tatame
|
Demian
wants to grow at UFC
With
a great BJJ work on the UFC octagon, the Brazilian fighter Demian
Maia got his eight victory on his perfect card with only victories
and appeared as another strong name on the middleweight category.
This time, the victim of the strong triangle was the expert fighter
Ed Herman, that tapped after 2 minutes of the second round. “Everything
was just like I expected, but I think I did some thing wrong,
wanted to beat a lot, but everything was right in the”,
said Maia, that believes that needs to grow more on the UFC to
fight for the belt. “I believe that it’s not time for
the belt yet, I only have eight fights on MMA and the middleweight
champion is the best of the world… This fight will come
on the right time”, said the Brazilian athlete.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Overkill
and Inefficiency? An Inside Look at the CSAC - Part II
By Steve Kim (April 22, 2008)
Last Tuesday in Los Angeles, a Promoters and Stakeholders Informational
Meeting was held where promoters, managers, cornermen, and really
anybody, could come and discuss issues that pertain to the business
of boxing in the state of California.
At
this meeting, which was run by the executive officer of the California
State Athletic Commission, Armando Garcia, the agenda dealt with
such issues as the non-resident withholding tax for out-of-state
fighters and the lingering problem of unlicensed MMA shows that
are sprouting up all across the state.
The
majority of those in attendance seemed to be local MMA promoters
and owners of MMA gyms. Only two boxing promoters were in attendance,
Ed Holmes and Roy Englebrecht. As the floor was opened up by
Garcia, Englebrecht, who is perhaps the states most prolific
and respected club promoter, inquired about the, "staffing
of the office," in Sacramento. Englebrecht, like many other
promoters, had grown increasingly frustrated at the process in
which paperwork - which green lights the fighters to appear on
a show – is handled by the CSAC.
He
spoke of dialing up fax machines that had no transmissions and
he wondered why each fighter's medical paperwork needed to be
20 pages long. Garcia would respond by telling the small audience
that they had just, "hired another body in the office,"
and would be hiring an additional person soon. He also explained
that in the process of moving, their fax machines were out of
service. But Garcia would point out that, while they did admittedly,
"kill a lot of trees," by law, every single one of
those papers needed to be there for the weigh-ins and at the
fights for the ringside physician and paramedic in case of an
emergency.
As
a show is planned, each promoter must send in what is called
a 'Who's, who,' which means on a six-fight card, 12 Fight Fax
records of the boxers involved for approval, in addition to the
battery of medical examinations that a fighter must be cleared
on. Englebrecht wondered if there was a more streamlined process
in which to do this in the computer age.
As
these papers are sent to Sacramento - and they must receive all
the pages - if something is missing, 'Need' is put down. But
what irks many of the promoters is that when this occurs, or
when a red-flag is raised about a particular fighter, that original
paperwork, which is usually turned in weeks ahead of time by
most responsible promoters, is then returned in many instances
so late that a suitable replacement for that fighter or bout
cannot be found.
The
CSAC does not have an easy task. Under Garcia's reign, which
began in the middle of 2006, the state of California has averaged
around 180 shows (if you combine boxing and MMA), and if you
do the math on what we just talked about above, that's a lot
of paperwork to sift through. But a cadre of small promoters,
managers and matchmakers involved in the sport has their horror
stories of how they send Fed Ex'd documents that are signed off
on, only to be told weeks later they never arrived. Or what a
difficult process it is to transfer medical forms of one state
to another. Then there are interminably long delays, overall,
in getting out-of-state fighters licensed. It's clear that the
office of the CSAC is understaffed and underfunded.
But
on the flip side, you go to any small club show in California
and you'll see up to seven or eight inspectors working that event,
which is highly unusual. It's almost universally accepted within
the boxing community that for a club show, you need no more than
half of that to patrol the locker rooms and enforce the rules
of the commission. Our source within the Florida State Boxing
Commission says that for a club show, "You can get away
with four." And for a televised show, "Maybe five,
six tops."
