Extra Point
By Mike Fitzgerald
Monday, May 13, 1996
But the two kids still slugged and kicked it out in the first undercard match of the "Nuclear War" kickboxing card at the Blaisdell Arena Saturday night.
This sight would shock some folks who do not believe in violence at any level. And there was plenty more to come, with six additional fights leading up to an excellent main event between Dennis Alexio and Stephan Reveillon.
About 6,500 fans were part of the party, which showed that a well-organized and attractive card can draw people from Hawaii, who came to watch Alexio and several other local kickboxing standouts - many from the Waianae area.
Kickboxing enjoys a big following here, mostly due to Alexio, who has adopted Oahu as his home and deserves his enormous popularity. Even at the age of 37, Alexio remains the best in the world at what he does in the ring - and he takes his role model responsibility very seriously away from the arena.
It took almost five rounds Saturday night, but Alexio finally defeated the French challenger with a flurry of punches and kicks to win his 10th - yes 10th - championship belt. He is now 62-1 with 57 knockouts, an amazing record in any individual sport.
Some people lump kickboxing in with professional wrestling. That's ridiculous. One is a serious competition involving a combination of martial arts and boxing. The other is staged, with the outcome planned in advance.
Alexio is a class act who spends countless hours talking to kids about staying off the streets and getting into the gym instead.
"Kickboxing teaches them that your mind and body work as one," he said yesterday afternoon. "If you spend time in the gym, you don't need to prove yourself as a punk street fighter or drug dealer.
"You will have more respect - from others and for yourself."
Look at the news recently. A kid was stabbed to death in Nanakuli. Two men were severely beaten, one a Chicago cop who thought he was away from such cowardly brutality. Another man's memory isn't working.
EVERY 90 seconds a teen-ager in the United States is killed. And the honeymoon here in Hawaii is over. There are more and more kids on the streets and any cop will tell you that drug use and the ensuing crime and violence is on the rise.
We need to start listening to people like Alexio and the men and women who help run the gyms and limited facilities around the state, especially in the low-income areas. With state and city budget cuts, these people are more important than ever.
There were a lot of parents at the kickboxing event with their kids and I'm glad. It was a warm and peaceful atmosphere.
Yes, kickboxing can be a violent sport, but there is regulation and protection. And the alternatives these days are much worse. Just check out the daily police reports - and, sadly, the death notices.
Now Alexio wants to take on Mike Tyson. It isn't as crazy as it sounds, although I doubt that Don King or the heavyweight champ would risk getting knocked out by one of Alexio's devastating kicks.
And Alexio would have little chance in a straight-up boxing match, although he would probably do better than some of the chumps Tyson has been fighting.
It's a long shot and a dream, but it would sure draw a huge pay-per-view audience, when you consider the millions of martial arts fans worldwide, in addition to the boxing enthusiasts.
Hey, why not try to follow through on a dream? The best kickboxer against the best boxer?
Until then, it was another good show by Alexio and company Saturday night - and I hope his word continues to make an even bigger impact with young people to get them off the street and into the gym.