Oops.
Billye !
You can see how poorly this would do against todays kickboxing.
But that’s what it was then. This really was kick- BOXING. And generally the kicks were token. So much better today. Older rules seemed to make a more exciting fight. Rule limitations do that most of the time.
Benny Urquidez was one of the first American kick boxers to incorporate Muay Thai leg kicks. IMO, he was one of the best MAists to step into a ring. And he could translate it onto the street.
As far as old-school kickboxers, one of the most entertaining, IMO, was Jerry Trimble. I always thought he was the most entertaining kicker to watch, anyway.
[QUOTE=Jimbo;1289844]Benny Urquidez was one of the first American kick boxers to incorporate Muay Thai leg kicks. IMO, he was one of the best MAists to step into a ring. And he could translate it onto the street.
As far as old-school kickboxers, one of the most entertaining, IMO, was Jerry Trimble. I always thought he was the most entertaining kicker to watch, anyway.
//youtu.be/NsZpZQK_jaw
[/QUOTE]
Yeah, Jerry was great. Jimbo, he looks like a little kid in that. LOL. Exciting to watch him.
Benny was awesome period. He had so much better control than almost anyone. He was smooth. Great head and feet movement. Of course he did basically grow up in a martial arts family. Boxers, karate, I think pro wrestling. Bill Ryusaki taught him Kaju/kenpo.
[QUOTE=boxerbilly;1289856]Benny was awesome period. He had so much better control than almost anyone. He was smooth. Great head and feet movement. Of course he did basically grow up in a martial arts family. Boxers, karate, I think pro wrestling. Bill Ryusaki taught him Kaju/kenpo.[/QUOTE]
Benny and his brothers used to go to martial arts schools all over the L.A. area to pick up new stuff. My CLF teacher once mentioned that Benny and his brothers even studied some CLF from him when he had his school in L.A. They went to schools all over, stayed a while, then would leave. Then they’d practice what they picked up with each other back home.
Yes, I think his main style was Kenpo(?). I heard that Benny’s black belt test (he was still really young) was no joke. I think Ed Parker was overseeing the test, too. Nothing at all like the kids you see running around with black belts from the kiddie TKD classes. He also studied grappling with Gene LeBell.
His brother-in-law, Blinky Rodriquez, was a bad@ss fighter as well. Here he is against Jean-Yves Theriault.
[QUOTE=boxerbilly;1289856]Benny was awesome period. He had so much better control than almost anyone. He was smooth. Great head and feet movement. Of course he did basically grow up in a martial arts family. Boxers, karate, I think pro wrestling. Bill Ryusaki taught him Kaju/kenpo.[/QUOTE]
When they were young, Benny and his brothers also used to go to as many MA schools in the L.A. area that they could, picking up what they could, and then showing each other and practicing back home. They even went to my CLF teacher’s school for a while, when it was in L.A. They’d pick up stuff here and there, to learn what other arts and people were doing, then move on.
I also heard that Benny’s black belt test was very hard. He was still a kid, too. Way different from the ubiquitous junior black belts coming out of the kiddie/family karate dojos in recent years.
His brother in law, Blinky Rodriguez, was also a bada$$ in the ring. After the fight in the video, Jean-Yves Theriault never wanted to fight Blinky again (for good reason; note the convulsions). Bill Wallace has stated that Blinky was his toughest opponent. Wallace beat him, but by a slim margin, and some people thought that Blinky actually won their fight.
[QUOTE=Jimbo;1289869]When they were young, Benny and his brothers also used to go to as many MA schools in the L.A. area that they could, picking up what they could, and then showing each other and practicing back home. They even went to my CLF teacher’s school for a while, when it was in L.A. They’d pick up stuff here and there, to learn what other arts and people were doing, then move on.
I also heard that Benny’s black belt test was very hard. He was still a kid, too. Way different from the ubiquitous junior black belts coming out of the kiddie/family karate dojos in recent years.
His brother in law, Blinky Rodriguez, was also a bada$$ in the ring. After the fight in the video, Jean-Yves Theriault never wanted to fight Blinky again (for good reason; note the convulsions). Bill Wallace has stated that Blinky was his toughest opponent. Wallace beat him, but by a slim margin, and some people thought that Blinky actually won their fight.
//youtu.be/h2vuMTbANb8
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Thanks. I’ll try and watch it later. Theriault was great. Funny, I don’t think I ever saw Blinky fight. I read a lot about him long ago but never seen him fight. This will be good. Thanks for bringing him up.
That was quick. The sweeps really through him off. I guess he took the fight thinking , Im not worried about those. Yet that one little tactic decided the outcome.