''K-1 Grand Prix '97 Final'' was a
kickboxing
Kickboxing is a combat sports, combat sport focused on kicking and punch (strike), punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is pract ...
event promoted by the
K-1 organization. It was the fifth K-1 World Grand Prix final involving eight of the world's best heavyweight fighters (+95 kg/209 lbs), with all bouts fought under K-1 Rules. The eight finalists had all qualified via elimination fights at the
K-1 Grand Prix '97 1st round. Also on the card was a four-man tournament for featherweight kickboxers (57 kg/126 lbs) based in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
and a local 'Super Fight', with all bouts fought under K-1 Rules. In total there were fourteen fighters at the event, representing seven countries.
The tournament winner was
Ernesto Hoost
Ernesto Frits Hoost (born 11 July 1965) is a Dutch retired kickboxer. A four-time K-1 World Champion, Hoost is considered to be one of the greatest kickboxers of all time. Debuting in 1993 at the K-1 World Grand Prix 1993, where he came just on ...
who won his first K-1 Grand Prix final by defeating reigning champion
Andy Hug
Andreas "Andy" Hug (7 September 1964 – 24 August 2000) was a Swiss karateka and kickboxer who competed in the heavyweight division. Considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight kickboxers of all time, Hug was renowned for his ability t ...
by third round
majority decision
A majority decision (MD) is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and others sports involving striking. In a majority decision, two of the three judges agree on which ...
. The event was also notable for two of the fights in the quarter-finals - with both
Francisco Filho and Andy Hug defeating their opponents by
knockout
A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...
at 15 seconds of the first record. It was held at the
Tokyo Dome
is an indoor stadium in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. It was designed as a baseball stadium following its predecessor, Korakuen Stadium. Construction on the stadium began on May 16, 1985, and it opened on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of th ...
in
Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
on Sunday, November 9, 1997 in front of a huge crowd of 54,500 spectators.
K-1 Grand Prix '97 Final Tournament
K-1 Japan Featherweight Grand Prix Tournament
Results
See also
*
List of K-1 events
This is a list of events held and scheduled by the K-1, a kickboxing promotion based in Hong Kong. The first event, K-1 Sanctuary I, took place on March 30, 1993 at Korakuen Hall, Kōrakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
2023 events
2022 events
...
*
List of male kickboxers
This is a list of notable male professional kickboxers.
A
* Donegi Abena
* Lukas Achterberg
* Thomas Adamandopoulos
* Serhiy Adamchuk
* Romie Adanza
* Armando González
* Benjamin Adegbuyi
* Israel Adesanya
* Peter Aerts
* Ryo Aitaka
* Vi ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
K-1 Official WebsiteK-1sport.de - Your Source for Everything K-1
K-1 events
Kickboxing in Japan
Sports competitions in Tokyo