For More Information, Contact Mike Afromowitz, (917) 566-8754 or mike@k-1usa.net.

PRESS RELEASE
October 10, 2003

K-1 “Final Elimination”: Greco Replaces Hoost; Venetiaan To Battle Aerts

Longtime K-1 sensation Sam Greco will replace an ailing Ernesto Hoost in tomorrow evening’s Osaka, Japan K-1 “Final Elimination” Pay-Per-View event and will square off with Hoost’s scheduled opponent, Peter Graham. Removed from the seven-fight card several weeks ago, Holland’s Jerrel Venetiaan has been reinstated to the lineup and will meet his originally scheduled opponent, three-time K-1 World Grand Prix champion, Peter Aerts.

Only two days prior to the event that will mark K-1 Japan’s debut on United States Pay-Per-View television, Hoost was forced to withdraw from his commitment due to an ongoing skin allergy. At 36 years of age, Greco, the 1994 World Karate Cup champion, boasts an outstanding 92 wins in 96 professional Karate appearances and an 18-6-2 (11 KO’s) record in K-1 competition. His best finish to date in the K-1 tournament circuit came in 1998 when he earned third place in the annual December Tokyo Dome K-1 “World Grand Prix Finals.” During the tournament’s opening round, Greco chalked up his single-best career win by scoring a first round technical knockout over Hoost.

Venetiaan, the victor of May 30th’s K-1 World Grand Prix eight-man qualifying tournament in Basel, Switzerland, was renamed to the card after K-1’s front office declared him not guilty of illegal steroid use, charges that were filed against the 32-year-old Dutch fighter after he took home the Basel tournament crown. Venetiaan has not suffered a single defeat in his last eight bouts and brings to Osaka an overall professional fighting record of 36-1-1 (19 KO’s).

K-1 is a martial arts combat sport that derives its name from its inclusion of a wide array of martial arts disciplines, including Karate, Kung-Fu, and Kickboxing (“K”), and its intent to determine one champion in one ring (“1”). After being staged for the first time in Japan in 1993 under the direction of founder Master Kazuyoshi Ishii, it later evolved into the country’s most popular sport and achieved popular culture status there as its athletes turned into larger-than-life celebrities.

PRESS RELEASE
October 10, 2003

Botha Set For K-1 Debut Tomorrow; Briggs Scheduled To Attend

While World Boxing Organization (WBO) number 10 rated heavyweight contender Francois “The White Buffalo” Botha is primed for his Pay-Per-View televised K-1 fighting debut in Osaka, Japan tomorrow evening, another familiar boxing face in Shannon Briggs will be taking in the action ringside at the Osaka Dome.

Briggs, a former heavyweight title challenger who took up martial arts training last year with the South Florida-based martial arts crew American Top Team, has repeatedly expressed his desire to pursue a fighting career under K-1 rules, which permit kicking and knee strikes in addition to western boxing. Recently, Briggs appeared as a guest on NBC network’s “Last Call” talk show hosted by Carson Daly and reiterated his interest in K-1 competition as well as his intention to “rid the world” of former undisputed heavyweight boxing champion, “Iron” Mike Tyson.” To date, Briggs has not stepped in the ring to compete under K-1 rules.

On September 23rd, K-1 announced that it officially signed Botha, who sports a record of 44-4-2 (28 KO’s), in the world of professional boxing. Originally, the promotion penciled in world Muay Thai kickboxing champion and two-time K-1 World Grand Prix runner up, Jerome LeBanner, as Botha’s opponent. When LeBanner was forced to withdraw from the event last week due to a fractured left arm that he sustained during training camp, K-1 named another one of its longtime veterans, French kickboxing champion Cyril Abidi, as Botha’s opponent.

K-1 is a martial arts combat sport that derives its name from its inclusion of a wide array of martial arts disciplines, including Karate, Kung-Fu, and Kickboxing (“K”), and its intent to determine one champion in one ring (“1”). After being staged for the first time in Japan in 1993 under the direction of founder Master Kazuyoshi Ishii, it later evolved into the country’s most popular sport and achieved popular culture status there as its athletes turned into larger-than-life celebrities.

PRESS RELEASE
October 3, 2003

With the Saturday, October 11th K-1 "Final Elimination" card just around the corner, the seven matchups for the Osaka, Japan card have been hammered out. Here is the lay of the land for the first K-1 Japan event in history that will air live on United States Pay-Per-View television:

Peter Aerts (Holland) vs. Jerrel Venetiaan (Holland)

Ray Sefo (New Zealand) vs. Carter Williams (United States)

Francisco Filho (Brazil) vs. Stefan Leko (Germany)

Alexey Ignashov (Belarus) vs. Mike Bernardo (Republic of South Africa)

Ernesto Hoost (Holland) vs. Cyril Abidi (France)

Bob Sapp (United States) vs. Remy Bonjasky (Holland)

Jerome LeBanner (France) vs. Francois Botha (Republic of South Africa)

At 32 years of age, Peter Aerts is seeking his 4th career K-1 World Grand Prix title. While injuries plagued him during the second half of 2001 and the first quarter of 2002, "The Dutch Lumberjack" imposed his will this year and racked up enough victories to earn a spot in the October 11th event that will award each of its single fight winners a place in December 7th's World Grand Prix Finals tournament. Another one of Holland's promising talents, Jerrel Venetiaan earned his place in the "Final Elimination" loop by defeating three straight opponents during May 30th's K-1 World Grand Prix single-elimination tournament in Basel, Switzerland.

