Demetrius Havanas (born 1950,

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

died July 1981,

Cookeville, Tennessee Cookeville is the county seat and largest city of Putnam County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was reported to be 34,842. It is recognized as one of the country's micropolitan areas, or smaller ...

), 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.

Martial arts career

A somewhat short but muscular five foot five inch welterweight and middleweight full contact fighter, Havanas won 125 consecutive tournament bouts as a brown belt. In 1974, Havanas won the grand championship at the United States Karate Association Grand Nationals. He then won the Texas State Karate Championship for six years in succession. He won the Louisiana State Championships four times in succession, and also Allen Steen's U.S. Karate Championships three years in a row. From 1975 on, Havanas was focused on his professional kickboxing career and was totally committed to kickboxing. In 1975, entering full-contact competition, he won the PKA U.S. Welterweight Championship. He amassed a record of 39-4 with 24 knockouts, and the Star System ranked him number-one world welterweight contender in 1980-81.

Death

Havanas was en route to

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

to work the corner of Cliff Thomas, who was defending his World Title, but Havanas was killed on July 23, 1981 in an airplane accident. He was buried in

Restland Memorial Park Restland Memorial Park is a cemetery located in an unincorporated area of Dallas County, Texas between Dallas and Richardson. It is the final resting place of many prominent figures in the Dallas area, including politicians and professional athle ...

Dallas Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County wi ...

. Pallbearers included martial arts grandmasters

Skipper Mullins Lewis Ray "Skipper" Mullins (born April 25, 1946) is an American martial arts fighter who has been described as ''"the greatest kicker in the history of the U.S. karate scene"''. Biography Mullins was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. He bega ...

, Jack Hwang and

Chuck Norris Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris (born March 10, 1940) is an American martial artist and actor. He is a black belt in Tang Soo Do, Brazilian jiu jitsu and judo. After serving in the United States Air Force, Norris won many martial arts championshi ...

. Norris had been in town filming a movie at the time. Havanas was posthumously inducted into the World Taekwondo Hall of Fame, the American Karate Black Belt Hall of Fame and the Texas Martial Arts Hall of Fame.

Legacy

Havanas was also a top flight martial arts and kickboxing instructor, and his legacy influences many of today's top martial artists. While most of Havana's most remembered professional kickboxing bouts are lost to time, a few rare bouts were saved by fans and can still be found on YouTube or elsewhere online in the public domain. * Demetrius Havanas Versus Fred Wren, 1973 U.S. Championships, no longer available * Demetrius Havanas versus Marc Costello, U.S. Middleweight championship Part I * Demetrius Havanas versus Marc Costello U.S. Middleweight championship Part II * Demetrius Havanas versus Charles Hartgraves * Demetrius Havanas versus Bob Jarrett * Demetrius Havanas versus Bob Ryan * Demetrius The Greek Havanas versus Frank Holloway, World Karate Association title bout, March 29, 1980 * Facebook Wall and Tribute Pages * Facebook Photos Remembrance Page

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Havanas, Demetrius 1950 births 1981 deaths People from Dallas American male karateka American male taekwondo practitioners