K-1 Champ Hong-Man Choi To Fight Jose Canesco

Introductions first, Choi Hong-Man may not be very well-known in America but is a huge hit in his native South Korea and Japan. He is a champion K-1 fighter and he’s a 7′2″ giant whom opponents credit with having extraordinary strength and very hard bones. K-1 is a form of martial art that aims to combine the best stand-up fighting techniques taken from various sports such as Muay Thai, Karate, Boxing, Kick-boxing, etc.

Jose Canesco is a former baseball player known for his awesome power-hitting during his playing days. Today, he is more remembered for his tell-all book in which he said that up to 85% of baseball players took steroids and specifically named Mark McGwire, Jason Giambi, Rafael Palmeiro, Iván Rodríguez and Juan González. Canesco, if he is to be believed, is a black-belt in multiple marital arts disciplines that also include Kung-fu. I didn’t know they offered black belts in Kung-fu. Anyway, the one time he challenged a guy to a $30K winner-takes-all bout the other guy Vai Sikahema knocked him out in the first round itself. I fear for his life against Choi. Am sure, Choi’s muscles are not enhanced by steroids but lots of pork and kimchi.

The Choi-Canesco fight takes place under the “World Superman Championship” series which is an 8 man open weight tournament.Choi has occasionally dabbled in MMA but does not have a great record there. I guess a great height is a disadvantage against a skillful grappler.