Making his debut in Japan, 23-year-old American Carter Williams will be overmatched by K-1 veteran Ray Sefo in terms of fighting experience in K-1's birthplace, but not in terms of raw talent. Beginning with his May K-1 USA tournament win when he outpointed defending champion Michael McDonald and stopped Japan's Yusuke Fujimoto and six-time world kickboxing champion Rick Roufus, Williams proved he belongs in the big show. Since that career breakthrough night, Williams has reeled off four more consecutive victories, three of which came by way of knockout. Sefo, a former International Sport Karate Association (ISKA) world kickboxing champion and the 2000 K-1 World Grand Prix Finals runner-up, enjoys the status of one of K-1's most popular athletes. 2002 was arguably the New Zealander's best year to date on the fighting circuit as he earned five wins in six appearances.

On July 13th, Brazilian Kyokushin Karate star, Francisco Filho, made his long-awaited return to K-1 action after back-to-back knee and shoulder injuries sidelined him for over 12 months. Filho's appearance on October 11th will be his second of the year since he fought fellow K-1 standout Mike Bernardo to a draw during his comeback fight in Fukuoka, Japan. Germany's Stefan "Blitz" Leko has become an increasingly dangerous force in "The New Fighting Sport" since he took the August 2001 K-1 World Grand Prix Semifinals crown by brutally knocking out Aerts in the championship round of the eight-man single elimination tournament at Las Vegas, Nevada's Bellagio Hotel and Casino. Team Glory mentor and mastermind kickboxing trainer, Cor Hemmers of Holland, who assumed command over Leko's training last year, is credited as the primary force behind his 29-year-old protégé's improvement.

25-year-old Alexey Ignashov has earned the respect of his international competition during his three years of activity in the K-1 Superheavyweight circuit. The 6'5", 239 pound fighter's long knees are recognized as one of the most potent forces in the fight game and have earned him the nickname "The Scorpion." South African Mike Bernardo has repeatedly beaten his top-flight opponents to the punch with superior western boxing skills that led him to the World Boxing Federation (WBF) Heavyweight championship several years ago. Bernardo has gone as far as the championship round of the World Grand Prix Finals tournament in 1996, but has not yet stood in the winner's circle of the Tokyo Dome.

Aside from being the most accomplished fighter in K-1 history with a record four World Grand Prix titles under his belt, Holland's Ernesto Hoost has shown that he is, perhaps, the tournament's most durable fighter who deserves an "Iron Man" award for his refusal to slow down at the age of 38. 2003 has been another year under sun for Hoost, who picked up victories in both of his appearances earlier this year. In 1999, French kickboxer Cyril Abidi debuted in K-1 competition with a brilliant five-round victory over Petar Majstorovic and followed the performance up with two consecutive knockouts over Aerts and a technical knockout over Sefo. Since that early stage of his career, though, Abidi has experienced some rough times as he was twice viciously mauled last year by opponents possessing much lesser stand-up fighting experience in Sapp and mixed martial arts heavyweight contender, Quinton Jackson.

On August 15th, appearances by Sapp and Remy Bonjasky highlighted the K-1 "Battle At The Bellagio" Las Vegas card. While the 6'3", 365-pound Sapp narrowly escaped the clutches of Superfight opponent Kimo by recovering from a knockdown and delivering his own high-powered knockout blow, Bonjasky put on an aggressive and dynamic display of high-flying kicks and knees to capture the eight-man tournament championship and the admiration of the 8,000 spectators in attendance. Labeled time and time again as the "next Ernesto Hoost," Bonjasky is expected to be tested next week as he will face a fighter who carries over one hundred pounds more than him and one who enjoys punishing his opponents at close range where Bonjasky often strikes with his airborne tactics. Sapp is coming off of a September 21st first round victory over fellow former NFL player, Stefan Gamlin.

Styles will likely collide most when two-time K-1 World Grand Prix Finals runner-up Jerome LeBanner squares off with the event's curveball in heavyweight boxing contender, Francois Botha. Added to the card last week after he came to terms with K-1's front office in Japan, Botha will test his elite western boxing skills under K-1 rules for the first time. LeBanner, a swing-for-the-fences style fighter who sustained a broken elbow during his World Grand Prix Finals championship round bout with Hoost last December, reaffirmed his standing as one of the sport's best by earning victories during both of his ring appearances this year. The French kickboxer, whose defensive skills have been questioned at times, could very well be taken to task by the polished punching techniques of his World Boxing Organization (WBO) number 10-rated opponent.

