Nicky
22-12-2004, 15:14
The reason that 2004 Olympic gold medalist Greco-Roman wrestler Karam Gaber Ibrahim of Egypt was not in New York this past weekend for the annual New York Athletic Club Open Christmas International Wrestling Championships is not that hard to understand. There is one main reason, or many of them, depending upon how you look at it.
Gaber, as he is best known in wrestling circles, won that event in 2002 and 2003 in Greco-Roman wrestling in the 96 kg weight class. Considered by many to be the best wrestler in the world today, he was expected to win again this year. The top prize in each weight class at this event is $1000. That amount is actually quite good, going by the standards of the usually impoverished world of international wrestling.
This year he had another offer, however, and it was the offer of a lifetime. Gaber and the K-1 organization had been negotiating about him entering the world of mixed martial arts, beginning with a fight on K-1's big upcoming New Year's Eve show. According to the information we have, K-1's offer was: a $1.2 million contract.
Gaber is now in Japan, preparing for his K-1 fight. And it doesn't take a mathematician to calculate why.
Gaber, as he is best known in wrestling circles, won that event in 2002 and 2003 in Greco-Roman wrestling in the 96 kg weight class. Considered by many to be the best wrestler in the world today, he was expected to win again this year. The top prize in each weight class at this event is $1000. That amount is actually quite good, going by the standards of the usually impoverished world of international wrestling.
This year he had another offer, however, and it was the offer of a lifetime. Gaber and the K-1 organization had been negotiating about him entering the world of mixed martial arts, beginning with a fight on K-1's big upcoming New Year's Eve show. According to the information we have, K-1's offer was: a $1.2 million contract.
Gaber is now in Japan, preparing for his K-1 fight. And it doesn't take a mathematician to calculate why.