The magic of K-1
The magic of K-1
What makes K-1 so attractive? ...money? ...glory?
Since this Japanese 'money-machine' became famous and recognized all over the world with the help of tv stations like Eurosport and ESPN, certain coaches, managers and Promoters are seekin' for a 'piece of the cake'.
Succes always attracts free-loaders and hustlers, also the distinguist Japanese K-1 organisation has been confrontated with this fenomenan.
When kancho Ishii started this honorable organisation it was still pure and the fighters were real tough guys with the right fighting spirit like Dutch Rob Kaman, Gerard Gordeau, Jan Wessels or Branco Cikaticz as well as Peter Aerts, Ernesto Hoost and Andy Hug for example.
These true warriors didn't fight for money only (that was little anyway in those times); they fought for 'glory', the true spirit of K-1. Fighting in Japan was the greatest honor for fighters and 10 years later it still is.
The only difference now is that managers and fighters think that they can ask huge amounts of money, even if they are 'new commers' in this field.
To find new and talented fighters, the K-1 was spreading their wings over Europe where Dutch Promoter Mr.Daan Enneking signed an exclusive agreement with K-1 Japan to Promote their shows. Also in Switzerland there was a Promoter who wanted to throw an annual K-1 show, the manager of late Andy Hug; Thomas Kastle.
The difference between these two Promoters is that Mr.Enneking promotes for fun and has affection to the sport and Mr.Kastle is doing it for the money and his ego by mis-using the name of Andy Hug whenever he can.
But Mr.Kastle isn't the only one who likes to have a free ride on behalf of the Japanese organisation because there is also the Portugese Promoter Carlos Ramjanali who misled the Porugese fans begin of this year by organizing a so called K-1MAX event in Lissabon, using the K-1 logo and name without any official authorisation from the Japanese K-1 and it's not over yet, because in France we have Mr.Stephan Cabrera (WKN) who claimed to have the rights for several(!!!) countries in Europe but he backed off because of a lawsuit he would face by using the name K-1.
This is just an example how Promoters are dreaming of status and acknowledgement.
But there is another Promoter who thinks that he is Mr.K-1; Brazilian Mr.Sergio Batarelli. He 'sold' the rights of k-1 to some European Promoters without any permission!
Since Japan doesn't allow anybody to organize any Grand Prix or event under the name K-1 outside of Japan and 2 annual GP's in Las Vegas we can conclude that some of the above mentioned Promoters are frauds and hustlers who want to make money on behalf of somebody elses succes.
So, we were very surprised when we heard about the anouncement of a Swiss K-1 event in Basel where Mike Bernardo will compete Petr Majstorovic for the WKA Heavyweight title(?) in September.
Some people say negativ publicity is good publicity but in this case it's no publicity at all!! This is deceiving of fans and harming the kickboxsport just at the time that kickboxing is accepted more and more in our society, because ones more it proves that some Promoters still can't be pointed out as genuine but tip toe in a huge 'grey area'.
We had a peek at the WKA website to see who were in the rankings and the following list appeared;
per August 6th 2004
1 Peter Aerts Netherlands
2 Ernesto Hoost Netherlands
3 Sam Greco Australia
4 Mike Bernardo South Africa
5 Francesco Filho Brazil
6 Jerome Lebanner France
7 Maurice Smith USA
8 Stan Longinidis Australia
9 Masake Satake Japan
10 Jeff Roufus USA
...what is this 'Micky Mouse' list?
How do you get on this list anyway? Not by fighting in the WKA because Ernesto Hoost for example won his WKA title back in 1990 (Amsterdam, Holland). Jeff 'DUKE' Roufus retired, came back and retired again but is still on the list!?!? Not to mention some other fighters on this list. But where is the name of Andy Hug, he won the last title!!!
Food for thought; the WKA Worldtitle still belongs to late Andy Hug because when he past, the WKA announced that this title won't be vacant anymore out of respect to Andy. Well, repect isn't exactly a word that one can find in the dictionary of WKA chairman Paul Ingram because the belt didn't go to the son of the great Worldchampion, Seya Hug, but was left at Thomas Kastle's place. Call me sentimental bastard but it would have been more decent when the WKA and/or Mr.Kastle would have given the belt to the little boy as a memory of his dad.
Now here's the scam; Swiss Promoter Thomas Kastle announced at the beginning of this year that he 'HE' would return the Worldtitle and the belt if two Swiss fighters would fight over it! Well, we all remember the false insult of cocaine abuse of Swiss fighter Björn Bregy and that Azem Maksutaj was disqualified by the Swiss Kickboxing Organisation for the period of one year, so not many Swiss fighters left. But ain't it odd... both of these fighters we don't see in the official list of the WKA!
Well it doesn't matter because Promoter Kastle found a solution; Mike Bernardo who will face Petr Majstorovic...
For several months this Promoter is advertising that he is 'the man' who organizes the biggest WKA event ever, where two great fighters will decide who will take over the Worldtitle of 'ANDY HUG'. Nothing wrong with it at a first glance, but he's using the name Andy Hug that often (violating all rights because this name has been registered by Mrs Ilona Hug) that it's almost embarressing because thru this way he tries to attrack the Swiss fans to buy tickets.
We advice not to go to this event because it would be an insult to the great Worldchampion Andy Hug and his son Seya won't see a dime of any income anyway, because that will flow into the pocket of this 'fine Promoter'.
Oh and a special request to Mike and Petr; any of you who will winn the belt, pls 'return' it to it's legal owner... Seya Hug! (address on request)
Zitat von jkdberlin
