World Kickboxing Network

World Kickboxing Network

Abbreviation	WKN
Formation	October 1994
Founders	Stephane Cabrera Olivier Muller Billy Murray
Founded at	France
Region served	Worldwide
Official language	English
President	Stephane Cabrera
Website	www.worldkickboxingnetwork.net
Remarks	WKN initially founded as a subsidiary of International Sport Karate Association. The organizations split in 1998.

The World Kickboxing Network (WKN) is an international Kickboxing governing body established in 1994. ^[1]

History

In 1994, the World Kickboxing Network was founded as a subsidiary of International Sport Karate Association (ISKA) to capture new markets. The ISKA's operations were concentrated in the North American market, while WKN was focusing in Europe. In the 1990s there was strong competition between kickboxing federations. ^[1] Both organizations split in late 1998 due to minor disagreements. The newly created team was chaired by Frenchman Stephane Cabrerra, Billy Murray and Olivier Muller. ^[2]

On September 19, 1998, WKN became the first organization to promote a world championship in Muay Thai on the same event as a boxing world championship. Jérôme Le Banner vs. Espedito Da Silva for the WKN World super heavyweight Muay Thai title was sanctioned on the undercard of Evander Holyfield vs. Vaughn Bean for the WBA and IBF heavyweight titles at Georgia Dome in Atlanta. ^[3] The event was organized in collaboration with promoter Don King whom raised the hand of Le Banner, ^[4] crowned new WKN Muay Thai world champion after knocking out Da Silva in the first-round. ^[5]

On October 22, 2004, WKN made history in kickboxing by promoting the first kickboxing world championship bout in Romania. Samir Mohamed vs. Alexander Kozachenko for the WKN World super lightweight title headlined the Eurosport and Pro TV televised event Local Kombat 10 in the city of Brăila.^{[ citation needed ]} The local Kombat promotion later developed into the Superkombat Fighting Championship, ^{[6] [7]} with its winners competing for the WKN titles. ^{[8] [9]}

In January 2011, International Vale Tudo Championship (IVC) announced its return with a new ruleset based on the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. ^[10] On August 20, 2016, WKN brought IVC back to the international scene by co-promoting Micheletti Vs. Ortiz for the WKN World super cruiserweight World title ^[11] in the main event of IVC 15 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. ^[3] The event also included MMA bouts. ^{[12] [13]} Micheletti defeated Ortiz and took the title by knockout in the first round. After IVC 15, there were no more events and the organization is currently on hiatus. ^[14] After IVC 15 there were no more events and the organization is currently on hiatus. ^[15]

In 2014, WKN launched a world series of international kickboxing events named Simply the Best which was broadcast on FOX Sports ^[16] and SFR Sport 5. ^[17]

WKN World Cup

WKN World Cup 2009 Paceville, St. Julian's, Malta

The event took place in St. Julian's, Malta on September 19, 2009 with up to 13 countries partaking, including Malta, Corsica, Belgium, Egypt, France, Poland, UK, among others. ^[18]

WKN World Cup 2019 Auckland, New Zealand

The event was held from November 28 to November 30, 2019, as an amateur championship contested by international athletes in their respective weight classes. It took place at The Trusts Arena in Auckland, New Zealand with up to 60 countries participating. The event marked the first time kickboxing and mixed martial arts world championships were contested at the same event in New Zealand. ^[19] The WKN World Middleweight MMA title bout between Kelvin Joseph and Roan Carneiro ^{[20] [21]} as well as the WKN World Super Heavyweight championship bout between the champion Gregory Tony and former UFC Heavyweight title challenger and former Cage Rage World Heavyweight champion Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva were expected to headline the last day of competition. ^[22]

The fight between Tony and Silva was cancelled, as Silva was not medically cleared after being knocked out in his previous bout. ^[23] Carneiro won the fight against Joseph and took the title by submission in the first round. ^[24]

WKN World Cup 2017 Tehran, Iran

The event was held in Tehran, Iran on March 10, 2017 with 12 countries participating. ^{[ citation needed ]}

WKN Champions

• Tyrone Spong
• Jerome Le Banner
• Batu Khasikov
• Nathan Corbett
• John Wayne Parr
• Artem Levin
• Corentin Jallon
• Riyadh Al-Azzawi
• Vladimir Mineev
• Andrei Kulebin
• Yohan Lidon
• Xhavit Bajrami
• Dmitry Shakuta
• Alexander Ustinov
• Daniel Ghiță
• Cătălin Moroșanu
• Ionuț Atodiresei
• Amancio Paraschiv
• Ionuț Iftimoaie
• Nicolas Wamba
• Siniša Kovačić
• Ekaterina Vandaryeva
• Ondřej Hutník
• Youssef Boughanem
• Brandon Vieira
• Federico Roma
• Sudsakorn Sor Klinmee
• Jacko Ali
• Simon Dore

^[25]

Champions by weight class

WKN uses the following weight divisions.

