K1 USA 2001 Report, 6th MayYokohama, Japan

Report by the IKF sanctioning body.

Las Vegas, NV, USA: There were those who questioned him and those who praised him, however last Saturday night, the man who has accomplished more than any fighter in a fighting ring (From Kickboxing to NHB...) added yet one more trophy to his wall of accomplishments. Maurice Smith (Right, Seattle, Washington, USA) won a close, "EXTRA ROUND" decision over the Darkhorse Surprise of the tournament, Mike McDonald of Canada, to claim the May, K-1 USA Title! Yes, we said Extra Round and yes, we said "Darkhorse Surprise..." but we'll get to that in a moment...

The K-1 Promotional Team of Scott Coker and Mike Sawyer along with the production staff at the Mirage Casino of Las Vegas left nothing out as they promoted one of the greatest events ever in North America at the Mirage Casino in Las Vegas Nevada, USA this last Saturday night, May 5th. It was the K-1 North American Championships that brought together 8 Super Heavyweight fighters from around North America with a strong and supportive undercard that at times, stole the show. There were 15 bouts in all, 7 of them being the K-1 Tournament Bouts and 8 of them being a dynamic undercard. The undercard featured 3 Amateur bouts and 5 Pro bouts. Of the undercard bouts, the 2 we featured in last weeks post turned out to be the best bouts of the night as Pro MuayThai fighters Alex Gong faced off against Duane Ludwig and Angela Rivera rematched with Trisha Hill. The Hill - Rivera bout happened after the K-1 final bout and for those of you who left, you missed the GREATEST Woman's Bout Ever! And yes, we said EVER!!! Not just because it just happened last weekend. We truly do mean "The Best EVER!" Those there would agree 100%! Next time, Stay in your seats until the end!

More on these 2 bouts and all the others that made up the DYNAMIC K-1 USA Undercard, later this week.

On this night, the focus was on 8 warriors who were invited here to do battle in the ring to see who would be the best on this night. To see who would be crowned K-1 North American Champion! There were questions raised about everyone in the tournament, many questions... Does this guy have the endurance for the entire tournament? Will the other guys jaw hold up or will his opponent knock him down? Would this guy freeze up again and will this events Darkhorse shine some light? Will the teacher get revenge or will his opponent beat the teacher too? Could this guy take a punch and could this guy give one? Is this guy too old and is this guy too inexperienced? In the end, all these questions were answered and more as we end another event in another city under the title of "K-1!" Lets get to the event...



TOURNAMENT BOUT QUARTER FINALS

TOURNAMENT BOUT #1
DUKE ROUFUS Vs TOMASZ KUCHARZEWSKI:

Kucharzewski (Right) had stopped Roufus' student Jason Johnson in last years K-1 USA, so many looked at this bout as the so called "Teachers Revenge." As expected, Roufus (Left) came out on the attack and gave the crowd what they wanted in quickly knocking down Kucharzewski early in the first round. This was followed by 2 more knockdowns that eventually ended the fight. Teachers revenge was sweet and Kucharzewski will now need to pick on someone else's student. Were hoping to see him matched up against Johnson again someday. If so, we'll bet on Johnson. His loss last year to Kucharzewski has matured him greatly and were sure he's singing those words... "Hey Kucharzewski bring it ON!" Simply put, Kucharzewski was very out of shape and simply no challenge for Roufus. who walked away with an easy opening round victory.

TOURNAMENT BOUT #2
MICHAEL McDONALD Vs JEAN-CLAUDE LEUYER

Leuyer (Right) has always been known for being a slow starter and he's often fared well in bouts of 5 rounds or more, but in a short 3 round fight, he just needs to get into his groove quicker.Leuyer was truly hoping this K-1 would end better than the last one. He went in as a heavily favored fighter against what K-1 called the "Darkhorse" of the event, Paul Lalonde. Lalonde, the unknown fighter at the time, stopped Leuyer in the opening round that put an end to his K-1 Title hopes. Leuyer hoped for revenge this time but standing in his way was McDonald. Maybe Leuyer should have focused on McDonald (Left - Above) more because it appeared as if McDonald had his way with him. However McDonald had more problems with the officials than Leuyer. In the opening round there was the bad knockdown call that was called after an inside leg kick swept him to the canvas. The referee gave him a standing 8 count which could have easily cost him the bout. (In the referee's defense, maybe the rules being used required a mandatory 8 count by the referee if a fighter's gloves touch the ring floor, or if a fighter is knocked down by a leg kick, we weren't sure.) Regardless, none of the judges scored it as a knockdown but 2 of the judges did let Leuyer have the round because of it.

