Kickboxing
McMorris branched off into kickboxing. He had an early reputation in the WSMAC (World Series of the Martial Arts Championships) as a knockout artist; knocking out "Big" Macon Taylor in 15 seconds. McMorris possessed a great right hand, but he didn't have much of a defense.
McMorris was billed as the number 1 contender for the Professional Karate Association (PKA) Middleweight U.S. Title in March 1980. [5]
McMorris challenged Don "The Dragon" Wilson for the PKA Full-Contact Middleweight U.S. Title on 5 March 1980. McMorris had a record of 9–6 (8 knockouts) going into the title fight, while Wilson was 25-3-1 and was riding a 2-year, 17 bout winning streak. McMorris scored a stunning upset by knocking out Wilson in the first round to capture the title. This would be the only knockout defeat suffered by Wilson in his 6-decade career.
Four months later, McMorris lost the PKA Full-Contact Middleweight U.S. Title to Ray McCallum by 2nd-round knockout. [6]
Next, McMorris attempted a comeback and was knocked out by Robert Biggs.
On 24 February 1981, McMorris met PKA World Lightheavyweight Champion Jean-Yves Theriault in a non-title match. In a brutal slugfest, McMorris lost by knockout in the 6th round. McMorris retired after this bout. [7]
Kickboxing is a group of stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate mixed with boxing. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defence, general fitness, or as a contact sport.
Rick John Roufus is an American kickboxer, fighting out of Pound Gyms in Scottsdale, Arizona. He is one of the most famous kickboxers in America, and has also competed professionally in boxing and mixed martial arts. An accomplished professional fighter throughout his competitive career Roufus has won multiple world championships across the globe in several weight classes, he was world champion as a super middle weight, light heavyweight and heavyweight. Roufus held titles for all the major kickboxing associations worldwide, and is known for his boxing skills and powerful kicks. He is the older brother of Duke Roufus who is also a kickboxer and a muay Thai and mixed martial arts instructor.
Benny Urquidez is an American kickboxer, martial arts choreographer and actor. Nicknamed "The Jet", Urquidez was a non-contact karate competitor who later pioneered full-contact fighting in the United States. He made the transition from point to full-contact karate in 1974 – the year of its inception in the U.S., frequently fighting in bouts where the rules were ambiguous and contrasts in styles were dramatic. Urquidez is also known for once holding the rare achievement of six world titles in five different weight divisions, and remained largely undefeated in his 27-year career. His only loss came in a Muay Thai match which was shrouded in controversy, as Urquidez had only agreed to a no-decision exhibition, a clause which was ignored when the fight had ended.
Kash "The Flash" Gill is a retired British professional kickboxer who is a former four-times world champion.
Dennis Raymond Alexio is an American former Undisputed World Heavyweight Kickboxing Champion who competed in the light heavyweight, cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions. Starting out as a light heavyweight, Alexio kicked off his career with an extensive, knockout-laden undefeated streak before losing a decision to Don "The Dragon" Wilson in a WKA World Super Light Heavyweight Full Contact Championship match in 1984. He rebounded from this by winning the PKA World Light Heavyweight title that same year before moving up to cruiserweight and taking the ISKA World Cruiserweight Full Contact strap. In the late 1980s, he began his transition to the heavyweight division where he won six world titles and was without a doubt considered the undisputed World Heavyweight Champion. He faced the two toughest tests of his career in 1992 against Branko Cikatić and Stan Longinidis, both who were heavier fighters fighting to a controversial draw with Cikatić and losing to Longinidis via an early low kick KO. Which was later overturned to a No Contest after finding out that there was a hole in the ring which Alexio stepped in which caused the break in his leg and not the Kick by Stan Longinidis.
Bill Wallace is an American martial artist who was a Professional Karate Association world full-contact karate champion. He was the Professional Karate Association (PKA) Middleweight Champion kickboxer for almost six years.