Weight class name	Upper limit	Full Contact Champions	Kickboxing Champions	Oriental Rules Champions	K-1 Rules Champions	Muay Thai Champions
Flyweight	117 lb (53.070 kg)	Vacant	Vacant	Samvel Babayan	Vacant	Stella Ortiz
Super Flyweight	121 lb (54.885 kg)	Ignacio Capllonch	Vacant	Vacant	Vacant	Vacant
Bantamweight	125 lb (56.699 kg)	Emidio Molinari	Vacant	Ignacio Capllonch	Vacant	Carlos Coello
Super Bantamweight	129 lb (58.513 kg)	Gerard Linder	Sinisa Kovavic	Marin Vrdoljak	Brandon Vieira	Vacant	Federico Roma
Featherweight	133 lb (60.328 kg)	Keith Azzopardi	Gaylord Montier	Jay Snoddon	Jay Snoddon	Yordniyom Yuttakangumtorn
Super Featherweight	137 lb (62.142 kg)	Sultanishvili Tsotne	Brandon Vieira	Karim Bennoui	Vacant	Benphet Asontep Phromsorn
Lightweight	142 lb (64.410 kg)	Yannick Reine	Bryan Lang	Emile Hanna	Khyzer Hayat
Super Lightweight	147 lb (66.678 kg)	Kamel Jebir	Mohamed Galaoui	Hakim Ketaieb	Vacant	Vacant
Welterweight	154 lb (69.853 kg)	Bruce Codron	Vacant	Lee Sung-hyun	Vacant	Arbi Emiev
Super Welterweight	161 lb (73.028 kg)	Ludovic Millet	Christian Berthely	Jordi Requejo	Vacant	Youssef Boughanem
Middleweight	168 lb (76.204 kg)	Vacant	Vacant	Milan Kratochvila	Vacant	Toby Smith
Super Middleweight	175 lb (79.379 kg)	Vacant	Dylan Colin	Yohan Lidon	Vacant	Vacant
Light Heavyweight	182 lb (82.554 kg)	Vacant	Vacant	Vacant	Vacant	Steven Mendes Furtado
Super Light Heavyweight	189 lb (85.729 kg)	Vacant	Vacant	Gregory Grossi	Vacant	Rahmani Madani
Cruiserweight	196 lb (88.904 kg)	Mohammed Al-Azzawi	Vacant	Corentin Jallon	Vacant	Artem Levin
Super Cruiserweight	203 lb (92.079 kg)	Riyadh Al-Azzawi	Vacant	Bob Dhcamad Armstrong	Felipe Micheletti	Gerardo Atti
Heavyweight	230 lb (104.326 kg)	Vacant	Vladimir Mineev	Stephane Susperregui	Vacant	Vacant
Super Heavyweight	Unlimited	Vacant	Vacant	Tomasz Sarara	Grégory Tony	Yassine Boughanem

See also

• Kickboxing
• List of kickboxing organizations
• World Association of Kickboxing Organizations
• World Kickboxing Association

Sources

Books and articles

• (in French) "A History of Full Contact Karate
• "A History of Kickboxing" – Mikes Miles
• (in French) Delmas Alain, Callière Jean-Roger, Histoire du Kick-boxing, FKBDA, France, 1998
• (in French) Delmas Alain, Définition du Kick-boxing, FKBDA, France, 1999
• Miles Mikes, site An interview with Joe Lewis, 1998

