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CHAPTER THREE - BOOK |
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Chapter
3 “Magic!
Magic! Magic!” Cliff Thomas Spanks
Gordon Franks For First Title The
ultimate measure of a man is Under
the tutelage of Robert Nava, Cliff continued to develop his kicking
skills and demolishing opponents. But Cliff was well aware that his
kicking skills were far ahead of his hand skills and he was smart enough
to know he needed a balance between his feet and hands. Because Nava was
contemplating moving to California, Cliff realized that he would need a
first rate boxing trainer and a high caliber kickboxing coach if he was
to become a world champion. In
sports, as in many other professions, timing is sometimes everything.
And persistence is usually a close second. On August 14, 1977, fourteen
year-old whiz kid, Tony Sandoval, co-founded the Sun City Southwest
Karate championships with his big brother Hilary. They had no clue of
what they were getting in to but, fortunately, Tony had the moxie to
recruit the toughest pound-for-pound kick boxer in the world, Demetrius
‘The Greek’ Havanas. The Greek had won an astonishing one hundred
and eighty-five point tournaments before taking up full contact
kickboxing with the PKA .He was soon ranked number one by both the PKA
and the WKA. But his dangerous reputation made champions avoid him like
the plague. To virtually everyone’s surprise, Tony was able to sign
Demetrius for the first of many bouts he was to have in El Paso. In that
bout at The El Paso Civic Center, the gravity defying Havanas knocked
out ranked contender Jeff English in the second round. Tony
Sandoval had a second agenda for bringing Havanas to El Paso. Brothers,
Tony and Hilary had watched Cliff for a long time. They had been
interested in signing Cliff before he was ready to leave Nava. Lucky for
Cliff, they were persistent. ‘The
Greek’ had already proven himself to be a superior trainer and
kickboxing instructor. One of his talented fighters, Billye Jackson, was
gunning down big names and was possibly headed for a huge fight against
the kickboxing wonder of the world, Benny Urquidez. Urquidez was both a
PKA and WKA world titleholder and after demolishing all the competition
in the United States, ventured to the Orient where he was a smashing
success. So much so that in 1993, and after destroying every single
champion Japan had to offer for over ten years, he was officially
declared a national hero. Having
The Greek in El Paso gave young genius Tony Sandoval and his brother
Hilary the opportunity to hook up Demetrius with Cliff. Brothers, Tony
and Hilary had watched Cliff for a long time. They had been interested
in signing Cliff before he was ready to leave Nava. Lucky for Cliff,
they were persistent. They
also added local physical education teacher and ranked kickboxing stud,
Joe Soto, to their team. Joe was also a professional boxer and carried a
walloping knockout punch. Over
the next few months, the Sandoval’s signed more kickboxers who could
also train as well as fight, forming alliances with some excellent
boxing coaches as well. One piece at a time they were creating a
formidable team. They were big dreamers - dreamers with a plan. So was
Cliff. Together, their partnership held the promise of a long,
successful and prosperous future. Tony Sandoval’s
Dream Team Demitrius
Havanas:
The ‘Greek’ was a fearless human dynamo with a work ethic that would
make Navy Seal training look like average sports conditioning by
comparison. Standing only five feet five inches tall and weighing in at
one hundred and fifty pounds, he was so good at his art that champions
found every reason under the sun to not give him a title shot. He had a
gut-wrenching, full-contact philosophy of training so hard before a
fight that the actual act of being able to hit somebody back and rest
between rounds was a comfort. He was, in his time, one of the most
feared kickboxers ever to enter a ring. His
rigorous training methodology is legendary and fortunately for Cliff,
Sandoval was able to land the ‘Greek’ as his main trainer. Although
Cliff had to make frequent trips to Dallas where Demitrius had his gym,
those workout sessions became the catalyst for Cliff’s burgeoning
career. Ishmael
Robles
was highly skilled “rough-n-tumble”
kickboxer with a flair for dramatic execution of high-flying karate
techniques. Ishmael won the PKA’s U.S. Super Welterweight championship
by knocking out Sam Montgomery in the first round. He was also a WKA
U.S. World Champion. He carved out a great kickboxing career from his
home base in Galveston, Texas. The Sandoval’s brought him to El Paso
for many thrilling bouts and proved their managerial mettle again by
signing Ishmael to help with Cliff’s bouts. Ishmael became a mainstay
in Cliff’s training regimen and title bouts for decades. Other
top-flight martial artists also helped Cliff along the way. Joe
Soto was a native El Paso kickboxer and boxer who would eventually
become one of Cliff’s best trainers and corner men. Educated at The
