Chico
18-12-2007, 17:55
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/sports/2007/12/136_15367.html
Freak Show?
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/news/071209_p18_freak.jpg
Fedor Emelianenko, top, here in his 2005 fight with Mirko ``Cro Cop’’ Filipovic, could fight struggling South Korean kick-boxer Choi Hong-man, in box, in a New Year’s Eve event in Japan. / Korea Times File
Slumping ‘‘Goliath’’ Choi Linked to Emelianenko Fight
By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
Bumbling South Korean kickboxer Choi Hong-man has always walked the thin line between comedy and tragedy, but he now seems ripe for a push over the cliff in either direction.
According to a spokesman from the Korean branch of the Fighting & Entertainment Group (FEG), which holds the contractual rights for Choi, the colossal 27-year-old could face Fedor Emelianenko, widely considered the top heavyweight fighter in the world, in a New Year's Eve tournament in Saitama, Japan.
``The talks are true. The match becomes either official or a nonevent by the end of the week,'' said the FEG official.
``Choi is just fresh off his K-1 match with Jerome LeBanner, so that is certainly a concern in the talks for the possible Fedor fight. However, there is a real possibility that the two will fight.''
The Choi-Emelianenko match-up is discussed as the main card for the ``Yarennoka! New Year's Eve!'' tournament held at the Saitama Super Arena on Dec. 31.
The one-shot event is designed as a tribute to PRIDE, the Japanese mixed martial arts (MMA) organization that was acquired earlier this year by U.S. sports promotion company Zuffa, which owns the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
M-1 Global, which holds the rights for Emelianenko, has agreed to lend their Russian superstar for the ``Yarennoka!'' event, and Choi could be the FEG representative.
The deal-breaker for the Choi-Emelianenko matchup could be the fight rules. Choi, a K-1 fighter, wants a stand-up fight, while Emelianenko, the former PRIDE champion, prefers fighting under MMA rules that allow striking, grappling and ground fighting.
Not that the gingerly Korean had earned the credentials to deserve a shot at Emelianenko, a peerless champion in his PRIDE days who was dubbed as ``The Last Emperor'' by his legion of fans.
Choi is still licking the wounds from his embarrassing loss to LeBanner Saturday, when he barely threatened the hard-hitting Frenchman and was fortunate to avoid a knockout.
The loss was especially embarrassing since it was the first match since Choi turned himself into a national joke last month by releasing a hip-hop album with model and wannabe pop star Kang Su-hui, although LeBanner would surely say he did well for a singer.
Among the biggest fighters in the world at 2.18 meters and 160 kilograms, Choi, a former folk wrestling champion, is good at being tall but not much else, a walking eyesore of an athlete who fights with the skills and grace of a potato.
Choi, whose 12-4 record was padded by matches with scrap-heap fighters and wash-ups, has beaten only one top-echelon opponent in his career, edging current K-1 champ Semmy Schilt in points last year, and that was from a controversial decision.
Considering his limited talent and questionable work ethic, the world's biggest rapper seems the only title Choi might ever win.
[email protected] ([email protected])
==============
geloof dat ie in eigen land niet echt populair is.
Freak Show?
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/news/071209_p18_freak.jpg
Fedor Emelianenko, top, here in his 2005 fight with Mirko ``Cro Cop’’ Filipovic, could fight struggling South Korean kick-boxer Choi Hong-man, in box, in a New Year’s Eve event in Japan. / Korea Times File
Slumping ‘‘Goliath’’ Choi Linked to Emelianenko Fight
By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
Bumbling South Korean kickboxer Choi Hong-man has always walked the thin line between comedy and tragedy, but he now seems ripe for a push over the cliff in either direction.
According to a spokesman from the Korean branch of the Fighting & Entertainment Group (FEG), which holds the contractual rights for Choi, the colossal 27-year-old could face Fedor Emelianenko, widely considered the top heavyweight fighter in the world, in a New Year's Eve tournament in Saitama, Japan.
``The talks are true. The match becomes either official or a nonevent by the end of the week,'' said the FEG official.
``Choi is just fresh off his K-1 match with Jerome LeBanner, so that is certainly a concern in the talks for the possible Fedor fight. However, there is a real possibility that the two will fight.''
The Choi-Emelianenko match-up is discussed as the main card for the ``Yarennoka! New Year's Eve!'' tournament held at the Saitama Super Arena on Dec. 31.
The one-shot event is designed as a tribute to PRIDE, the Japanese mixed martial arts (MMA) organization that was acquired earlier this year by U.S. sports promotion company Zuffa, which owns the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
M-1 Global, which holds the rights for Emelianenko, has agreed to lend their Russian superstar for the ``Yarennoka!'' event, and Choi could be the FEG representative.
The deal-breaker for the Choi-Emelianenko matchup could be the fight rules. Choi, a K-1 fighter, wants a stand-up fight, while Emelianenko, the former PRIDE champion, prefers fighting under MMA rules that allow striking, grappling and ground fighting.
Not that the gingerly Korean had earned the credentials to deserve a shot at Emelianenko, a peerless champion in his PRIDE days who was dubbed as ``The Last Emperor'' by his legion of fans.
Choi is still licking the wounds from his embarrassing loss to LeBanner Saturday, when he barely threatened the hard-hitting Frenchman and was fortunate to avoid a knockout.
The loss was especially embarrassing since it was the first match since Choi turned himself into a national joke last month by releasing a hip-hop album with model and wannabe pop star Kang Su-hui, although LeBanner would surely say he did well for a singer.
Among the biggest fighters in the world at 2.18 meters and 160 kilograms, Choi, a former folk wrestling champion, is good at being tall but not much else, a walking eyesore of an athlete who fights with the skills and grace of a potato.
Choi, whose 12-4 record was padded by matches with scrap-heap fighters and wash-ups, has beaten only one top-echelon opponent in his career, edging current K-1 champ Semmy Schilt in points last year, and that was from a controversial decision.
Considering his limited talent and questionable work ethic, the world's biggest rapper seems the only title Choi might ever win.
[email protected] ([email protected])
==============
geloof dat ie in eigen land niet echt populair is.