Joseph Henry Lewis was an American kickboxer, point karate fighter and actor. As a fighter, Lewis gained fame for his matches in the 1960s and 1970s. He has twice been voted the greatest fighter in karate history, having won innumerable karate tournaments, and has attained the titles of "United States Heavyweight Kickboxing Champion," "World Heavyweight Full Contact Karate Champion," and "United States National Black Belt Kata Champion." Bruce Lee also considered him "The Greatest Karate Fighter Of All Time" and even The Iron Sheik assented that "Joe Lewis was no jabroni." and "The Greatest Fighter Of His Time". He was also named by the STAR System Records as the "STAR Historic Undisputed Heavyweight World Champion" and is credited on their site as the "Father of Modern Kickboxing".
Donald Glen Wilson, nicknamed "The Dragon", is an American martial artist and actor. An 11-time Professional Kickboxing World Champion who scored 47 knockouts in four decades, he has been called by the STAR System Ratings as "Perhaps the greatest kickboxer in American history. He has disposed of more quality competition than anyone we've ever ranked". He is an entrant into the European Martial Arts Hall of Fame.
Jean-Yves Thériault is a Canadian kickboxer, kickboxing trainer, and author.
The Professional Karate Association (PKA), later Professional Karate & Kickboxing Association, was originally a martial arts sanctioning organization, now transformed into a martial arts promotion company. Through the 1970s, the PKA was the major professional kickboxing organization in the United States and in Europe, featuring such fighters as Bill "Superfoot" Wallace, Joe Lewis, Benny "the Jet" Urquidez, The Iceman Jean-Yves Thériault, Dennis "the Terminator" Alexio, Rick "the Jet" Roufus, Scott "The Hammer" Bennington, Jerry Trimble and Jeff Smith.
Curtis Bush is an American world champion kickboxer who competed in the welterweight, super-welterweight, light-middleweight and middleweight divisions. A tall southpaw possessing dangerous spinning back kicks and spinning back fists, Bush competed entirely under full contact rules and was a two-time Virginia state champion as an amateur before turning professional in 1983. After knocking out Robert Visitacion to become the North American welterweight champion in 1987, he went on to win five world titles in four weight classes and retired from competition in 1999.
Dale Cook is an American former kickboxer who competed in the middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and cruiserweight divisions. With a background in karate and taekwondo, Cook debuted professionally in 1977 and spent the early part of his career as a full contact rules fighter, winning the PKA World Middleweight Championship. In the 1980s, he began fighting under Oriental and Muay Thai rules and took two world titles under the WKA banner. A short stint in shoot boxing towards the end of his career in the mid-1990s resulted in another world title in that discipline.
Johnny Morris Davis is an American former kickboxer who competed in the welterweight and middleweight divisions. Nicknamed "Superfoot", Davis held numerous titles including two world championships.
Raymond Lee Daniels is an American Kenpoist, Karateka, Tae Kwon Do practitioner, kickboxer and mixed martial artist known for his flashy and aggressive style of fighting. He currently competes for Bellator Kickboxing.
Joe Corley is an American karate and kickboxing competitor, instructor, broadcaster and promoter who helped achieve the success of the Professional Karate Association and the early establishment of professional kickboxing in the United States.
The Standardized Tournaments And Ratings System (STAR) was the premier rating service for international kickboxing, from 1980 through 1989, as syndicated in fifteen martial arts and sports magazines throughout the world. It was recognized as the official ratings source by two out of three major sanctioning bodies for professional kickboxing, World Kickboxing Association (WKA) and Karate International Council of Kickboxing (KICK).
Jean-Yves Thériault vs. Don "The Dragon" Wilson was a middleweight kickboxing bout that took place in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on December 18, 1984, which ended in a decision draw.
Demetrius Havanas, known as 'The Golden Greek', was a third degree karate black belt and kickboxer. He won more than 90 consecutive tournaments in forms and fighting competition, and won 13 grand championships in 1971. He was ranked in the top ten of American Karate fighters between 1971 and 1975.
Steve Shepherd is a five-time world kickboxing champion and a top pioneer kickboxing promoter in the state of Florida. He defeated eight world champions from five weight divisions, four of them during their championship reigns. He also decisioned future world champions Don Wilson, Ted Pryor, Dale "Apollo" Cook and Bob "Thunder" Thurman.
Glenn R. Keeney is an American martial artist. He was born in Anderson, Indiana in 1942, and began his karate training in 1957.