Garcia
makes no bones about the amount of inspectors California regularly
employs. "Sometimes we have more than seven or eight,"
he admits, pointing out that the budget comes out of the support
fund." So I staff events based on the number of fighters
and so on and how much money I have to work with because I can't
go over budget. It's not like they gave me extra money for inspectors.
With that said, if you have, let's say, 10 fighters and you have
five fights, it’s a very small show. So knowing you have
10 fighters, you have potentially up to four people in each corner.
So let's say you have two people in each corner, not four; now
you have 20, no, you have 30 people and this is a very small
show. So now you have 30 people to oversee, that you are literally
responsible for, in maybe three, four dressing rooms or more.
"How
do you properly supervise those people without people working
that? When you also include the anti-doping process, you need
people for that. I'm very conscious about our money and we're
doing really, really well going into fiscal month ten. I staff
the shows to protect health and safety and consumer integrity."
California,
unlike most jurisdictions, administers a drug test to every fighter
on a show, which means inspectors are needed to track fighters
before and after they perform. Most others merely drug test the
main event, any championship bout and a random fighter on the
undercard. Certainly, you want to protect the integrity of the
sport and the health of its participants, but let's be honest,
only at the highest and most lucrative levels have fighters tested
positive for performance enhancing drugs in boxing. The reality
is that most four and six round fighters simply can't afford
HGH or steroids. And it's not as if steroid use at the lower
level was ever rampant in boxing.
A
source tells Maxboxing that in the last 12 months that there
have been 65 positive drug tests in California. 53 have come
in MMA, ten in boxing and one in kickboxing. The majority of
the positive drug tests for boxing have been for marijuana use.
On
each show, the promoter must give up 5-percent of their gate
(for instance, at $50,000 they cough up $2,500) which goes to
the 'State Fee', which funds the commission. This money is used
for the staff, drug tests, travel costs, inspectors, office rent
and health benefits of the commission. So in essence, it's the
promoters who pay for all this.
So
with that being said, would Englebrecht rather have a few less
inspectors at each show, and put that money towards having a
bigger support staff?
"There
is no doubt that if I had my choice, more Sacramento office staff
or more inspectors, I would vote unanimously to take money from
inspectors and put more staff in Sacramento, so that promoters
can get their concerns and their questions answered quicker,"
Englebrecht would tell Maxboxing.
Jerry
Hoffman, of 12 Sport Productions, who has promoted such events
as the 'Shakedown in Quaketown' and the 'Riot at the Hyatt' for
the past 15 years, says of the paperwork process, "It's
such an overkill and I gotta go backwards here for a second,
because the system wasn't broken until Armando arrived. Armando
was hired on the basis of, 'There's something wrong with boxing
in California and dammit, I'm going to fix it,' and in the process
the Department of Consumer Affairs, who knows nothing about boxing
says, 'I'm going to protect you.' So he is a supreme politician.
His decisions are motivated to impress his employer, rather to
do what's best for boxing, boxers, matchmakers, promoters, trainers
and the people that are involved that bear the brunt of the expense
and the hassles that we have to go through based on his arbitrary
decisions."
On
the issue of inspectors, he says, "It's total overkill;
we never had that many inspectors to begin with, plus we never
know who these inspectors are that are coming. Of course it's
overkill. When you have for five or six on a club show without
television, why do you need more than one or maybe two inspectors
for each dressing room?"
And
he also believes that not every single preliminary boxer should
be obligated to give a urine test after each fight.
"Boxing
is by far and away the most regulated sport and there are fewer
transgressions in our sport than any sport. Name one sport that's
cleaner than boxing, with the possible exception of golf?"
Hoffman
is the one of the few promoters willing to go on the record and
air his grievances against the CSAC. But he does speak on the
behalf of many others who echo his thoughts, but only in private
for fear of retribution.
But
Dan Goossen says that Garcia has brought a level of stability
to the commission.
"He
put the system together from the standpoint of the rules and
regulations of California, and part of the problem that fighters,
promoters, managers, and commissions have is that our rule books
has been outdated, and based upon that, some of the rules that
have now been designed to follow have created this discontent
with certain people," said the veteran promoter, who runs
Goossen-Tutor. "From my end, Armando's been a fair executive
director, certainly not one that I see has anything but the best
interest of boxing at the forefront of any decision he makes.
