I have to admit, as proud as everyone involved here was with Bushido, and we do honestly believe in what we did, some of the toughest and meanest bar room brawlers I've ever run into were American style wrestlers who were really into the "show biz" while wrestling in the squared circle. I've seen it one too many times when Gary Albright and I would go to get a few beers when we were off duty at the local bars and we'd have some of the American style wrestlers join us when they happened to be in the same town.

Naturally, some muscle-heads from one of the military bases, people who claimed to be boxers, karate-ka, judo-ka, martial artists, what have you, would start trouble and feel that they had to test us just because we were hanging out with some "show" wrestlers, despite the fact that we were just minding our own business and keeping to ourselves.

None of those "challengers" even came close to going the distance with them. It goes without saying, but Gary would always do just as well and I've never seen him break a sweat in a straight bar room brawl. It was always quick, if you blinked you generally missed the whole thing. We really didn't get into fights, it was more like a five year old attempting to fight an adult.

It can be said that styles of wrestling which are more entertainment oriented are a lot tougher than what we did. Sure, the durations of their matches are close to ours, but many of those wrestlers are wrestling 300 matches a year, sometimes more than one match a day, not to mention that they are in a different town or country almost every night and have to deal with the long travel, fatigue, and work through serious injuries from ridiculously dangerous moves and techniques which take place during the matches yet continue to go on with the schedule while we did only one match per month in our style.

Look at all of the serious crippling injuries and number of deaths which occur in certain circles of pro-wrestling that statistically makes boxing, kick-boxing, MMA, UWFi, and all of the other contact sports look extremely safe. As far as the number of injuries and deaths in wrestling, is it the same or has it increased since the Pancratium? You tell me.

Yes, in many ways our style of wrestling was tougher than boxing, Pride or the UFC. The duration of most of the matches were much longer than a typical MMA style bout, and we did not have any rounds.

However, in many ways it was safer than the sports which I have just mentioned. To tell the truth, many entertainment styles of wrestling are much more dangerous than what was presented on Bushido. I hate it when someone who doesn't understand entertainment styles of wrestling says that "if it's all fake, how can anyone get hurt." You ever hear that irritating comment before?

Yep, you've probably heard it until you feel like vomiting (on the ignorant person who really doesn't understand a thing about those types of wrestling styles but is a self-proclaimed authoritative voice). Typically, people who infrequently watch such forms of wrestling feel that they're the authority regarding the "It's all fake, and that's that" department.

Yep, steroids are the cause of ALL problems and in "real" fighting we cannot allow bare hands or hitting below the belt, that would be gutter fighting, right? I guess certain stereotypes will never die and ever since the cat was let out of the bag regarding the George Hackenschmidt vs Frank Gotch fiasco, pro-wrestling will be surrounded by such stereotypes as being "not on the level".

Let me think… fixed matches have never taken place in boxing or any other sport for that matter while no one in the Olympics takes performance enhancing drugs due to the "fail-proof" drug testing policies and they would be banned for life.

Lucha Libre is nothing but a form of entertainment with no real value as far as a legitimate fighting form, but when some 90 pound wannabe who would get his clock cleaned by any Mexican Luchador claiming he was trained in the "lost" ancient form (because no one, even in the fight game is familiar with it, hence the "lost art") of "Hu-Flung Dung" throws on a karate/judo/kung-fu gi he ordered through a magazine, takes three deep breaths and throws their hands around in a meaningless performance giving off some "oriental mystique" those same wrestling-bashing meatheads look upon them with utmost respect as this is not only effective in hand to hand combat but also a great way to build discipline, self-confidence, and to simultaneously strengthen the soul as well as the body so you become "one" and achieve "wholeness", a fighting machine who is at peace within their souls.

I can't believe that in today's day and age people still believe such nonsense. It was a fun break from playing cops and robbers when we were kids after watching an episode of Kung-Fu or The Green Hornet to pretend we were David Carradine or Bruce Lee and do this sort of thing (Gary Albright actually admitted to me that as a kid he watched an episode of Kung-Fu, ran into the kitchen and nailed his Dad in the back of the head and knocked him out), but after a certain age we should be able to tell the difference between what's real and what's not (by the way, I'm not bashing JKD in anyway, it's very real… I'm just referring to the "pretenders").

If you are unable to see the difference, please do us a big favor and talk about something you do know about.