University of Texas at El Paso, Joe became a coach and educator while he
rose to number one in the PKA ratings in the eighties and lost to
Cliff’s nemesis, Paul Vizzio in a close and exciting match. The
late Rocky Galarza was a charismatic boxing trainer who played a
huge part in Cliff’s success. Inducted into both the El Paso
Boxing/Martial Arts Hall Of Fame and The El Paso Athletic Hall Of Fame,
Rocky spent hours making Cliff a proficient body puncher. I was an
assistant trainer with Rocky at the time and held the punching mitts and
a special widow-maker bag for Cliff for some six to ten rounds an
evening. Rocky also provided Cliff with both kickboxing and boxing
sparring partners, including some of the best professional boxers in
Mexico. Because of the backbreaking training regimen of Demitrius
Havanas along with Rocky’s three-hour boxing workout, Cliff stayed in
magnificent condition. Ralph
Ruiz,
another outstanding boxing trainer and member of the El Paso Boxing Hall
Of Fame, was instrumental in many of Cliff’s championship bouts. The
late George Simpson Villa was a former boxer who was a master of
the Mexican style of body punching. He also became an invaluable asset
to Cliff’s coaching staff. He was an outstanding corner man who could
evaluate an opponent’s style and weaknesses quickly and accurately. Late
in his career and after moving to Dallas, Texas, Cliff would train under
the guidance of highly regarded Walt Mason. Walt helped train
Cliff for his sixth world championship, but passed away shortly
thereafter. A
Game Of Chance With
the dream team in place and their prize possession in tow, the Sandoval
brothers mapped a their strategy to position Cliff for a world
championship title shot. They knew it was going to be a huge personal
gamble as well as some shrewd bargaining to lure a Professional Karate
Association champion to El Paso. Cliff hadn’t even tested the
professional kickboxing rings yet. Even so, Tony and Hilary offered up
their warrior to all takers secure in the knowledge of the depth of
Cliff’s training, the sincerity of his commitment to the sport, and
his unique combination of talent and skill. This
became a frenetic period for Cliff who was eager to get started as a
professional. He was bounced back
and forth between Dallas and El Paso for training while the Sandoval
brothers arranged a slew one fight after another for him. In
Dallas, Demetrius Havanas gave Cliff a very different workout than
anything Cliff had experienced before. Grueling noon workouts included
running with twenty-five pound pads in the extreme heat of the Dallas
summer, ten to fifteen rounds on the heavy bags, five rounds on the
punching mitts and five rounds on the speed bag. After a brief rest, the
workout continued with twenty minutes of jumping rope, a half hour of
kickboxing technique, then sparring with everybody in the gym or those
who showed up while he was in the gym. It
was standard training practice in the Dallas gym that the kickboxer who
had the most important fight coming up was to stay in the ring until he
had gone three or four rounds with everyone available. Cliff couldn’t
wait for that most important fight to be his. Meanwhile, he had to get
ready for the heavy fight schedule the Sandovals had arranged. Rocky
Galarza was coaching at Carolina gym in El Paso. He had both amateur and
professional boxers and like Demitrius, he would a push a boxer to spar
to near exhaustion. He had an excellent reputation for teaching the
Mexican style of body punching. That was the reason why the Sandoval
team contacted him about coaching Cliff. Rocky also had excellent
rapport with Mexican coaches in Juarez, Mexico that enabled him to
recruit the best professional boxers to spar with Cliff as they were
needed. Cliff
was only nineteen when he started the shuttling twin-killing training
regimens of Havanas and Galarza. Then, between 1977 and 1979, Cliff
began opening few eyes in the kickboxing world with a 13-2 record that
included a win over Craig Fausett who was ranked number three in the
world by The WKA. But while his wins were piling up, Cliff also felt the
pain of losing. In
Las Vegas, he lost a decision to Dexter Brooks in a four round bout. He
had taken the fight to Dexter but wasn’t as sharp as he needed to be
early on. Consequently, the bout was too short to get the knockout his
body punches were setting up. After
the loss, Cliff went right back to working his dream by drilling Charlie
Carrow and Stewart Lauper of Bill Packer’s stable in Albuquerque, New
Mexico, Ben Martinez out of Al Martinez’ school in Santa Fe, New
Mexico and Gary Ortiz, also of Santa Fe. Most notably, he beat World
Karate Association ranked fighter Adam Robinson. Then
Cliff stumbled slightly when he met Roy Kleckner, rated number ten by
the PKA. At that time, Cliff had developed a bad habit: eating before a
match. He later confided to me that he had more of a problem with his
stomach than he did with Kleckner. Any fighter who has experienced
diarrhea before an event knows all too well how he must have suffered.
