“WORLD CHAMPION” FROM DAVAO UNDER SCRUTINY

Steve Grandeza's Championship in Question

It's not every day that the Philippines could produce a world champion. Better yet, it is not every day that Davao City produces a world champion. But every day, somewhere along the coast of Davao, and the Philippines in general, once you'll get relative success, someone would always try to question it and pull you down, whether they have a valid reason or don't.



This is the growing sentiment regarding the recent success of Steve Grandeza, of Davao City. He is the recently crowned world champion of World Kick Boxing Federation in the Super Welterweight division. He took the crown via a unanimous decision win in Dubai, or so the reports claim.

The fighter whom he defeated is Al Hassan Okine of Ghana. He is also called Al Hassan Van Damme Okine, obviously to give him a bad ass name, taken from former lover of Jessica Rodriguez. Although “Van Damme” Okine is a former laborer, he is 100% legit fighter. His tear jerking life story can be found here. ==>HERE

The beef of the matter is that some sectors, or person, or entity, or whatever it is, is questioning the victory of the champion, to the point that it insinuates that it never even happened, that we were fooled, and that we are gullible enough to be conned. That certain entity, conveniently covering via a name Filipina Malaya, wrote a lengthy open letter to the President of SCOOP-Davao Chapter to air its ramblings.

SCOOP is an association of sports writers in the Philippines. One of the many, but also one of the most prestigious (if not the one), and well respected in the land. The letter can be found on the pages of your local news papers, today, or may be found through this link. ==>HERE

For those of you who are lazy enough to click through the link, here are some of the juicier parts, in Toto:

“This is very sad indeed to note, but based on both websites http://www. facebook.com/l/b849d-KsUjo359JnVyw8M OSYryg;www.wkfkic kboxing.com and http://www.facebook.com/l/b849dfFednUxnx-kLL31X1nwYiA; www.worldkickbox ingfederation.com, the said kickboxing title event was not calendared, sanctioned or ever happened at all. In which case, neither Steve Grandeza nor Al Hassan Okine has become a WKF champion, and the said world event was a misnomer”

“On the other hand, Steve Grandeza along with his family concertedly called for a press confe-rence in dramatic fashion, upon his arrival in Davao City from five thousand miles away in Dubai . With his “championship belt”, a well-scripted action and speeches, he made himself an instant hero and celebrity. It was very amazing that he just defeated an unknown guy from Ghana, Africa and become a world kick-boxing champion, without passing through the usual process of eliminations in Southeast Asian Region. Asia, Asia- Pacific, Pan-America, Europe and Middle East . It is shrouded with mystery because he has not even won any official title from the POC-member Philippine Muay Thai kick-boxing Federation which governs the sport in the country.”

In Summary, what Filipina Malaya is trying to say is that, there is a probability that the fight did not happened, and that they all made this up, with all the props and script. Even if there was a fight, it was not really for the world championships. It (Filipina, since it is not yet known what it is) made its allegations based on its research, from the internet, from the site of WKF, and the reaction or no reaction of the main stream media.

I don't personally know Steve Grandeza, aside from what I heard from the news, from my friends and office mates who've once upon a time was his students, and from his niece whom is a classmate of mine in my MBA. From what I heard, he is a tough mofo, a real combatant,and a fighter dedicated to his craft.

There is nothing that much to say about Filipina Malaya, aside from the obvious that it is a pseudonym. Its sentiments though, in my opinion are valid, as it shows concern and validity of what has actually transpired. It wants to set straight. Take everything with a grain of salt, ika nga. For that, I salute it.

There is a problem though, or make it many problems with the argument of Filipina Malaya. For one, it is hiding under a name that is make believe, something that is obviously fake than the disputed victory of Grandeza, since it denotes cowardice and the lack of balls to actually back up its claims.

Another thing, and the more important one, is the source of its accusations. It is based on the absence of news reports, putting emphasis on the fact that WKF website never mentioned anything about it, and that the mainstream media is doing a cold shoulder treatment to the whole thing.

For the sake of everyone, skewdlogic is going to give a lesson on sanctioning bodies, internet reseach, listening, reading and attention to details.

Steve Grandeza never claimed to have won a world championship, nor even won a fight in the World Kickboxing Federation or WKF. What he actually won, and claimed that he won, is the World Welterweight Championship in the WKBF, or World Kick Boxing Federation. It is an entirely different sanctioning body that can be considered as an IBF to your WBC, WBA, or WBO in boxing. Or a TNA to your WWE. Click this link for a report stating what he actually won.

So, logically, if you search for results of a WKBF event in a WKF website, chances are you won't find any. There is no rocket science to that, in fact it would be farfetched if you expect to get one.


Below are the website and you may spot the difference if you want.

WKF WEBSITE

WKBF WEBSITE

Now, one might claim, that this WKBF belt, is not worthy of a recognition, as that of a world champion since this is not prestigious. Well, I cannot answer what is prestigious or what is not in kick boxing since I don't really follow the sport and I am too lazy to do research now. But remember, in boxing, the champions of IBO and WBF, whom considered as the lowest tiered of the alphabet soup organizations, are still considered as world champions.


And mainstream media may not picked up on the item, but the real fans of MMA, pinoy enthusiasts at that, recognized the feat and the world championship:

http://www.pinoymma.com/forum/mixed-martial-arts-discussion/932-new-world-kickboxing-federation-super-welterweight-world-k1-champion-steve-grandeza.html

Was there fraud and malice on Grandeza's team? Definitely none. Was there hype? Probably, there was more than some sectors can handle. But let the man have his time on the sunshine. Being a professional fighter, in itself entails a lot of hard work and sacrifice. May it be in the world championship, mid card, or preliminary bum levels, it would take courage, determination and guts, just to be on the mat. Things like this are just unfortunate.

And so, skewdlogic congratulates the new World Kick Boxing Federation (WKBF) Welterweight Champion of the World....Steve Grandeza. May this trial fires you up to unify whatever belts that there is out here.

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas.