K-1 World GP in Auckland Officially Announced

[admin]

Auckland will join Amsterdam, Las Vegas and Paris as host of a K-1 GP event in 2006.

Auckland will stage the K-1 GP Auckland on March 5 2006, with the winner of the 8-man tournament (4 x Oceania vs 4 x Internationals) qualifying directly for the final eliminations in Osaka. A win in Osaka means TOKYO DOME.

Also, this event will feature two superfights, the first featuring the return to New Zealand of RAY SEFO for the first time in 10 years. At this stage the opponent being mentioned is Russian K-1 Vegas winner Ruslan Karaev in a rematch with Sefo.

In the second superfight, being considered is new K-1 world champion SEMMY SCHILT vs PETER AERTS.

The only Oceania fighter to have qualified so far is Paul Slowinski. The three others will be determined after this weekend's round on the Gold Coast. The four international fighters look like being: Cyril Abidi, Jan Nortje, Hiraku Hori and Mighty Mo.

Congratulations Dixon McIver on sealing what will be a HUGE event!

BBKB Fan Club

"The Voice" Michael Schiavello

-Editor-
International Kickboxer
Fox Sports
Fox 8
MAIN EVENT
TV2 - TVNZ

"He's taken MORE HITS than a conceirge at Russell Crowe's hotel!" -- Commentary of Sapp vs Choi, TV2, NZ

[Mojoman]

Didn't Sefo knock Karaev out the last time? Pity the Chief is already fighting in the tournament. Would've been a good time to put on a grudge match between Sefo and the Chief.

Great work by Dixon McIvor..putting NZ on the martial arts map.

"If you change the way you look at things..what you look at changes"

[admin]

Yep... Sefo smoked Karaev in only 37 seconds in Hiroshima. Since then Karaev improved out of sight and won the K-1 Vegas, won single match in Osaka and lost a controversial decision to Musashi in the GP. He has been hunting for a rematch with Sefo since the loss.

Peter will get his chance in the tournament... if he makes it.

BBKB Fan Club

"The Voice" Michael Schiavello

-Editor-
International Kickboxer
Fox Sports
Fox 8
MAIN EVENT
TV2 - TVNZ

"He's taken MORE HITS than a conceirge at Russell Crowe's hotel!" -- Commentary of Sapp vs Choi, TV2, NZ

[Mojoman]

Probably not a great time to get a rematch with Sefo after his first round exit @ the K-1 GP.

Mike - whats the story with Sefo. It was reported he was sick or something before the match?

"If you change the way you look at things..what you look at changes"

[admin]

Hey Mojoman

Have you seen much of Karaev? If you had seen his Vegas win, his Osaka win and the match against Musashi, you'd actually agree that he's the most exciting of the new bloods K-1 has uncovered. His match with Musashi went an extension, and you know how hard it is to beat Musashi by decision in the GP. In commentating it, I gave the extension round to Musashi while Ernesto Hoost gave it to Karaev, so it was agonisingly close.

As for Ray, he was as sick as a dog. I spent three days with him before the GP and he had a temperature of 38.8 degrees, which is ridiculous. Very bad case of the flu, which meant he couldn't train for 10 days prior to the fight and his energy levels were terrible. It was a pity because if you had seen him prepare with Nortje in Aukland, Ray was looking awesome, which is why most experts tipped him. He landed in Japan and bang, cops the flu, throwing up, sweating... not good.

It's interesting... I was on a mini-bus with Ray, Jerome and Ernesto the day after the fights (see my next IK editorial for more details) and Ray and Jerome both agreed they have the worst luck when it comes to the GP. Take Ray for example:

2000 - places runner up

2001 - beats Mark Hunt in Fukuoka, but injures his eye doing so, so Mark Hunt gets a second chance and wins through to Dome and wins the whole thing

2002 - checks a Hoost low kick and does his ankle... the one weak point on his body in that tournament, and reflexivley he undid himself after a great QF win over Aerts

2003 - Sick as a dog again, but K-1 begs him to be in the GP due to a weak line-up. Sefo agrees and gets beaten by Musashi by decision.

2004 - Gets ripped off by the judges against Musashi (as did everyone else)

2005 - Sick as a dog... 38.8 temperature.


In single matches Ray is a gun, but in tournaments - particular the GP - he doesn't have much luck.

Same too with Jerome:

2001 - Comes in as probably the hottest favourite in K-1 GP history and gets cleaned up by a 16 punch Hunt combination after getting suckered into a brawl.

2002 - Beats Musashi then Hunt (in a war) and gets his arm broken by Hoost in the final.

2003 - Doesn't fight.

2004 - Doesn't fight.