"Now,
that doesn't make things easy for what Tom Brown (Goossen's matchmaker)
has to go through to make matches and medicals and all the different
licensing procedures. But on the other hand, again, those are
items that have been ignored throughout the years and what we've
got to do is get new rules into the system."
But
what bothers many of the smaller promoters is that while they
get hassled on so many of their fights, they firmly believe that
the name brand promotional outfits - the ones who bring big television
money on a consistent basis - get rubber stamped on their shows.
"There
have been issues with every show that I've done on decisions
that Armando has made that impact my shows since he got here,"
says a frustrated Hoffman. "For 13 years before he got here,
I never had any incidents, never had any issues. Dean Lohuis
knew everything that was going on with the state and always said,
'Man, you make matches,' and I only did two shows a year. I take
great care of the matches I make. I have to prep them. There's
a reason for every match that I make.
"But
for some reason or another, arbitrary decisions by Armando have
taken away fights from me pretty consistently in the last couple
of years."
Lohuis
is the chief inspector for the state, and he is regarded by the
boxing community in California to be as knowledgeable as they
come in regards to the local fighters and the fight scene. But
in recent years he has had his power and responsibilities stripped
away by Garcia, which has frustrated many matchmakers and promoters
in the state.
But
it's no surprise that there are two divergent opinions on Garcia
from the major and small promoters. It's not unusual for any
commission to give a bit of leeway to shows that are put on by
the big promoters. After all, most of the time they bring in
huge amounts of revenue to the state. Hate to say it, but that's
life in the big city.
But
Garcia insists that everyone plays by the same rulebook.
"I
want to make it a level playing field," he would tell Maxboxing,
"but I gotta tell you with all due respect to the people
before me, people that are still involved here in the commission,
it was not a level playing field. People here, this particular
name used to be able to do this and this one did it and there
was selective enforcement. When I came in, I tried to treat everyone
equally. The little guy and the big guy. And sometimes people
don't like that."
But
Hoffman isn't buying it. He believes he's a small fish who has
been made very expendable in a big pond.
"I
can't speak for other promoters; for me, much of the fun has
gone out of it. The state of California requires so much from
promoters and matchmakers, to get all of their particulars in,
meaning all the Fight Faxes that we're required to get in and
submit, so we can get bout approval. The problem is you get everything
in - and I'm anal about that, I get stuff in three, four weeks
before my show, so in theory I have time to make adjustments
in case there are any – but sure as s**t, whenever I submit
my stuff, I never get a return response in a timely fashion.
"It's
always the week of the show and it's too late for me to do anything
about it."
CONUNDRUM
Another
thing Hoffman and many others have complained about is that in
recent years, MRI's, eye exams and EKG's are now mandatory for
all licensed fighters in California. The MRI is good for five
years, the EKG for three. They are all for the safety of the
fighters, but they also believe that many young aspiring boxers
are priced out of getting their licenses because with the new
mandatory policies - which now puts California in line with states
like Nevada - the price of obtaining a license has gone from
around $300-$400 to around $700-$800.
There
are two ways to look at this argument. First, shouldn't every
fighter come in with a clean bill of health? And even if it's
a fighter making his pro debut, they still have taken jarring
shots to the head during their days as an amateur and in sparring
sessions in the gym.
But
others will point out that the state of California has been a
relatively safe state for the most part when it comes to ring
fatalities. Last September, Jackson Bussell would lose his life
after a six-round draw against Javier Garcia, and there were
recent close calls involving Victor Burgos and Ruben Contreras
in recent years.
But
it had been awhile since California had had to deal with a ring
death. There were two-high profile casualties in the early 80's.
Johnny Owen would lose his life after twelve hard rounds against
Lupe Pintor in September of 1980. And then Kiko Bejines would
pass away after his bout versus Albert Davila in September of
1983. Then in 1988, David Gonzalez would die as a result of his
eighth-round knockout at the hands of Rico Velasquez.