U.W.F. International promotion from Korakuen Hall

As for the kick-boxing which took place in the UWFi, it couldn't have been closer to Muay Thai as we felt that this was and is the ultimate form of "stand-up fighting". But in our style there were more kicks than punches in most cases, we did away with the elbows and had experienced referees who knew how to stop the bout before someone got really hurt, not after they got hurt.

I.S.K.A. World Light Welterweight Championship (Makoto Ohe)

There was only one match Makoto Ohe had during his run with us which allowed elbows, and this was a UWFi vs Shootboxing match which was the main event on a Shootboxing promotion which was under Shootboxing rules (throws & suplexes would score points, knees to everywhere on the body except the groin, standing submissions allowed. This turned out to be not much of a factor, as the match turned out to be pure Muay Thai style and neither the Shootboxer, Yoshitaka, who was their current champion or Ohe, who was their former champion before he left to join UWFi, went for any throws or standing submissions).

I.S.K.A. World Welterweight Championship (from left to right- Frank Marcianti, Bovy Chowaikung, Ted Pelc)

Only a few elbows, but this did cause some damage. This is what we did not allow in the UWFi rings, no matter what rules our guys were fighting under during each match (we had "Oriental Rules", "Full-contact Rules", "Muay Thai without elbow" rules).

I honestly feel that our kick-boxing bouts were more technical as well as much more entertaining than a lot of the fights which take place in the K-1, but we always had safety as a priority no matter how tough it got up in the ring.

Remember, "tough" is not a synonym for "dangerous", and "safe" does not necessarily mean "being a wimp".

A lot of people still believe that with the introduction of the Marquess of Queensberry rules boxing was made safe and "civilized", cringing at the thought of "bareknuckle fighting".

Just the very word "bareknuckle" automatically triggers off preconceived ideas of something that is extremely violent, even before they really know what is about to actually happen. Here's a few facts that many are not aware of.

Despite what a fight appears to be, in most cases the gloves actually cause more damage to a fighter than simply getting hit with a bare fist. Yes, there are many more cuts, bruises, and swelling on the face which will obviously occur from being on the receiving end of such strikes, and there will be a lot more blood giving off the impression that it is violent and dangerous. Let's clear this stereotype once and for all.

When being hit with a glove, the damage on the exterior of the head appears to be safer. However, the damage is taken on the inside your brain. Of course if you want a successful promotion where you can get a few more spectators besides the hardcore maniac aficionados and go mainstream with your product, it would be wise to give off this "safer" image and go with the gloves.

When trying to sell a TV program, for some odd reason which never made sense to me, it was more important to make the product appear safer than to actually re-educate the viewers and actually be safer. God forbid we really made boxing more safe with protective head gear, etc., that's only for amateurs who participate in events where a great percentage of the spectators are fellow students, friends, and family making it more of a "exhibition" than "the real deal".

This is what all of those politicians who have never been involved with the game in any way, shape, or form viewed MMA and similar contests, pushing for them to put on these tiny little gloves which not only are more dangerous, but actually allow the participants to hit even harder without hurting their hands just to add to the deadly equation.

Without doing any homework, they have abused their authority to actually make several of these MMA events more dangerous, which was the exact opposite of their original intentions. You can wreck havoc with a pair of 6 to 8 ounce gloves. You could kill someone fighting with something just a cut above a pair of bag gloves which would cling for a split second on impact making the recipient's head absorb that much more of a shock as opposed to being partially deflected when it slides off after the initial contact, the one throwing the punch would not be afraid of hurting his own hand or wrist because of the protection and would be enabled to blast away at will.

Don't believe me? Look around. How many people have gone "punch-drunk" from barefisted MMA compared to the number of people in boxing or kick-boxing? Why is it that professional trained boxers would get punchy while a bunch of kids in grade-school getting in fights every day on the playground would end up without any noticeable brain damage when they have had a few hundred "bareknuckle" bouts throughout their school career? Not to mention that in MMA or in a street fight or bar room brawl for that matter the fights do not go nearly as long, certainly not for 10, 12, or 15 or more rounds as in boxing.

I did boxing for just one year (wanted to work on protecting my head, sort of an extra-curricular activity to add on to my arsenal), several 3 minute rounds was the norm in sparring/competition. I've never been in or seen a fist fight which lasted for more than a minute, and the few times it went about a minute (or seemed to go that long but probably was much shorter), that was a long time, it felt like eternity!

"Bareknuckle" & "No Rules", scary? The thought of gloves and many rules scare me much more. "Rules to protect me?" Give me a break. The more rules you have, the longer the duration of the fight, the more damage you receive. Take a look at boxing, no elbows, no knees or kicks, no throws, no ground fighting or submissions.