Nevertheless, that decision loss turned out to be a blessing in
disguise. Cliff
immediately went back to work to overcome his loss to Kleckner by
whipping another ranked fighter and world champion to be, Dave Johnston,
in June of 1979. After that win Tony decided it was time for a title
shot. But to arrange it, Tony had to rely as much on luck as he would on
Cliff’s skills once the fight was set. Tony knew that he would have to
get close to the PKA reigning powers, especially Joe Corley. Luckily,
his brother Hilary had also been thinking about the same idea. Together,
they planned to go where they knew they would find Corley - his own
top-rated point karate tournament called “The Battle Of Atlanta.” Cliff
remembers Tony’s promise to get him a title fight and soon. He recalls
that Hilary and Tony went to Joe Corley’s “Battle Of Atlanta”
hoping somehow they would be able to make their pitch directly to Joe
even though he would be up to his neck in arranging and promoting the
major annual event while simultaneously being the main analyst and host
for the PKA. Still, Tony was young and idealistic enough to believe they
would pull it off. The
experts who claim that the biggest part of success is “showing up”
can point to the Sandovals as a prime example. During the event, both
Hilary and Cliff stepped into an elevator and came face to face with Joe
Corley. Tony, who was still young enough to be mistaken for a fan rather
than a kickboxer manager, didn’t hesitate to take advantage of the
situation. Tony immediately engaged Corley in conversation and quickly
got around to telling him that his kickboxer, by then known as Cliff
‘Black Magic’ Thomas, wasn’t yet ranked, but certainly should be.
Then he told Corley that Magic should also be considered as a possible
challenger for undefeated Gordon Franks’ super lightweight title. One
can only imagine what Corley may have been thinking as he was
buttonholed by the brash teenager from El Paso, but he was smart enough
not to slam any doors in their faces. Corley probably knew that Gordon
Franks was looking for an easier opponent than two ranked challengers:
number one ranked Paul Vizzio and second-ranked Richard Jackson. Both
were ready and waiting for their deserved shots at him. Corley told Tony
and Hilary that it was an interesting option and to “stay tuned.” But
if the chance meeting in the elevator was luck, the Sandovals and Cliff
were about to get even luckier. Franks was under a time constraint: he
had to defend his title or lose it And Franks people hadn’t been able
to work out arrangements for fights with either Vizzio or Jackson. Then
the champ’s camp got the word about Cliff. Knowing that Cliff had lost
to Kleckner must have been quite a relief for the Franks camp. Simply
put, they could take on Thomas, who looked like a much easier opponent,
than Vizzio or Jackson. More importantly, Franks could fight Thomas with
the full blessing of the PKA. Hilary
Sandoval recalls that Joe Corley and other PKA higher-ups discounted
Thomas as having any real chance to beat Franks. Shine! Shine!
Shine! Tony
and Hilary Sandoval were pleasantly surprised when the PKA contacted
them to say that Gordon Franks was willing to give Cliff a shot at the
world super lightweight title. But there were some strings attached. The
Sandovals would have to do the promotion, obtain Texas sanctioning, pay
all expenses and work out a financial agreement with Franks. The
offer was more than acceptable to the brothers. Within days they wrapped
up the deal and began working around the clock to make it happen. It was
an ESPN television coup for their Southwest Karate Championships and
soon to be worldwide known trademark production, “Battlestar Karatica.” In
virtually non-stop negotiations with all of the other players,
arrangements and contracts were in place in time to get the championship
event sanctioned for August 9th, 1980. They rented the El
Paso Civic Center and put out the word to overjoyed El Paso fans; Fans
who were starved for a champion in any sport. In
boxing, the late Manny Ortega had come ever so close in 1948 when he
beat world featherweight champion, Manny Ortiz, by a seventh round TKO.
But that was a non-title fight. Manny would never get a rematch and had
to settle for dispatching two more world champions, Jackie Callura and
Jackie Wilson in his great career without a belt on the line. Adolfo
Quijano, who introduced American Football to Mexico, was another El Paso
world title contender but couldn’t get over the hump when he fought
Light Heavyweight Champion Joey Maxim. And number one lightweight
contender, Ernie Lazcano of El Paso, appeared willing and ready in a
slugfest with Jose Luis Castillo but lost a twelve-round decision. But
Cliff was another story. Anyone who had seen the once scrawny kid who
wasn’t even supposed to have a chance at life much less at a world
title in a ring came away convinced he had what he needed to be a world
champion. And anyone who met Cliff knew his knowledge of the sport,
exhaustive training regimen, and uncompromising will to win, would take
him to a title. Cliff
was ecstatic. But with his elation came the curse of the butterflies.