Source: Maxboxing |
The
Commission vs. the Cornermen? An Inside Look at the CSAC - Part
III
By Steve Kim (April 23, 2008)
As the fights were taking place inside the ring all over California,
it turns out that in the very beginning of Armando Garcia's run
as the executive officer of the California State Athletic Commission
that things were getting quite heated between the state inspectors
and veteran trainers and cornermen inside the dressing rooms
as they prepped their fighters for battle.
There
were numerous stories circulating about loud and inflamed arguments
that took place between those who were there to enforce the rules
of the CSAC and those working the boxer’s corner. More than
a few exasperated veterans of the sport, sick of being questioned
over the way they wrap hands, would sometimes resort to giving
their tape and gauze over to the inspectors and asking them to
do it themselves (only to be told they themselves had no clue
on how to wrap a fighter’s hands properly). Others objected
to having used medicine being tossed aside. Some felt like school
children as they were instructed to take out the chewing gum
in their mouths.
It
was frustrating to be dictated to by a group of inexperienced
boxing hands whose manner left much to be desired. An acrimonious
atmosphere existed in many locker rooms between the commission
and their licensees.
"We
absolutely had those issues," admitted Garcia, when asked
specifically about the issue. “Especially when we started
the inspector program. Number one, it's because we were enforcing
regulation that had basically never been enforced and the people
that were enforcing it hadn't been trained sufficiently and didn’t
have the experience to be able to do it. And it takes not only
that but it takes a certain personality to be able to tell someone
about something. So we obviously had those issues, particularly
on the hand wraps.
“But
people here, they were skinning gloves, stacking, they were wetting
the hand wraps and obviously, not everyone was doing it. But
the inspector doesn't know who's the good guy, who's the bad
guy. And then when we incorporated MMA, my God, I'm telling you,
they do everything and everything and its really difficult to
police. By now though, most of my guys know everybody and you
have your top guys, who are people who literally complained to
me about it - Freddie Roach, Joe Chavez, Tony Rivera, a bunch
of other people that come to me and said, 'Hey, man, what is
this?' Now, these things are pretty much either smoothed out
or being smoothed out.
"Do
we still have some issues? Yes, we will have issues when you
have so many different personnel involved in that. But if we
don't do it, we literally had a table after every show where
it was a 'show and tell' of the stuff people brought in the dressing
room. I mean some of that was suspendable stuff."
Roach
was one of the trainers who had problems with the new regime
from the get go.
"A
lot of controversy over hand-wraps, of course, and I've wrapped
hands for a long time and all of a sudden they told me to wrap
a certain way," he recalled. "And I just said, 'I'm
just protecting my fighter’s hands. I don't do anything
illegal.' We had a big blow up about that and I told the commission
off pretty good and I told them all to f**k themselves. They
were a little pissed at me but since that time though, they've
come around. They've changed the rules. I think things are beginning
to settle in a little bit."
What
bothered Roach just as much as the regulations on just how much
tape and gauze could be used (which has since been amended) was
the demeanor of the commission and it's inspectors.
“The
thing is, I thought it was too much of a dictatorship at first.
Because when he was there, everyone went by his rules. But when
he wasn't there, people were going by their own rules and by
the old rules and what they used to be. So it was inconsistent
and that's what I hate, the inconsistency. As long as the rules
are the same for everybody, I can live with it."
But
Roach says that this current administration has brought conformity
in how boxers hands can be wrapped. And he believes it had leveled
the playing field in many respects.
"Before
the new commission came in, people in California were taping
on the skin, taping over the knuckles, then putting gauze on
and hiding it. Hiding the tape and then going over that,"
he explained. "And I really, really had a tough time with
that because I didn't want to do that myself but my opponent’s
doing that, so am I giving them an advantage? Should I do it
myself? I just couldn't bring myself to do that and I feel that's
breaking the rules. I don't like to do that."
Chavez,
a respected boxing figure who has literally wrapped hundreds
of thousands of hands in his years of boxing, was someone who
was greatly frustrated by what was taking place the past few
years. But he says that recently, "They slacked down. Things
have gotten better."
