ISKA UK Review of 2008
The ISKA undeniable confirmed its position as the number one sanctioning body in the UK during 2008. The association sanctioned 80 events that included 10 World title fights, 7 European title fights, 4 commonwealth title fights 27 British title fights and 42 National and Regional title fights. Over 800 Kickboxing and Muaythai bouts were contested under ISKA rules in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
ISKA TEAM ENGLAND
The year got off to a good start with Fran Zuccala re-capturing the ISKA World Light-middleweight title on the 10th February when he stopped Ibrahim Cicek of Turkey in four rounds. Another World title fight followed on the 15th March, Marty Cox returned to challenge Ireland’s John Paul Soanes for the World Light-welterweight title, but Soanes pulled out with a back injury and was replaced by British and Commonwealth Champion Barinder Singh. Cox stopped Singh in round eight to take the championship belt. Tim Thomas defended his World Muayhai title against Frankie Hudders losing a close decision on the 29th March, all these events attracted capacity audiences to prestigious venues across the country.
Moving into the second quarter British Champion Shawn Burton challenged Tristan Bernard of France for the Light Welterweight Kickboxing title on the 3rd May. Burton won a unanimous decision over ten rounds. Northern Ireland’s Daniel Quigley who had won the European title earlier in the year when he knocked out Paul Hill challenged World Champion Waine Turner on the 17th May. Quigley took the World Cruiserweight title stopping Turner in round five. Former World Kickboxing champion Brian Aston tried to win back the World Super-middleweight title on the 18th May but was stopped by Frenchman Marc Apele in the fifth round. Thailand’s Rungnaktorn Kharnpan known to UK fight fans simply as Rung defended his World Light-welterweight title against Richard Cadden on the 14th June. This was a rubber stamp match in two previous encounters they had one win each, Rung stopped Cadden in the third to retain his title. Shawn Burton opted to make a quick defence of his European title on the 15th June against Barinder Singh who also put his British and Commonwealth titles on the line, it was winner takes all. The fight lived up to the hype Singh stopped Burton in the ninth. ISKA UK also sanctioned major branded events PAIN & GLORY and POWER OF SCOTLAND
All the effort put into developing an Amateur Martial Arts division paid off in the summer of 2008 at the ISKA Amateur World Championships in the Czech Republic 19th to 24th August. Team England won a total of 116 medals including 42 Gold 32 Silver and 42 Bronze in Semi-contact, Light-contact, Forms and for the first time England won gold medals in the Kickboxing and Thaiboxing categories, Sevdia Arif won Gold in the women’s -54kg Full Contact division she also picked up a silver medal under Light Contact rules. Adam Stretton won Gold in the -86kg Full contact division and Tom Kent won took the Gold medal in the -75kg Oriental Rules division. The European Festival of Martial Arts was hosted at Disneyland Paris on the 27th September the freestyle section of tournament was organized and officiated by the ISKA UK Amateur division and their World class referees and judges. The foundations were laid to build a truly unique junior open Martial Arts tournament.
Our Professionals also competed internationally during the spring and summer, Liverpool’s Dave Wilson won the ISKA European Light-cruiserweight title under Oriental Rules on the 18th May. Wilson stopped Predrag Lazarevic in the second round at the Albert Shultz Ice Arena in Vienna Austria. Sheffield’s Imran Khan lost a points decision to the Muaythai legend Anuwat at the Marcel Cerdan Stadium in Paris the match was broadcast live on Canal +. Warrington’s Gavin Sterritt challenged for the ISKA European Super-middleweight Muaythai title in Santa Cruz, Tenerife on the 19th July. Sterritt faced Spaniard Jonathan Padilla and near the end of a bruising first round, Padilla connected with a shot left hook to KO Sterritt. In the main supporting bout Manchester’s Andy Thrasher evened the score for England when he knocked out Spain’s Javier Hernandez in the third round of their non-title Muaythai match. The ISKA made history as the first Kickboxing association to sanction World title fights in Cambodia on the 28th August. Manchester’s Frankie Hudders defended his World welterweight Muaythai title against Cambodian Meas Chanta in front of 5,000 spectators at the Olympic Stadium in Phum Penh. Chanta out-pointed Hudders to become the first Cambodian ISKA World Champion the fight was broadcast live by National TV station CTN and reported a massive 53% rating. Bedford’s Tim Thomas the former welterweight World Champion faced Cambodian Champion Pan Sophan in a non-title match. Thomas dropped Sophan with a right hand in the third and cruised home to a unanimous point’s victory, he later challenge the new Champion Meas Chanta saying I want my title back, they are schedule to meet in 2009.
