Anonim
Sumo Star Akebono to Fight Bob Sapp
Nov 8, 2003
By Monty DiPietro ([email protected])
Tokyo, Japan
In a press conference at the Imperial Palace Hotel, K-1 announced today that Sumo star Akebono will fight Bob Sapp on New Year's Eve.
Akebono was born Chad Rowan in Oahu, Hawaii. In 1993 he was given the fighting name Akebono when he became the first non-Japanese to achieve the ranking of Yokozuna (Grand Champion), Sumo's highest honor. In his nine years as a Yokozuna, Akebono amassed a sparkling record of 432 wins in 554 bouts.
Said Akebono at the press conference: "I would like to announce that I, Taro Akebono, applied for leave from the Japan Sumo Association on November 5th, and today this request has been granted. From now on, I will take up a new direction as a professional fighter in K-1. I would like to thank the Japan Sumo Association and Azuma-Seki Oyakata [Akebono's stable master] for supporting me, and also everyone in the K-1 organization."
Akebono's announcement garnered a phenomenal amount of interest. The press conference attracted a total of 300 media people, including Japanese national broadcasters NHK. In all a total of 23 TV cameras were focused on the 34 year-old Yokozuna, making this by far the biggest-ever K-1 press conference -- two TV stations went so far as to interrupt their regular programming to carry the announcement live!
Akebono said he learned about K-1 from fighters such as Francisco Filho and Ray Sefo, and wanted to compete in K-1 to show his three children (too young to have followed his Sumo career) that their father still has his fighting spirit.
Said K-1 Event Producer Sadaharu Tanikawa: "I heard that Yokozuna Akebono was interested in K-1, and over the last weeks, we met several times. I was impressed with his passion for the sport, he told me he made this decision so he could push himself to the limit! Just as Bob Sapp has his Team Beast, I think Akebono will put together a 'Team Yokozuna,' training and sparing with fighters such as Francois Botha and Steve Kalakoda and other over-150kg fighters. Sumo is the Japan’s national sport and I believe this will create excitement not only in Japan, but all over the world."
Fans will not have to wait long, as Akebono is scheduled to face off against none other than Bob Sapp in the main event of 'Dynamite 2003,' a K-1 event scheduled for this New Year's Eve.
At the press conference, Sapp was uncharacteristically restrained: "I am very honored and excited to fight with former Sumo Champion Akebono," said the big guy, who indicated he would like to fight under Sumo rules. Akebono, on the other hand, indicated his preference for the bout was K-1 rules. As for the question of kicks, K-1 does not expect Akebono to have any problem lifting his legs. He has always been very flexible, and his Sumo training regularly involved doing 'Shiko,' a sort of stomping maneuver.
K-1 will announce the rules and venue for the New Year's 'Dynamite 2003' event in the very near future.
K-1 also revealed that negotiations for Mike Tyson's K-1 debut have bogged down over details regarding the Pay-Per-View arrangements. Although Tyson will not fight this year, all parties are still talking, and it is hoped the ex-World Heavyweight Champion will enter the K-1 ring in the spring of 2004.
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w skrócie: Akebono walczy 8 listopada z Sappem. Chce pokazac swoim 3 dzieciom, ze ich ojciec nadal ma w sobie Dusze Wojownika. K1 uczyl sie od Francisco Filho i Raya Sefo.
Tyson w tym roku nie zawalczy w K1, moze w nastepnym...
"Nie narzekam chociaz jestem nizszy niz Cleant Eastwood, chociaz nigdy nie dolacze do grona kulturystow, chociaz nie znam setek przyslow. Nie narzekam, bo fruzie wola optymistow!" [Lona]
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