Miguel
Diaz, who had a severe disagreement with the California inspectors
in early January at a show held at the Alameda Swap Meet, had
promised to never work again in the state. However, after relaying
his concerns to Garcia, he said he had no problems working the
rubbermatch between Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez on March
1st at the Home Depot Center.
But
others, like Joe Goossen, believe that nothing has changed.
"No,
to tell you the truth I liked how the style of the commission
was run before," he says bluntly. "Not that I have
anything against anybody, but I have to tell you, from the time
I got into this game, which was three decades ago, when I took
my first test for my corner’s license with Joey Olmos in
downtown LA, from that time on - that was in the early 70's -
till just maybe a couple of years ago, when Dean Lohuis reigned,
it pretty much ran the same way without change.
"I'm
just trying to figure out, not so much about the change, but
why the change? Why? What was so wrong about it? I still have
not heard one good reason why that 30 year run had to change.
So it's not left a good taste in my mouth because it was a much
more personable relationship between the commission, the trainers
and the fighters. Everyone kinda knew what they had to do. I
never saw any mischief in the locker rooms or some of the things
that were pointed out as the rationale for this big change. I
never saw where there were any riots in the corners or fistfights
in the middle of the ring where all the scrutiny of the corners
had to be looked at so closely."
With
the increase of inspectors that are utilized by Garcia, what
Goossen and others resent is the ‘Big Brother' aura that
exists.
"I
mean, you're followed everywhere you go, basically. What I'm
saying is that you didn't have anybody to tell you, 'Hey, don't
chew bubble gum in the locker room.' You know why you didn't
need anybody to tell you that? Because there's nothing wrong
with it. But there is now. If something as simple as that is
being scrutinized, you know that a lot of people are not going
to be happy, because it's just overbearing."
It
has bothered many corner men that they have been banned from
giving their boxers a banana (which is great in potassium) in
the locker room.
"We
recently changed that to allow produce and vegetables,"
Garcia would point out. "So you can take fruits, you can
take vegetables. What we tried to get away from, which was initially,
was that they tried to bring in supplements, they bring in milkshakes,
they bring in pills in containers that the pills don't belong
in. It was a huge, huge problem for us. So we initially had to
just bite the bullet and say, 'OK, we're not going to accept
any of this. Then we're going to monitor this,' and now we've
relaxed it."
One
thing that still bothers Roach is that as they enter a dressing
room they are searched as if they are going through airport security.
"They're
treating us a little bit like criminals," he states. "The
first thing they want to do is check our bags. I said, 'What
do you want to check my bags for? I'm a criminal right off the
bat? Do you have a search warrant? Y'know he (Garcia) was a police
officer."
Trainers
like Roach and Goossen are at more liberty to discuss their true
feelings than others. They command respect. Many other lower
profile trainers believe they have no other choice but to grin
and bear it. They also believe, that much like the small promoters,
they are treated differently than their big-name counterparts
by the commission.
Our
unidentified source at the CSAC, who has seen first-hand what
takes place in the dressing room during fight cards, says, "It's
an adversarial-type relationship. These guys that don't have
the boxing experience, they've been taught at a clinic, allegedly
by Armando or whoever, really don't understand what the purpose
of the wrappings is for and are telling guys who have been wrapping
for 20, 30 years how to wrap and it gets into verbal altercations
all the time. Plus, you'll see people with a Diet Coke get it
taken away from them in the dressing room."
Goossen
says he has no problems with inexperienced guys learning on the
job; what he resents is the lack of respect shown to them by
certain inspectors.
“It’s
crushed all goodwill in the locker room, it really has,"
he insists. "I think he's got all the greatest of intentions
but there's too much of whatever it is he's trying to institute
and it's not needed. It's superfluous. You don't need people
watching our backs. It would be just the same as someone following
Joe Torre out to the mound, a commissioner from baseball, to
see what he had to say to the pitcher. Or if he was handing him
anything illegal."
Source: Maxboxing |
MASTER
RAFAEL CORDEIRO TALKS CHUTE BOXE U.S.A.
MMAWeekly.com’s Ivan Canello sat down with Chute Boxe’s
Master Rafael Cordeiro to discuss the camp’s recent move
into the American market.