References

1. Ashley Martin (16 April 2012). The Complete Martial Arts Training Manual: An Integrated Approach. Tuttle. ISBN   9781462905553.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
2. "American kickboxing History". Dragon MMA Academy. 3 February 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-02-03.
3. Vale Tudo Partnership. Black Belt Magazine. January 2000. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
4. "Jérôme Le Banner, poing final". Corse-Matin (in French). May 2014. 1998 Champion du Monde de Muay Thaï W.K.N. des poids super-lourds
5. "Jérôme Le Banner, poing final". Street Press. Karaté Bushido. October 1998.
   • "KARATE BUSHIDO n°261 OCTOBRE 1998 EN NUMERIQUE - Karaté Bushido". Karaté Bushido. 14 March 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-03-14.
6. "Iftimoaie, vedeta la Cluj". Libertatea (in Romanian). 10 February 2005.
7. "Festival K-1, PRO TV". Libertatea (in Romanian). 28 September 2006.
8. "Ionuț Iftimoaie a devenit campion mondial al versiunilor Superkombat și WKN în fața a 30.000 de oameni". Libertatea (in Romanian). 7 August 2016.
9. "Ionut Iftimoaie a devenit campion mondial al versiunilor Superkombat si WKN". Stirilekanald (in Romanian). 8 August 2016.
10. Marcelo Alonso (Jan 24, 2012). "Old-School Vale Tudo Org IVC Returns with New Rules, Cage". Sherdog .
    • "IVC 15 - The New Era". Sherdog . Retrieved 28 August 2022.
11. "IVC retorna com Kickboxing". Boxeando (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2016-12-22. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
12. "IVC 15 - The New Era". Sherdog .
13. "Felipe Micheletti disputa cinturão no IVC 15". MMA Mais (in Portuguese).
    • "Felipe Micheletti disputa o cinturão mundial World Kickboxing Network". Cruzeiro do Sol (in Portuguese).
    • "Após 15 anos do último evento, IVC volta a ativa neste sábado no interior de São Paulo; saiba mais". Boa Informacao (in Portuguese).
    • "Saiba mais sobre o histórico IVC que estará de volta neste sábado, em Sorocaba". Tvfight.tv (in Portuguese).
    • "Micheletti derrota argentino e conquista o cinturão da WKN". Cruizero do Sul (in Portuguese).
14. "International Vale Tudo Championship - IVC". Tapology. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
15. "International Vale Tudo Championship - IVC - MMA Promoter". Tapology. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
16. "Simply The Best "Argentina Fight Night" Live por FOX Sports Este viernes". MMA.uno (in Spanish).
17. "Kombat Sport – En Juin sur SFR Sport 5". Kombat Sport (in French).
18. "Kickboxing : 14 Countries represented at the first WKN World Cup in Malta - The Malta Independent". The Malta Independent . Retrieved 2019-06-24.
19. "Combat sport World Cup coming to New Zealand in November". Newshub . 2019-06-21. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
20. "Mark Hunt's epic battle remembered as Antonio 'Bigfoot' Silva announced to fight in Auckland". Stuff . 20 June 2019. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
21. Adyn Ogle (26 June 2019). "MMA: Tauranga's Kelvin Joseph eyes world title fight in New Zealand". The New Zealand Herald . ISSN   1170-0777.
22. "Kickboxing : Greg Tony s'attaque à "Bigfoot", la star de l'UFC". L'Est Républicain . 13 April 2019.
    • Lennart Van Arendonk (21 June 2019). "WKN titelgevecht tussen Antonio 'Bigfoot' Silva vs. Gregory Tony krijgt datum". MMA DNA (in Dutch).
    • Sean Va Dinter (13 April 2019). "WKN Kickboks Title UFC Veteraan Big Foot De Ring In". Vech Sport Info (in Dutch).
    • "Бигфут" Сильва подерется за титул чемпиона WKN в супертяжелом весе"". Vech Sport Info (in Russian). Retrieved 28 August 2022.
23. "MMA: Antonio 'Bigfoot' Silva withdrawn for scheduled fight at Kickboxing and MMA World Cup in New Zealand". The New Zealand Herald . ISSN   1170-0777.
24. "Roan 'Jucao' Carneiro wins WKN middleweight MMA title at NZ World Cup". MMA India. 2 December 2019.
25. "Current WKN World champions". WKN.
    • "Current WKN European champions". WKN.
    • "Tyrone Spong, the 'Bo Jackson of combat sports,' primed for Big Knockout Boxing bout". Las Vegas Sun . 25 June 2015.
    • "Moroccan Boughanem Brothers Become Muay Thai WKN World Champions". Morocco World News .
    • "Kick Boxing : Jérôme Le Banner termine sa tournée d'adieu par une victoire". France 3 Regions (in French). 5 August 2015.

External links

• World Kickboxing Network (WKN) Official Website