People of Kickboxing

Kickboxing: 7 documented people. Founder: Osamu Noguchi. Also: master (1), champion (2), notable figure (2), organisation / official (1).

Founder (1)

Osamu NoguchiJapanese boxing promoter (1934–2016) who founded the Japan Kickboxing Association in 1966 and, according to sources, coined the word kickboxing.

Master (1)

Thom HarinckMaster: Dutch KickboxingDutch trainer, founder of the Amsterdam Chakuriki Gym (1972) and of the NKBB, MTBN, WMTA and EMTA federations, teacher of Peter Aerts and Badr Hari, among others.

Champion (2)

Benny UrquidezAmerican pioneer of full-contact kickboxing nicknamed "The Jet", who defended his WKA title in the lightweight and super lightweight divisions fourteen times between 1976 and 1985.Peter AertsDutch kickboxer from Eindhoven, three-time winner of the K-1 World Grand Prix (1994, 1995, 1998), nicknamed The Dutch Lumberjack.

Notable figure (2)

Jean-Claude Van DammeBelgian actor and former competitive karateka and kickboxer with a 2nd dan in Shotokan karate, who rose to fame with the films Bloodsport (1988) and Kickboxer (1989).Scott AdkinsBritish action film actor with a black belt in taekwondo, known for the role of the fighter Yuri Boyka in the film Undisputed II: Last Man Standing (2006) and its sequels.

Organisation / official (1)

Kazuyoshi IshiiFounder of Seidokaikan karate who organised the first K-1 Grand Prix at Tokyo's Yoyogi hall in April 1993 and earlier ran Ashihara's dojo in the Kansai region.

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