MMAWeekly:
How would you describe the structure and the level of the Chute
Boxe USA Camp?
Rafael
Cordeiro: We are very happy with our new home, which comes to
add the USA, which has a very good support for the athletes.
With our combined experience, it has everything to – in
a short period of time – make several champions. The camp
is located in a very good place on Beach Boulevard and Garfield
in Huntington Beach, Calif.
MMAWeekly:
What is the main target in the U.S., beginners or advanced and
professional students?
Cordeiro:
Our classes will be the same as Brazil, separated classes to
beginners that have never been in touch with MMA and the professional
that wants to add in their game our Chute Boxe ingredients that
made great champions through all these years. The Muay Thai classes
are led by me and coach Gerson and the Jiu-Jitsu classes are
led by Junior Gazzé, who got second place in the Pan-American
Jiu-Jitsu Championship. So we have all the qualities needed to
build a great champion.
MMAWeekly:
Some famous fighters were at Chute Boxe over the last few weeks.
Tell us about that. Is there the possibility of a partnership
between those fighters and Chute Boxe?
Cordeiro:
A couple days ago, Michael Bisping came and did some training
with Junior Gazzé to prepare for his next fight and Quinton
Jackson came because his coach, Waldomiro Junior, is Gazzé’s
master. Waldomiro and Gazzé have a very good relationship
and they are together all the time. About the partnerships, everything
that is good for Chute Boxe is welcome. Nowadays here in the
U.S. everybody wants to train with everybody, and those who want
to train at Chute Boxe will need to bring the spirit and they
will need to defend our flag and give themselves to Chute Boxe.
MMAWeekly:
How do you plan the trade of experience from those athletes that
are coming from Brazil to train at Chute Boxe in the U.S.?
Cordeiro:
They will come to train with me for their next fights. They are
all my students and they have my formation, which is from Master
Rudimar, and that formation is passed generation to generation.
MMAWeekly:
Who is in charge of the training at Chute Boxe in Brazil since
you came to the U.S.?
Cordeiro:
I have coached students since I was 16 years old, and today I
am 34 years old. Each day I learn more and more because I have
never stopped training and the fact that I moved to the U.S.
only adds to this background. In Brazil, I had the pleasure to
form great champions that all the world knows already and today
this idea of building champions came to the U.S. Our goal is
to go ahead all the time. Now Master Nilson Castro is the main
coach in Brazil, and professors such as Osmar Dias, Fabio Cunha
and Cristopher Led. In jiu-jitsu, Cristiano Marcello, Fabricio
Werdum, Luis Brito and Jorge Patino Macaco and Luiz Azeredo are
building new champions everyday.
MMAWeekly:
How do you plan to take care of the training in Brazil, since
you are the main coach at Chute Boxe?
Cordeiro:
In the first months, I need to be here in U.S. to put the Chute
Boxe flag in USA, but we are making a new system with cameras
and audio where I will be able to see, listen and talk with everybody
in Brazil. They will be training and I will be watching and speaking
with them live and I can correct something if I need to. And
by this video I can talk to my friends and students at the gym.
It’s pretty cool.
MMAWeekly:
How do you see this year for Chute Boxe?
Cordeiro:
This year is the year of the results. In Jesus’ name, we
are doing such good work and we are getting stronger and stronger
as men and fighters, and each one of us are feeling that we need
to give ourselves, where our hearts are our treasure.
MMAWeekly:
Anything you would like to say in closing?
Cordeiro:
I would like to say thank you very much to MMAWeekly. It is an
excellent website and many thanks for the space. And to all the
MMA fans, try to work on your dreams and become a better person
each day. Think always in the good for all and let God guide
your life because there are no impossible dreams for Jesus. Good
luck in your choices!
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Clementi
will take Emerson's place at UFC 84
Rich Clementi took little time to savor his split decision victory
against reigning TKO lightweight champion Sam Stout at UFC 83
on Saturday.