Although the combinations may be infinite, basically you are limited to a jab, a straight, a hook, and an uppercut. There you have it, 4 moves. Takes a longer time to put someone out with such a limited collection of weapons. To tell you the truth, with the introduction of the traditional pro-wrestling rope break, the Bushido style matches went on for much longer than a typical MMA style match making it tougher in many ways. Of course we needed to protect our guys, and we went to great lengths to do this as well. And I'm glad to be able to say that no one was crippled, paralyzed or maimed for life.

We did have our share of broken fingers, broken noses, cheekbones, bad necks, dislocated joints, blown out knees and so forth. All I'm saying is that we were sensible enough to put in just enough rules to control the action so it did not get out of hand. Since we were "pro-wrestling" we had the perfect excuse to do away with punches to the head. No one condemns boxing for not allowing kicks or submission holds, right? That solved any controversy regarding bare fist vs glove issues, we did away with both, at least in the UWFi.

Takada vs. Tamura

We of course quickly found out that heel of the hand/open hand strikes in many cases turned out to be even more powerful than a punch, but still less damage than repetitive strikes from a glove causing trauma to the brain. We had less serious injuries than boxing or other styles of professional wrestling which are more entertainment geared than the shoot-style forms. We had protective gear on the shins of the fighters who wanted to throw kicks (it was in our rules that in order to kick "shooting shoes" or shin guards were mandatory).

This was like a boxing glove on the shin, but it did serve as protection when blocking an opponent's kick and did take away a lot of the sting compared to a barefoot kick. What made this any safer than a glove? Well, first of all, most of the kicks were low kicks.

Next came the middle kicks. The kicks to the legs were an indispensable strategy and a major part of "chopping" someone down or for setting up other moves, but there's a much less chance of getting brain damage from a low kick than repetitive gloved punches to the head. We also had a point system that would automatically end a bout if someone was being totally dominated, and in the few cases that this happened the referee would tend to stop it before it even reached that point. Yes, there were K.O.'s from the high kicks, but not repetitive kicks to the head.

To me these bouts were of almost equal importance as the wrestling division. This division had only three members in the history of the company, Makoto Ohe (former All Japan Shoot-Boxing champion who made his debut with the company on our second promotion fighting to a draw against "Bad Boy" Rudy Lovato which many considered to be the "bout of the year"), Bovy Chowaikung (who made his debut with the company winning a controversial K.O. in the only "doubles" match to take place teaming up with Ohe against "Bad Boy" Rudy Lovato and Fernando Calleros) and Gong Yuttachai (fought only once winning a unanimous decision against Rodney Brockfield).

Bovy Chowaikung

They fought all comers from around the world, fighters with backgrounds in Karate, Kempo Karate, Savate, Kick-boxing, and Muay Thai, world-rankers and world champions and other title holders from the AKKA, KICK, WKA, and of course the ISKA. The U.W.F. International hosted the very first ISKA sanctioned match to ever take place in Japan, later they would be sanctioning world title championships in the K-1 as well. Both Ohe and Bovy became world champions in their weight divisions, making the UWFi the only pro-wrestling company to hold world kick-boxing titles.

People also talk about how the UWFi wrestlers would take on competitors from other disciplines (at this time, "mixed matches" were the staple of trying to determine who was "the best", this would eventually evolve into the MMA era we have today), not only in their own ring but in other company's rings under many different sets of rules. This would continue after the company closed it's doors and the majority of the fighters were in the company known as "Kingdom" (pretty much everyone competed in this group minus Takada, Tamura, and Nakano.

Takada with Lou Thesz, Danny Hodge, and Billy Robinson

Along the line, several others would leave elsewhere looking for what suited them for whatever style/financial reasons) when you'd see our guys participating in the K-1, UFC, and other related promotions. Like the wrestlers, our kick-boxers were ready to go out to other companies as well carrying the UWF banner.

Both Bovy and Ohe have fought on foreign territory, one particular fight which turned out to be another "bout of the year" was a match for Caesar Takeshi's Shoot-Boxing promotion between Ohe (who held the I.S.K.A. World Super Lightweight title at this time) vs. Hiromu Yoshitaka (considered one of the best at the time, he was the current Shoot-Boxing champion) that went the distance with Yoshitaka winning a decision.