This was his chance to live his dream; the culmination of his grand
desire. And when he trained with Demetrius, he was now the focus of
attention. He had finally obtained that coveted position in the Dallas
gym: the most important kickboxer of the moment. And The Greek wasn’t
about to lose a war, any war whether he was the infantry or the general.
As general, he mapped out a fight plan for Cliff and the rigorous
training that would prepare him to carry it out. Cliff
was dispensable if he couldn’t live up to the Greek’s battle plan.
If he survived, he would be ready to take Gordon Franks on any front. If
he survived, the world would soon know of Cliff Thomas. To survive,
Cliff knew he would have to reach deep within his inner self, to
withstand the punishment he would face in the Dallas gym, never mind the
fight itself. Over the following weeks, Cliff did indeed have to reach
down deep inside to muster up the energy and resolve necessary to meet
his dream. When exhaustion brought him to the brink of physical
endurance, he had to rekindle his energy from the spirit and will
within. The
regimen was punishing. Twice a day, the Greek would personally spar with
Cliff furiously and ferociously. Then Cliff would face heavyweight Kerry
Wiseman, then middleweight Robert Morley. Even fighter/trainer Ishmael
Robles would push Cliff to his limits when it appeared Cliff was totally
spent. Still, it wasn’t over for Cliff. The
Greek was simultaneously preparing welterweight Billye Jackson for a
title fight. What could be better championship conditioning than to
throw him at Cliff when the later was exhausted? The Greek reversed the
sessions every other day so that Billye would be fighting under the same
pressures. One
of the sessions with Jackson threatened potential disaster. It was
Cliff’s last big sparring day before returning to El Paso for the
fight. Cliff still remembers the incident with Billye Jackson clearly. “I
had already sparred every other soul in the gym and then it was time to
get it on with that tough dude Billye Jackson. He was always anxious to
whip my butt. God he was one rugged customer to tangle with. Anyway, we
had gone about five rounds of ‘Get Down’ action when he worked me to
the ropes and unleashed a mean-looking left hook that I barely managed
to duck and weave under. He still nailed me on the side of the nose with
a knee from a front kick he had started after the hook. The impact of
the knee ripped open the left side of my nose. I went and got stitches
and the doctor told me I would be okay if I didn’t spar. But I sure
would. My mind was made up; nothing was going to stop me from getting my
shot at the title.” It
was a backbreaking schedule that only true world champions endure and
survive. Cliff was one of those very few men. Aside from the brutal
sparring sessions, the Greek ran with Cliff while both carried
twenty-five pound pads. He meditated with Cliff, ate with Cliff and even
saw Cliff to sleep. He spent endless hours schooling Cliff in fight
techniques and strategy. He saw to it that Cliff wore out the heavy bag
and whipped combinations on speed bags until they broke. He held the
punch/kick mitts round after scorching round until Cliff dropped from
near exhaustion. Then with nothing more than brief respites, the Greek
had Cliff at them again. He molded Cliff into a thinking-fighting
machine that was not just ready for action, but ready for a world
championship. When the Greek was through, he had Cliff ready to
“Shine! Shine! Shine!” When
Cliff returned from Dallas to El Paso it was boxing trainer, Rocky
Galarza’s turn. At the Carolina gym to work on boxing techniques, he
was drawn as tight as a drum. His body was sinewy but muscled across the
bones like a cheetah. His eyes seemed far away as if he hadn’t slept.