2005 - Training in Thailand goes wrong, comes to Japan overweight, loses it, feels great in the dressing room and then comes to the rip and the big cacca -- nothing.

Yet in single matches, Jerome blitzes pretty much everyone.


Anyway... some genuine bad luck for some guys.

BBKB Fan Club

"The Voice" Michael Schiavello

-Editor-
International Kickboxer
Fox Sports
Fox 8
MAIN EVENT
TV2 - TVNZ

"He's taken MORE HITS than a conceirge at Russell Crowe's hotel!" -- Commentary of Sapp vs Choi, TV2, NZ

[Mojoman]

Tks Mike. I haven't seen any of Karaev other than whats been reported.
I'll have to keep an eye out for him.



"If you change the way you look at things..what you look at changes"

[admin]

Check him out Mojoman... his combinations are superb. Definitely one of the future guns of K-1, along with Badr Hari, who if you can get a copy of the GP I suggest you check out his KO of Stefan Leko -- one of the worst yet most brilliant KO's you will ever see. We thought Leko was dead after it.

BBKB Fan Club

"The Voice" Michael Schiavello

-Editor-
International Kickboxer
Fox Sports
Fox 8
MAIN EVENT
TV2 - TVNZ

"He's taken MORE HITS than a conceirge at Russell Crowe's hotel!" -- Commentary of Sapp vs Choi, TV2, NZ

[mick]

when is this event in new zealand?

[Mojoman]

"Auckland will stage the K-1 GP Auckland on March 5 2006"

"If you change the way you look at things..what you look at changes"

[Downcut]

quote:
In single matches Ray is a gun, but in tournaments - particular the GP - he doesn't have much luck.


Ummm did someone say Peter Graham?

I wish Dixon was from Sydney!

[admin]

Graham will feature in the tourney if he qualifies, which he should. Win the tourney and he is in the final 16. This is Pete's ticket back into K-1's top flight if he takes it.

I'm a huge fan of Graham's, but against Sefo in a single match in Auckland I dont fancy his chances.

BBKB Fan Club

"The Voice" Michael Schiavello

-Editor-
International Kickboxer
Fox Sports
Fox 8
MAIN EVENT
TV2 - TVNZ

"He's taken MORE HITS than a conceirge at Russell Crowe's hotel!" -- Commentary of Sapp vs Choi, TV2, NZ

[Mojoman]

Agree with you Mike on Sefo vs Graham. Would still love to see it though.

Hopefully someone from Oceania can take out the tournament. Looking likely it will be Sting, Chief, Suttie and probably Pola to qualify. Will be a difficult ask though with The Giant, Abidi and Mo thrown into the mix.

"If you change the way you look at things..what you look at changes"

[admin]

If this is indeed the line up, I'd expect the matches to be:

Sting vs Nortje
Graham vs Mighty Mo
Pola vs Hori
Suttie vs Abidi


Great tournament line up that'd be!

BBKB Fan Club

"The Voice" Michael Schiavello

-Editor-
International Kickboxer
Fox Sports
Fox 8
MAIN EVENT
TV2 - TVNZ

"He's taken MORE HITS than a conceirge at Russell Crowe's hotel!" -- Commentary of Sapp vs Choi, TV2, NZ

[Pele]

Gday

Kareav is indeed a gun. His loss to Musashi was a joke. Shiavello said him and Hoost went different ways on the extension round, it was close but those couple of clean punches Kareav landed in the last 20 seconds swayed it for him. the thing one has to remember is that Karaev won all of the first three rounds. To win 4 out of 4 rounds and still lose is pathetic. I hate Musashi, he is a defensive coward who knows as long as he doesnt get his head knocked off(like Feitosa did to him) he will win every decision. Musashi has done more to destroy the sport of K1 than any other person. Death to Musashi. Bada Hari's head kick was spectacular.

Pele.

[admin]

I have to admit seeing Musashi get KTFO by Feitosa was a beautiful thing... and what a KO... from one side of the ring to the other Feitosa throws three techniques: roundkick... front kick... grab and knee to the face -- goodnight irene for Musashi.

And yeah, Badr Hari, oh my lord, what a KO.

BBKB Fan Club

"The Voice" Michael Schiavello

-Editor-
International Kickboxer
Fox Sports
Fox 8
MAIN EVENT
TV2 - TVNZ

"He's taken MORE HITS than a conceirge at Russell Crowe's hotel!" -- Commentary of Sapp vs Choi, TV2, NZ

[Matt J]

i have a soft spot for jan, get along well with him so i hope he does well.
abidi makes me shiver every time i watch him fight. i respect his toughness, no doubt about that, but does anyone actually ENJOY his fights?