Some remember the Funaki vs. Roberto Duran mixed match which took place on a Fujiwara-gumi card. Almost no one knows this except for a few insiders, but we were the first to contact Duran for a mixed match (this was for the promotion billed as "The Battle of the Champions" which had Takada vs. Berbick as the main event, Scott vs. Warring as the semi-final). The thing was as all of our wrestlers were heavyweight and junior heavyweights (boy, what an old term for the American fans), we never had the intention of putting him up against the "wrestling division" for a mixed match.

The original plan was to have another UWFi vs. Boxing match, pitting Ohe against him, which rule-wise was to be a kick-boxing vs. boxing match as they were the same weight which would have made for a "fair" fight. Ironically, when Duran came to Japan to fight he appeared to be a heavyweight (actually he was just badly overweight and out of shape).

In my opinion this didn't make too much sense as if he had been in good condition as Warring and Berbick were at the time, the weight difference would have been just too much to pit him against the likes of a heavyweight Shoot-style wrestler, such as Funaki. The rest is history. We ended up with Vince Ross, who was the WKA Canadian Welterweight Champion, who knocked Ohe out in the 2nd round. I really wish that the Ohe vs Duran match had taken place, it had all the elements of being a classic mixed match, not to mention that you don't see too many pure kick-boxing vs boxing events involving world champion quality fighters of top caliber in their respective sports.

The "tag team" kick bout proved to be a success in that we could cut out the rounds, turning the match into a non-stop action filled bout. Fighters could decide when to take their breaks, and the exciting thing was that fighters would stay fresh for longer contributing to the fast paced action. Also, as with the wrestling bouts, a fight could go on longer as if someone got into trouble, they could tag out and the match would continue.

The main difference as far as points were concerned, was that each team would start with 41 points and points would be deducted when knocked down and also when you made a tag. We considered tagging in a kick-boxing match in the same way we considered a wrestlers' "rope break". A wrestler would grab the ropes if he was in trouble from a submission hold. Without the rope break, the matches would NOT have gone as long as they generally did, probably a few minutes at the longest as we see in bouts that do not have the rope break, such as Shooto, UFC, Pride, Seiken-Shinkage-ryu (Satoru Sayama's, the founder of Shooto, new style which can be seen in his new promotion Real Japan Pro-Wrestling), and so on with other forms of MMA.

In the same way, we saw that if a kick-boxer had to tag out, he was either in trouble or getting too tired and needed some time to recover. This was also to prevent fighters from tagging out each and every time they got hit. We wouldn't have much of a fight if fighters got too cautious and took a break after each and every hit they took. This is the reason for the one point deduction for a tag, if someone did try this, they would lose all their points hence would lose the match. Like any other match, fighters would have to go into bouts with a different strategy than a singles match.

If you got your opponent in trouble and had an opening, though he would in most cases not be saved by the bell (until the one and only final bell, this match as most others had a time limit, 20 minutes), he could escape if you were incapable of cutting off the ring and preventing him from running back to his corner to tag out. It was really unfortunate that we only had this one tag-team kick-boxing match, had the company still been in existence we would have had many more, there was even talk amongst the I.S.K.A. at the time about starting a tag division with titles which would be sanctioned by them after watching this match put on by UWFi.

I'm still a believer of this type of match, and if sometime in the future Bushido ever comes back to life as the spirit still lives on (never say never, it's happened before, especially in the history of the U.W.F.) there's a good chance to see tag-team kick-boxing once again, on more of a regular basis if it happens.

I'm not the only one who was involved in Bushido who wishes that this would happen. Keep your fingers crossed!

2) The UWFI followed the "old school" methods of training. Spiritual training and building up mental/psychological strength and endurance took precedence.

3) Training began with the basics, learning respect and making people appreciate the status they earned with humility. Washing clothes, cooking, cleaning the dojo, and other chores are how the new comers were introduced to their world.

Basically "green boys" (new comers) were "step and fetch its" for the high ranked members of the organization who gave them the chance to enter their world and help train and develop them into what they eventually hoped to become.

4) Tough and "old fashioned" training methods, which have been passed down for generations, was the rule. The actual lifestyle was a lot tougher. One had to pass a physical test in order to be let in. Those who could swing it got in, those who could not were shown the door. Everyone accepted could basically push themselves to handle the physical aspect.

Most quit for emotional reasons. Putting up with the "mental training" was too tough for many.

5) Being "old school" means that "more is better". Athletes from other cultures have found this to be unscientific and many times detrimental. For example in the West it is usually considered wise to cancel a match due to injury in order to prevent something which may be potentially career-ending. In Japan, those who participate despite injury are considered to be true "Bushi" or warriors.