A
product of season four of "The Ultimate Fighter" reality
series, Clementi (31-12-1, 4-3 UFC) will square off with England's
Terry Etim at UFC 84: Ill Will on May 24 in Las Vegas. He replaces
Rob Emerson, who withdrew from the bout with an undisclosed injury.
UFC officials confirmed the lightweight pairing late Tuesday.
The
31-year-old Clementi has reeled off five consecutive victories
since his unanimous decision loss to Roan Carneiro at UFC Fight
Night 9 in April 2007. Clementi holds notable victories against
reigning International Fight League lightweight champion Ryan
Schultz, Melvin Guillard and Anthony Johnson.
Etim
(10-1, 1-1 UFC), a veteran of the Cage Gladiators promotion,
will look to rebound from his first career defeat — a unanimous
decision loss to the American Top Team's Gleison Tibau at UFC
75 in September. An accomplished ground fighter, the former Cage
Gladiators lightweight champion has delivered nine of his 10
career wins by submission. Etim, 22, made his promotional debut
at UFC 70 last April as he coaxed a tapout from Matt Grice with
an opening-round guillotine choke.
A
lightweight title match between champion B.J. Penn and Sean Sherk
will serve as the featured attraction at UFC 84.
Source: Fox Sports |
PETE
SPRATT AND THOMAS SCHULTE WIN AT UWC
Before 4,828 fans at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va., Pete
Spratt didn’t take long to win the battle of The Ultimate
Fighter alums. He disposed of Jason Von Flue by knockout in just
2:34.
It
was an important win for the veteran fighter, having lost his
most recent bout to Ryan Ford in February. Spratt, now 37-years-old,
having ridden the proverbial roller coaster throughout most of
his career, told MMAWeekly before the bout that he is gearing
for a return to the major leagues.
“You’re
either one win in or one loss out,” he commented. “The
UFC brought back some guys that hadn’t been there in a while,
so there’s always an opportunity to get back.
“I
just have to make sure that when I’m fighting on these smaller
shows that I get the ‘W’ and finish guys decisively.”
In
the evening’s feature bout, F.I.T. NHB fighter Thomas Schulte
added to his winning streak finishing Ultimate Fighting Championship
veteran Zach Light by armbar little more than one minute into
the opening round. It was Schulte’s third straight submission
victory.
-Pete
Spratt def. Jason Von Flue by KO at 2:34, R1
-Thomas Schulte def. Zach Light by Submission (Armbar) at 1:20,
R1
-Carlo Prater def. Marcelo Brito by Unanimous Decision, R3
-Marcus Foran def. Tenyeh Dixon by Submission (Armbar) at 4:04,
R2
-Aaron Riley def. Thiago Minu by Unanimous Decision, R3
-Mike Easton def. Gerald Lovato by KO at 2:48, R1
-Josh Feldman def. Johnny Curtis by KO at 1:07, R1
-Mike Corey def. Dwayne Shelton by TKO at 0:33, R2
-Reshad Woods def. Ron Stallings by KO at 1:25, R1
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"When
anger rises, think of the consequences."
Confucius, 551-479 B.C., Chinese Thinker and Social Philosopher
|
Fighters'
Club TV Tonight!
Channel 52, Tuesdays
at 7:00 PM
FCTV episode
58 will run in our normal timeslot of 7pm on Oceanic Channel
52 Olelo Oahu Tuesday nights, March 25, April 1, 8, & 15.
Episode
58 features:
Highlights
from the Pacific Invitational Jiu-Jitsu tournament including:
1. Interview & footage with purple belt heavyweight &
absolute winner, Kelly Grissom
(Relson Gracie Kaneohe Team)
2. Interview with tournament director Ronn Shiraki
3. Highlights & great subs from Jake Scoval & Luke Hacker
from Longman JJ, Dustin
Grace from Kaneohe Team, Lenora from Team HK, Andy Marshall vs.
Dr. Suehiro & many
more...