There was no doubt to us that McDonald beat Leuyer in a minimum of 2 of the 3 rounds, yet to everyone's surprise, judge Dalby Shirley gave the win to Leuyer 29 to 28.5. The other judges, Al Lefkowitz gave it to McDonald 29 to 28.5 and judge Jeff Mullens gave it to McDonald 30-28 giving McDonald a surprising Split Decision victory over Leuyer. The event was using the 1/2 point scoring system which allowed this bout to appear closer than it was.

TOURNAMENT BOUT #3
MAURICE SMITH Vs PEDRO FERNANDEZ

For Smith, his round 1 bout matched him up against past K-1 competitor Pedro Fernandez of Mexico. Fernandez is remembered from entering the ring at the first K-1 USA against Rick "The Jet" Roufus and simply freezing up before eventually being knocked out cold by Roufus. Since that bout, Fernandez has been on a winning streak that included his recent TKO win earlier this year over Raul Gonzalez of Mexico City, Mexico to win the IKF Mexico National Title in a great performance in Tijuana. However last Saturday night, this Fernendez was no where to be seen as he froze up once again under the bright lights of Las Vegas against Maurice Smith. It appeared as if Big Mo just wanted to move easily to the finals as he never went for the knockout blow on his way to a unanimous decision victory over Fernandez, 30 to 27.5, 30 to 27.5 and 30 to 27.5.

TOURNAMENT BOUT #4
GUNTER SINGER Vs PAUL LALONDE

We feel we owe Gunter Singer (Left, 230 lbs of Los Angeles, CA via Austria or Australia, both have been listed in his various bios) a half apology. OK, let us explain the "Half..." As we've reported before, Singer has been an unknown to everyone. No one was able to confirm his fight record that was 20 and 0 with 18 KO's about 3 years ago and had grown to 38 - 7 and 2 with 28 KO's by about March of this year. Making it even harder to determine where those extra bouts came from was the fact that he's told everyone he hasn't fought in the last 2 years. Adding to it all were his claims of an IMTF (International MuayThai Federation) World Cruiserweight Title which the IMTF couldn't even confirm. Going into the event, we gave him the benefit of the doubt and only hoped for the best. His picture that accompanied his bio showed a trim and polished Singer with a ripped 6 pack stomach. However, at weigh-ins, it was clear that if such a look ever did appear on Singer, it was many years ago.

Singer's opponent, Paul Lalonde (Right - Above, 245 lbs of Canada) was last years (August, 2000) K-1 "Darkhorse." (as he was called in Saturday's May 5th K-1 USA Program) Last August Lalonde upset his first round opponent Jean Claude Leuyer who was heavily favored to beat him with a first round stoppage. However it's hard to believe this was the same Lalonde this year. We thought Singer was soft around the middle and needed some cardio training but a look at Lalonde proved he needed it even more. It was sad to see that neither of these 2 fighters looked anything like the ripped and cut K-1 contenders of the past. Special note... Guys, your going to appear in one of the Biggest and Greatest Fighting Events Ever... K-1!! "GET IN SHAPE!" This bout matched the 2 lowest seeds of the tournament together in the last bout of the first round. After a sluggish round 1 that saw BOTH fighters winded greatly, all 3 judges gave it to Lalonde 10-9.

Roll the presses everyone...Here's the news for you all... Round 2 was where we ate our words! All our criticism of Singer and his ability came tumbling down with what your about to read.... About 30 seconds into the second round, Singer clocked Lalonde with a solid right hand and buckled his knees. He followed this with "14" yes, FOURTEEN Unanswered punches to Lalonde's head before referee Chuck Simonini finally stepped in to call the fight at :57 seconds of round 2. Singer had shut all his critics mouths for the moment!! He may not have come in looking his lean and mean self with a six pack stomach as his picture in his press package showed but he did come with a "PUNCH!" And it landed Strong! For the moment, Singer was on top of the world as he not only made it to the Greatest Show on Earth but he "Walked the Walk" one step more with not just a win, but a "Victory By KNOCKOUT!" Mr. Singer, you got our attention, what's next?