If one could not mentally and emotionally handle it, they dropped out or were pushed out.

Here is an account from Gene Lydick who actually lived and trained in Japan with the UWFI:

"I remember the first night that I flew in to Tokyo. Takayama picked me up and took me to the house that I was going to stay in with 7 wrestlers and 1 kick boxing coach. For people in the US to put 8 people in a 3 bedroom apartment in Japan is like stuffing 26 people in a VW Bug. NOT COMFORTABLE!!!

I shared a room with the Thai boxing coach and another wrestler Takayama, the largest wrestler in the company. It was like being at a junior high summer camp, no room and living out of a duffle bag, one whole bathroom in the place.

The other thing that was odd was they ate dinner very late, like 9 pm, going to bed around 12 pm because they liked to sit up and talk, they wanted me to join in but I was so tired the first two weeks I was there that it was brutal. They would actually open my door, wake me up so we could talk about god knows what... I DON'T SPEAK JAPANESE!!! Crazy.

Eating was a challenge at first because you are introduced to a diet that is much different than what you are used to in the USA. I don't think I have eaten tofu since I have come back at least knowingly. Thanks to Ted Pelc I was able to find some food that was edible.

The training was the toughest that I have ever seen or been a part of. I know they made it hard on me on purpose to see if I would quit. I never wanted to quit but I was in serious pain for the first month I was there. I couldn't walk the first two weeks because I had blisters the size of quarters. It felt like I was walking on a bed of nails like those Hindu witch doctors do in the movies.

I think the Japanese were surprised that I stuck it out and did what I did. I would like to believe that I gained a certain amount of respect. I think I remember that the press started to refer to me as the Japanese wrestler born in America or something on that line.

Basically highlighting the fact that I had done something not a lot of people do or can't do because they don't have the guts. I did it because secretly it was always my dream to train in Japan. In the States a lot of people were jealous.

Girls... being a young athlete I didn't like being isolated from the girls and believe me I was. It took me 3 months before I could get out and go on a date. When I finally was able to go out I went with an office guy as a kind of chaperon.

I remember the first day that I went to the DOJO and the green boy (a wrestler in training or slave, take your pick) gave me the wrong directions to get home. I was lost for 3 hours and the guys at the house were worried sick, so when I finally got there they asked me what happened and I told them I got directions from the green boy. They were pissed and beat the crap out of him. I remember the green boy told me he was in big trouble and it would bad for him.

I thought for a minute I was stuck in the middle of an episode of Willy Wonka. It was really crazy at times.

The wrestling recruiting process for new Japanese wrestlers is something from the days of Genghis Kahn. The beating they put them through is insane. I remember the wrestlers kicking them, punching them and more. The exercises they had to do were just torture. I have seen nothing like it in my life. I still can't believe what I saw in that dojo. All I know is 10 kids came in and only one was left at the end of the day. All I have to say is WOW!!! I am sorry I don't know how to put more detail in it.

Maybe this? Try the top 10 fighters in the world kicking the crap out of you while you are trying to workout and you might get the picture.

Thanks to Gene Pelc for giving me this opportunity.

Sincerely, Gene Lydicko (They couldn't pronouce Lydick.)"

THE WORLD MARTIAL ARTS CHAMPIONSHIP was another historical milestone for the UWFi. Nobuhiko Takada against Koji Kitao had even more anticipation and excitement behind it than the Takada vs Berbick match. And this one delivered!

The Kazuo Yamazaki vs Kiyoshi Tamura match was a tremendous warm-up for the main event. Anyone aspiring to reach wrestling/Catch/MMA top levels should study this bout. Two all-around top-level pros in one of the best scientific wrestling bouts you'll ever see. Every time I see it I learn something new about submission.

Koji Kitao was one of the first Sumo Grand Champions to leave sumo and go into other fighting sports. This in itself caused great publicity in Japan as Sumo Grand Champions normally retire and stay in the sumo world in one role or another. Kitao attained a rank of 3rd degree black belt in Kokusai Kukendo Karate. At his size, weight and strength he was a truly formidable opponent for anyone. And he carried the aura of a Sumo Grand Champion being a super-human, invincible fighter. The match and result made headlines in the news, fight and sports world in Japan.