PRESS RELEASE
September 29, 2003

Boxing's Francois Botha Signs With K-1; Will Debut Versus LeBanner in Osaka October 11th

In the wake of the Mike Tyson signing, K-1's most widely publicized acquisition to date, another top 10 boxing contender in Francois "The White Buffalo" Botha, will join the ranks of "The New Fighting Sport" and will make his K-1 rules fighting debut in Osaka, Japan's K-1 "Final Elimination" event on October 11th. Botha will face world Muay Thai kickboxing champion, Jerome LeBanner during the Osaka seven fight card that will be televised live on United States Pay-Per-View television.

The Botha signing came shortly after the 35-year-old boxer initiated a verbal confrontation with K-1 megastar Bob "The Beast" Sapp following Sapp's first-round victory over fellow former NFL player Stephan Gamlin during the Sunday, September 21st K-1 "Survival 2003" card in Yokohama, Japan where Botha was on-hand as a spectator and guest of the K-1 organization. The exchange between Sapp and Botha, which turned into a shoving match, bore likeness to the showdown that unfolded between Tyson and Sapp on August 15th immediately after Sapp's victory at K-1 "Battle At The Bellagio" in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Rated number 10 by The World Boxing Organization (WBO), Botha of Witbank, South Africa is also a former International Boxing Federation (IBF) World Heavyweight champion who boasts a professional boxing record of 44-4-2 (28 KO's). The four losses on Botha's record came at the hands of Lennox Lewis, Wladimir Klitschko, Michael Moorer, and Mike Tyson, all of whom have been heavyweight champions.

Botha's October 11th opponent, Jerome LeBanner, is recognized as one of the most accomplished and brightest fighters in the history of K-1. Twice, in 1995 and last year, he reached the championship round of the K-1 World Grand Prix Finals, the eight-man single-elimination tournament staged on the first Sunday of every December in Tokyo, Japan's 70,000-capacity Tokyo Dome. LeBanner is also the reigning International Sport Karate Association (ISKA) World Superheavyweight Muay Thai kickboxing champion.

K-1 is a martial arts combat sport that derives its name from its inclusion of a wide array of martial arts disciplines, including Karate, Kung-Fu, and Kickboxing ("K"), and its intent to determine one champion in one ring ("1"). After being staged for the first time in Japan in 1993 under the direction of founder Master Kazuyoshi Ishii, it later evolved into the country's most popular sport and achieved popular culture status there as its athletes turned into larger-than-life celebrities.

PRESS RELEASE
September 19, 2003

October 11th “Final Elimination” Marks K-1 Japan’s United States Pay-Per-View Debut

New York, NY…. For the first time in history, K-1 Japan will bring the grandeur of its prominent fighting sport to American households when K-1 “Final Elimination” airs on United States Pay-Per-View television at 10 PM Eastern Standard Time (7 PM Pacific Standard Time) on Saturday, October 11th. The event will be staged in Osaka, Japan’s 50,000-fan capacity Osaka Dome.

The United States television production of the October 11th card will be presented as part of the joint marketing venture formed between K-1 USA and ESPN earlier this year. The event will be broadcast on DirecTV, InDemand, TVN, and Dish Network Pay-Per-View television outlets.

The lineup for the Osaka K-1 “Final Elimination” event will be comprised of 14 of the sport’s elite combatants who were either victorious in a Grand Prix single-elimination tournament earlier this year or who posted other victories of great significance. The scheduled fighters will be matched up in seven single bouts and the winner of each contest will be awarded a spot in the annual December K-1 “2003 World Championship” eight-man, single-elimination tournament held in Tokyo, Japan’s Tokyo Dome.

While the complete lineup of competitors for the October 11th event has not yet been confirmed it is certain that two Americans, Bob Sapp and Carter Williams, will be amongst those who will throw down. Since he twice knocked out K-1’s most accomplished athlete in “Mr. Perfect” Ernesto Hoost last year, Sapp has evolved into a larger-than-life celebrity in Japan and a fixture on the country’s K-1 fight cards. Williams earned his place in the October loop on May 2nd when, as a little known underdog, he defeated three straight opponents including defending champion Michael McDonald and six-time world kickboxing champion, Rick “The Jet” Roufus, to take the 2003 K-1 USA crown on May 2nd.

Amongst the others scheduled to do battle thus far are Hoost (Holland), three-time K-1 World Grand Prix champion Peter Aerts (Holland), Jerome LeBanner (France), Ray “Sugarfoot” Sefo (New Zealand), Stefan “Blitz” Leko (Germany), Francisco Filho (Brazil), Alexey Ignashov (Belarus), and August 15th’s K-1 “Battle At The Bellagio” tournament victor, Remy Bonjasky (Holland).

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