TOURNAMENT SEMI FINALS

TOURNAMENT BOUT #5
DUKE ROUFUS Vs MICHAEL McDONALD

In McDonald's 2nd bout of the night he truly walked into the ring as the underdog against Duke Roufus. As mentioned, Roufus (Left) had made quick work in his first round bout against the one fighter who many thought would give him the most trouble, Tomasz Kucharzewski. By the time Roufus faced McDonald, he was still fresh and well rested where as McDonald had already went 3 full rounds against Leuyer. If anyone was betting now, their pick was for Roufus for those reasons alone. Round 1 appeared to be a coin toss as neither fighter dominated the round. Judges Robert Hoyle and Dalby Shirley gave it to Roufus 10-9.5 while judge Dave Moretti gave it to McDonald 10 to 9.5. In round 2, McDonald threw a wild right hand that "Completely Missed" Roufus (Clearly confirmed by the in-house instant replay) yet Roufus fell back from being off balance from a strike he threw a split second earlier. Referee Ray Balowitz mad a bad call to give Roufus a standing 8 count which cost Roufus the round and possibly the bout as well. Judges Moretti and Shirley gave the round to McDonald 10 to 9 while Hoyle gave it to McDonald 10 to 8.5. Round 3 was a clear coin toss other than the "BIG" uppercuts that McDonald scored on Roufus that snapped his head back with violent force. Regardless, Roufus took them all as if he wasn't fazed at all and the round lasted out. These might have been the deciding factor that brought all 3 judges to give the final round to McDonald, 10 to 9.5. In the end, Judge Hoyle gave the bout to McDonald 29.5 to 28, judge Moretti gave it to McDonald 30 to 28 and judge Shirley gave it to McDonald 29.5 to 28.5. It was a war that took a lot out of McDonald but he still had one bout to go. He was the surprise of the Tournament so far and many wondered what he had left after 2 great bouts.

SEMI FINAL BOUT #6
MAURICE SMITH Vs GUNTER SINGER

Although Singer shut up his critics for the moment he now faced one of the greatest fighters of all time, Maurice Smith! In all, Singer really had nothing to lose now. He already got 1 win and proved he could hit, so a loss to Smith, one of the greatest fighters of all time, wouldn't be all that bad. We wondered if we were going to see Singer act like a dear in headlights, but we were wrong AGAIN! He went into round one and looked Big Mo right in the eye and "Walked the Walk" once again. Mo smacked some jabs into those eyes but all in all Singer and Big Mo escaped round one with little energy used. However in round 2, Singer's moment of glory came crashing in as Mo decided he wanted to rest up for the finals. He landed a strong right hand to Singer's jaw and dropped him like a rock. Referee Jon Schorle waived it off without a full count and Singer laid on the ring canvas for quite some time before getting up. The bout was stopped at 26 seconds of the 2nd round. Mr. Singer, you have nothing to be ashamed about. You won a K-1 bout by KO and even though you were stopped in round 2 yourself by a KO, you can say you were knocked out by one of the greatest fighters of all time, Maurice Smith. Who knows, maybe we'll see Singer in the August K-1. But this time, we'd like to see the Singer who's in shape like in those press package pictures! You have our apology Mr. Singer.

TOURNAMENT FINAL

FINAL BOUT #7
MAURICE SMITH Vs MICHAEL McDONALD:

By the finals, it appeared Smith was still relaxed and fresh having reached the Championship Bout with less than 4 and a quarter rounds fought. On the other side of the ring, McDonald had a the harder journey. He had fought 6 hard rounds and many wondered what he had left for Smith. Would Big Mo open up in the final bout? If so, could McDonald weather the storms that lay ahead? We were about to see as the bell rang to begin the K-1 North American Championship bout. Smith came out more aggressive than in his previous 2 bouts however his added energy didn't match McDonald's continued pace he had kept through the entire event. where did McDonald get his energy from? If he has a new energy drink we want some of it! It was clear to everyone that McDonald won round 1. However, the surprise was the abused use again of the "half" point system that only gave McDonald a slight lead on the scorecards. All 3 judges, Dave Moretti, Dalby Shirley and Jeff Mullens gave it to McDonald 10 to 9.5.