-HFC
highlights from the Dole Cannery including:
-Interview with fight promoter Sly Kekahuna
-170 lbs HFC champion Keoni Bryant
-Interview with Koa Ramos with highlight of fight with Bryson
Kamaka
-Highlight of Brennan Kamaka in action
Technique
of the Week:
-Mario "Zen Machine" Sperry demonstrates the standing
guard pass
Rob
Demello's report
-Kala Hose vs Phil Baroni fight highlights & inteview with
Kala Hose
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Civil
War? An Inside Look at the CSAC – Part I
By Steve Kim (April 21, 2008)
On February 5th, inside the Dept. of Consumer Affairs Conference
Room in Sacramento, California, the California State Athletic
Commission held one of its scheduled meetings to discuss various
issues that concerned their jurisdiction, and to listen as an
MMA fighter stated his case in front of the panel to have his
punishment for testing positive for a banned substance pared
down. It was a rather routine and mundane affair for the most
part.
But
as the 'public comment' portion of the meeting was held, the
fireworks would begin and evidence of a divided and fractured
commission would become very evident. This part of the gathering
is open to anyone who wants to have his or her voice heard on
anything that was not included on the agenda. What this particular
session became was a referendum on the merits of executive officer
Armando Garcia. And the lines of where you stood were made very
clear.
With
Garcia presiding over the meeting, various judges, referees and
inspectors would state their case for and against the executive
officer (whose performance is being evaluated on a month-to-month
basis), right in front of him.
First
up was David Mendoza, a judge and referee, who extolled Garcia’s
virtues as someone who has brought unprecedented economic success
to the state of California. He would be followed up by noted
referee and judge Pat Russell, who asked why certain allegations
that have been levied against Garcia were seemingly being swept
under the rug and forgotten about by the higher-ups. Referee
Jon Schorle would stutter and stammer through a prepared statement
in Garcia's defense. Max De Luca would also state his support
for the embattled executive officer. And then Jack Reiss would
echo many of the same statements as Russell, while asking why
there was an email that was circulated only to certain members
of the CSAC that attempted to elicit support for Garcia on this
day.
Then
a long procession of CSAC inspectors (all wearing black-on-black
ensembles with their traditional red ties) would come in waves,
speaking of the leadership and vision of Garcia. Reading off
scripted statements, he was compared to everyone from George
Washington to Vince Lombardi.
And
it's no accident that the 'men in black' came as if they were
dressed for work on behalf of the commission. In an email that
was obtained by Maxboxing, Dwayne Woodward, an inspector for
the state and a Garcia supporter, would send out a group email
that had a copy and pasted version of a story penned by Michael
Swann of 15rounds.com that talked of the alleged transgressions
of Garcia, that, among other things, accuses him of engaging
in acts that constituted conflicts of interest (by working seminars
for sanctioning bodies and receiving compensation). It was just
one allegation that was brought up in an illuminating series
that was produced by Swann a few months ago.
Woodward
would write: "Ladies and gentlemen, you need to read what
is below. This is how organized the few and the loud are and
what obscene lengths they will go to in order to regain their
power over boxing in California." He would urge everyone
to show up on February 5th to support Garcia.
One
response, from Nate Arnold, would conclude by saying, "It
would be nice to have everyone there, especially if they were
dressed in black with red ties. An example needs to be made that
we support Armando for everything he has done for the sport."
To
which Woodward would respond, "I agree with Nate. I will
be in uniform of the A-team."
Among
those who are on the list of recipients is Garcia himself.
It's
been no real secret to those inside the sport that there is a
deep division within the CSAC. There is a group of veterans who
supported Russell to take over the reigns of the commission from
Rob Lynch a few years ago. Most of them are made up of the old-guard
referees and judges that most boxing fans are familiar with.
Then there are those who stand behind Garcia (who was eventually
appointed by the state), the large majority of whom are recent
hires from his regime. It may not be the Nortenos versus the
Surenos, but there seems to be a great divide within the CSAC.
Those
who are known to have supported Russell's bid, his long-time
friends and those who don't uniformly agree with Garcia, believe
they are punished by not getting the bigger, high profile assignments.
"The
officials, well, the officials want what the officials want,"
Garcia would say to Maxboxing last week, when questioned about
the seeming divide that exists. "They're the highest paid
officers in the country per show, basically, except the big,
big shows we don' | |