K1 Oceania 2001 Report, 16th June, Melbourne, Australia

Report by the IKF sanctioning body.

Three time and reigning K-1 grand prix champion, Ernesto Hoost (Left) did what he does for a living (win kickboxing matches) and secured a berth in this years Grand Prix in Tokyo.

Opening Round:
Hoost vs. Gur: Many felt that Gur (K-1 Italy Champion) would be the dark horse and score an upset. Hoost himself said that he was not going to overlook the relative newcomer. In the clinch, Mr. Perfect connected with a knee to the ribs and then scored a second knockdown on the bell for a first round TKO victory.
Hunt vs. Amada: Boxing may be Amada's strong point, but it is Hunt's strong point too. Of the two, Hunt (K-1 Oceania Champion) hits harder and can take a harder punch. In fact, he went 3 rounds with LeBanner last year and was never in trouble. This match, in the end, was simple accounting. Hunt had more assets and fewer liabilities and scored a knockout in the first round.
McDonald vs. Filipovic: By far the most memorable fight of the card was McDonald's first round knock out win over K-1 superstar Mirko "Crocop" Filipovoc. Where Hoost refused to look beyond the first match, Crocop failed to focus on the fight in front of him. Perhaps his three losses to Hoost had him preoccupied. Of all the fighters to take lightly, however, McDonald (Right, K-1 USA Finalist) should be at the last on anyone's list. McDonald may not be the hardest hitter, but this pumped up Canadian cruiserweight, despite the quick losses to the likes of Aerts and Sefo on his record, always comes to fight and to win. In the first round, Filipovic tried to hold the head and throw knees and got caught with an overhand right hook that rocked him. Underdog McDonald then chased Mirko down and scored a knock down. A few punches later, the referee stopped the fight. Filipovic was visibly upset; he had choked and he knew it.
Skelton vs. Vassilikos: IKF World Champion Matt Skelton (Left) was set to meet McDonald in the first round until an eleventh hour line up change paired him up against one of the slickest kickboxers today, Paris Vassilikos of Greece. Skelton set an aggressive pace that may have been a touch risky. He did get hit with a few of Paris' counter attacks, but the slugfest was too much for the Golden Greek. Skelton scored two knock downs in the second round.

Semi-Finals
Hoost vs. Hunt: Home town favorite Mark Hunt had neither the experience nor the luck to find a weakness in Hoost within three rounds. As close as the fight got Hoost, as expected, remained ahead on points. A mistake by the referee nearly had the New Zealander ahead but the error (Hoost took a body shot while kicking and fell down) was later withdrawn. Hoost by decision.
Skelton vs. McDonald: Skelton was not going to make the same mistake Filipovic had made earlier in the evening. He took McDonald seriously and improved on last years performance by making it to the final. Skelton by unanimous decision.

Final
The final may not have been the best match of styles but it certainly was close. Both fighters fought hard to control the movement in the ring. Skelton used his size to throw knees in the clinch and was warned for holding. Hoost started pushing. Skelton then responded with punches in the clinch and got warned for punching behind the head. The deciding factor turned out to be and accidental headbutt that took a point from Skelton's scorecard (an intentional headbutt would have cost 2 points). His third round surge may have won the round but it was not enough to win the fight.


Although Hoost got the berth to Tokyo Dome, Skelton did get a place in the repechage tournament in Fukuoka. There he will join Adam Watt, Ray Sefo and perhaps Mirko Filipovic in an eight man tournament where the finalists will earn the last two spots in Tokyo.