Round 2 showed McDonald still having the edge and judges Moretti and Shirley again gave the round to McDonald 10 to 9.5, however, judge Mullens surprisingly gave the round to Smith 10 to 9.5. Regardless of the judges picks though, because of the 1/2 point scoring system a quick check of the math and you could determine that this was still anyones bout. Would the half point scoring play an important but negative role again?

In round 3, Smith picked up his pace with his aggressiveness and combinations landing harder shots than in the previous 2 rounds. Still though, this round was as close as the others and could have went either way. Again, the 1/2 point system come into play in this round again because this time, McDonald was only granted the half point Smith received in rounds 1 & 2 by 1 of the 3 judges, in a round that was just as close as the others. Judges Moretti and Shirley gave it to Smith 10 to 9 with no 1/2 point for McDonald while judge Mullens gave it to Smith 10 to 9.5. After 3, the scores read 29 to 29, even on Moretti's card, 29 to 29, even on Shirley's card and 29.5 to 29 for Smith on Mullens card. A Majority Draw! As in any tournament, this meant 1 more round had to be fought.
This round was obviously the "Do or Die" round and each fighter knew it as they went toe to toe in another very close round as the others. In the end, only this round counted for the decision though and judges Shirley and Mullens gave it to Smith 10 to 9.5 while Moretti had it 10-9.5 McDonald. A split decision victory for Big Maurice Smith!

Our hats go off to "BOTH" of these great fighters (Smith & McDonald) and congratulations to the Champion Maurice Smith!

Mike "MachineGun" McDonald! No, Mike didn't pick that ringname and sorry if no one likes it but we do... We picked it because of his rapid fire attacks on Saturday night and if you saw it, you would probably agree with us. Why did we say McDonald (Right) was the surprise or the "Darkhorse" of the tournament? Well, here was McDonald, the smallest of all the fighters at 209 lbs. and only 5'11" tall, yet he stood toe to toe with each opponent, Leuyer, 230, 6'3, Roufus, 220, 6'1" and Smith, 220, 6'2". Some didn't expect much from him, especially those who last saw him laying out cold in the corner of the ring at Caesars Tahoe back in 1994 after Rick "The Jet" Roufus knocked him out in a full contact rules bout. However, he only weighed 179 lbs in that bout and again, it was all above the waist rules. On Saturday, we saw a MUCH IMPROVED McDonald! In fact he was so impressive that we would suggest him to be a World Title Contender for ANY Organization! At 210 lbs, he would be a STRONG Heavyweight Contender. He may be too light for Super Heavyweight but at 210 lbs, there would be no need for him to fight for such a title. Who could he face? Maybe a rematch with former IKF MuayThai Heavyweight World Champion Duke Roufus or a rematch with current IKF International Rules Heavyweight World Champion Rick Roufus. However, money might keep either rematch from happening, but regardless, we know he's a World Title Contender, just ask anyone who saw him last Saturday night at the K-1 event in Las Vegas!McDonald surprised everyone with his excellent combinations of both hands and feet. He scored on so many things we had a hard time keeping up with them. This is why we feel he is truly a contender for any World Title. We hope to see him back in Las Vegas for the 2nd K-1 USA on August 11th, 2001!

SAME OL' MAURICE... On his way to the K-1 USA Title, Maurice Smith seemed to have a bit of fun as well and showed once again why he is also the "Peoples Choice Champion." In the middle of one of his fighting rounds on his way to the finals, Smith paused and looked out of the ring to a yelling Ray Sefo (K-1 Japan competitor shown at right) Sefo, as most fans do, was yelling his advice to Smith in the ring. What caused a laugh was that Smith calmly stopped fighting, turned and looked looked out of the ring at Sefo and answered back to him, "OK" and then turned back and continued fighting. He's always been that way and always will be that way... a great fighter who truly enjoys what he does while he's doing it. He just LOVES to Fight. With Smith though, it's more than just the money (Which of course is important to anyone with his celebrity status) or the prizes and the trophies, it's his pure joy of doing something he's great at.

But thats not all this Champion has to offer. Well spoken and intelligent, Smith has never been short on his quick wit and charisma. So as he approaches the end of his career in the next few years, where does such a Champion go? What opportunities lay ahead for him after fighting? Well, if our imput counts any, with his personality and professionalism, those involved with TV Production (of any kind, not just kickboxing or NHB) and or the big screen might want to seek him out. There's no doubt that he would add greatness to any production.