Kitao originally agreed to a one time only match with UWFi against Yamazaki. After that Kitao would not budge and it looked as though he'd never appear again in one of our rings. After several approaches, Kitao finally agreed to a match with Takada, but on his terms (rounds instead of a 60 min time limit/no time limit match). Unlike Takada who seemed to be able to go on forever, fans and critics suspected Kitao's stamina and endurance. People were extremely disappointed when the rounds bout was announced as they felt that Takada would not be able to wear Kitao down and everyone anticipated the match ending in a draw as they saw the rounds protecting Kitao.

UWFi fans were surprised when Takada completely dominated the match on every level. Kitao stood and took kick after kick like a tree getting chopped down. The few times they went to the ground, Takada rode him like an amateur. Then came the big kick upstairs and the tree fell like a ton of dead weight.

I'll always remember the excitement and spirit in the dressing room after this match. I shook hands with the late, great Lou Thesz who looked me in the eye and said, "Ted... Unbelievable!"

The best is yet to come...

With Episode 20, The World Martial Arts Championship, the UWFI established itself as the hottest promotion in Japan. What a step forward from the Billy Scott vs James Warring fight. A young, still green Kiyoshi Tamura takes out three time boxing champion Matthew Saad Muhammad in 32 seconds. The boxing versus MMA/ Submission wrestling question is answered once again showing what happens in a mixed match between the boxer and wrestler. No contest. In my mind the key element was that Tamura trained to fight a boxer. Matthew only brought his boxing skills into the ring.

The ex-Yokozuna Sumo brutalizes Yamazaki and Gary Albright stood on top of the world after beating Nobuhiko Takada. From this point on the UWFI searched the world for top opponents. The fights, production and promotion were only to get bigger and better.

I also want to point out that the UWFI was the only wrestling promotion that featured kick-boxing on its cards. Watch the next few of months as the UWFI's two kick-boxers, Makoto Ohe and Bowi Chowaikun, work their way toward ISKA Championship matches, some of the best, toughest kick-boxing you'll ever see...and a couple of stinkers to have a laugh at.

At this point, every match, every episode of BUSHIDO became exciting and worth watching over and over again. As Lou Thesz told me, "I love the UWFI and am very happy to be associated with it. After the stuff that is being shoved down our throats back at home (America), it makes me proud once again to say 'I'm a Wrestler!'"

Cheers

Ted Pelc

I'm delighted that these great matches can be seen and enjoyed by so many people and I appreciate the chance to comment on this memorable occasion of Show Ten in the series. It was from this moment that the UWFI grew out of it's starting roots and became the huge force in wrestling history that it is.

Speaking as someone intimately connected to these matches I'm going to say something that a lot of people will be surprised at. I think the match between the young wrestler, Billy Scott and the boxing/kick-boxing champion, James Warring is the best mixed match between boxer and wrestler in the many years I've been associated with ring sports. A technically perfect match between the pure wrestler and the pure striker.

To many casual onlookers, it was a boring match with not enough action, but to me it was all there. Warring throwing punches without respect in the opening round until Scott catches him with an ankle lock and then the boxer becoming the evader. Most mixed matches like this simply don't work because the styles don't mix. This one worked because James Warring was not only an IBF Boxing champion, but a holder of four kick-boxing titles including the WKA.

Yes, Billy Scott should have been more aggressive, but remember that at the time he was a young, green wrestler appearing before the biggest crowd in his life. OK, no high spots, but to me the technically best mixed match I've ever seen, and I've seen many.

There is little to say about the Trevor Berbick fight. If I followed the golden rule that one should not say bad things about the deceased, I'd stop right now, but I do want to set the record straight on this fight.

Trevor Berbick knew all the rules far before coming to Japan. We went to New York and presented him with a contract which set out all the rules. This was publicly explained at a press conference at Mickey Mantle's sports restaurant. When he came to Tokyo I was with him at a training gym where the rules were explained. I was at public exhibitions at which Trevor was present and he saw all the techniques of our sport explained and physically demonstrated; take downs, low kicks, submissions, etc.

I have footage of him being asked about how he would handle low kicks (seen on an American show by announcer Jim Daugherty) and he replied that when Takada would try and kick him, he would destroy Takada. He would bring World War Three down on him.

Look at the match itself and you'll see that his legs have supporters from ankle to above the knee. A boxer never does that. He had leg protection against the low kick. Listen closely when Trevor is outside the ring and you can hear his trainer say, "I told him the rules".

It's history now, but I appreciate the chance to comment on these shows again. I hope you enjoy seeing these matches as much as I did when they happened. One lesson I learned from BUSHIDO is, it's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog!

Respectfully,

Ted Pelc