Back home Rungnaktorn Kharnpan made a second defence of his World Light-welterweight Muaythai title on the 14th September at the Oran Mor in Glasgow, Scotland. Rung stopped Scottish Champion James Doolan in the second round to retain his belt. One of England’s most respected and colourful Kickboxers Hull’s Mark Ellwood in the twilight of his career challenge for the ISKA European Super-middleweight Kickboxing title on the 21st September, he faced Austrian Thorsten Springer. Ellwood rocked Springer in the early rounds but was out-punched by the younger man in the fifth round and lost by TKO. At the end of September ISKA UK launched its new Website at http://www.iska.org.uk with all new features including News, Calendar of events, Results, Photo gallery and Top Ten British ratings for Kickboxing and Thaiboxing
The last quarter of 2008 was very busy, ISKA UK Executive Director Paul Hennessy was invited to Tokyo, Japan to supervise an ISKA World title fight on the K-1 MAX World Grand Prix Final on the 1st October. Japan’s Susumu Daiguji and Daisuke Uematsu contested the ISKA World Lightweight Oriental rules title, Uematsu stopped Daiguji in the first round to take the belt. The ISKA title match was the penultimate fight on the card and was watched by 12 Million viewers live on TBS TV in Japan and Millions more around the World with syndicated broadcasts in 135 countries. The ISKA is the only Kickboxing association currently working directly with K-1 and its parent company FEG.
British welterweight Kickboxing Champion Suky Shoria, Challenge European Champion Simon Akufu on the 4th October at the Stevenage Arts & Conference Centre. Shoria bested Akufu over ten rounds to take the title. A major World Championship card was staged at Leeds Town Hall on the 14th October, Andy Howson challenged Japan’s Funitaka Fujiwa for the vacant World Bantamweight Muaythai title. It was an unmitigated war with Howson claiming victory by total attrition. The co-main event featured one of England’s most successful Muaythai Champions Liam Harrison. He face Japan’s Masaru Ito in a non-title bout and won a clear points decision. Another major World Championship card was staged in Ireland at the Clanree Hotel in Letterkenny, Fran Zuccala put his World Light-middleweight Kickboxing title on the line against European Champion Tommy McCafferty. This fight had everything, the young contender McCafferty stepping up to fight the experience Champion Zuccala there was drama, controversy, blood, sweat and tears just like a Rocky movie. Twelve action packed rounds that swung one way then the other and earned both men a standing ovation from the thousand plus spectators. McCafferty won by unamius decision, highlights of the fight were broadcast by Setanta TV. During the month of November ISKA UK sanctioned 12 events that’s a record on average ISKA sanction 6 to 8 events per month in the UK. In an effort to increase activity and create more opportunities in the women’s divisions the ISKA reduced its sanction fees by 50% for women’s title fights during 2008 as a result several women’s British, National and Regional title fights were promoted and on the 7th December one of England’s most successful female fighters Julie Kitchen challenged for the ISKA World Light-welterweight Oriental Rules title. Kitchen met Ivanilda Vaz Te from Portugal at St. Johns Hall in Penzance, Cornwall and stopped her with a powerful knee to the body.
2008 was an incredible year for ISKA UK and its Board of Directors but there is still room for improvement, we offer a good service to promoter’s, fighters and gyms but we know we can offer a better service and will endeavour to make improvements in 2009
15 January 2009
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