Yet, he changed from street clothes to his karate gi within minutes,
stretched, jumped some rope and was ever ready to get it on with the
boxers. And “Get-It-On” was Rocky’s middle name. Rocky
first threw his best amateurs at Cliff. Tough and talented boxers like
Ricky Leon and Sal Caballero would get after Cliff like tigers on the
prowl. Rocky would then send out a middle or light heavyweight to push
Cliff around and then a heavyweight to try and crush him. Cliff
withstood the fury and passion of the boxers and when they were done,
Rocky sent in the professionals. The professionals were usually from
Mexico, some highly ranked. Most were skilled body punchers. They
attacked Cliff’s magnificent frame non-stop. And Cliff fought right
back relentlessly. The only respite in the action would be when Rocky
would call “Time” to refine Cliff’s technique in delivering an
uppercut to the solar plexus in the heat of battle or how to bang the
abdomen and effect the liver with a slicing hook. He reinforced those
lessons by having Cliff study the Mexicans when they feinted, slipped,
shifted, bobbed and weaved or otherwise set up their body attack with
pressure jabs and an inside Mexican twist jab to the throat or jaw. When
Cliff finished ten or twelve rounds of sparring, Rocky had me coach
Cliff on his special “Widow-Maker” bag for another six rounds. This
bag is not much more than a basketball filled with cottonseed and then
taped heavily on the outside. Old time boxer and trainer, Ollie Wilhelm,
from Las Cruces, New Mexico, formerly of Pampa, Texas, first taught me
about this bag. Though it appears innocent enough, most fit boxers find
it extremely difficult to go four rounds on the bag even when they are
fresh and seemingly well conditioned. The key to building success with
the Widow-Maker is to make sure the rounds take place in a canvas-topped
ring. If one is just getting started, a sand dune, or a wet beach are
also good venues to use the bag and build power and endurance. A
few years back, a ranked Australian heavyweight was sparing one of my
young amateurs, David Rodriguez. After the session, he could barely do
two rounds on the bag. David grew up on the bag and could go endless
rounds. He is currently the professional heavyweight champion of Texas.
Like David, Cliff never gave me a break. He was ready to go more rounds
than I had taken anybody. Rocky eventually made him stop at six rounds
because he had other chores in mind. Rocky
also used a simple but effective technique with Cliff. He would hold one
punching mitt for just one uppercut with each hand for some one hundred
punches before Cliff could leave the gym. Rocky also dropped long
distance running with heavy pads in favor of tens of sprints and runs up
and down football stadium stairs. The ‘Greek’ And
The ‘Jet’ Demitrius
Havanas sent Cliff him back to El Paso for his title bout with Gordon
Franks sharper than a razor. The Greek was ecstatic about following as
Cliff’s coach. But fate intervened. The
worlds greatest kickboxer of the time, Benny ‘The Jet’ Urquidez, was
scheduled to fight Glen Mehiman in Florida. But while Cliff was training
in Dallas, word came to The Greek that Mehiman had been injured and
might not be able to face The Jet. If not, it might be possible for
Billye to take his place on the fight card. It was an opportunity the
Greek couldn’t resist, but it was scheduled for the same day as
Cliff’s El Paso match with Gordon Franks. Even The Greek wasn’t fast
enough to be in two places at the same time, especially when they were
over 2,000 miles apart. The Greek decided that if the call came, he
could have Ishmael Robles and boxing coach Rocky Galarza to handle Cliff
against Franks since he wasn’t overly concerned about Franks winning.
He knew that notwithstanding an accident, Cliff was going to blast
Franks right out of his trunks. But for the moment, it was time to make
Billye just as important as Cliff. So The Greek opted to attend the
Florida match when the call came. Cliff
is the first person to tell people that Billye Jackson had some awesome
fighting skills. He remembers well that Jackson could knock a fighter
out with either hand or foot, and was especially lethal with his feet.
He recounted to me Jackson’s great jumping turn kick that was
devastating when it landed.. In his sparring sessions with Jackson,
Cliff had learned first-hand just how damaging those kicks could be.
More than once during their sessions Cliff had to shake off some telling
strikes Jackson delivered to his head and torso. Cliff knew that the
experience with Jackson was especially helpful for his upcoming
championship match. Jackson never held back on any day they were thrown
together. By the time he left Dallas, Cliff knew that Gordon Franks had
better be prepared beyond human physicality because Cliff’s training
had moved him to the limits of human capacity. Taking Care Of
Business While
Cliff returned to El Paso for the final days of fight preparation, the
Greek and Billye Jackson traveled to West Palm Beach Florida. On August
9th 1980, as Cliff’s match was getting underway, Demetrius
and Billye were told that Glen Mehiman was unable to overcome his injury
and Billye would be substituted on the card with Urquidez by promoter,
Richard Stacey. Urquidez
was an icon of karate, undefeated throughout his well-traveled world,
whose presence on a fight card made ticket sales soar. He was a fight
celebrity in Japan where he had demolished the best they had to offer.
Demitrius made the trip on a mixture of hunch and business savvy of the
martial arts world. He knew the Jet would fight anywhere, anytime,
anyplace, if the price were right. Billye
was closer to Urquidez’s weight than Mehiman, but it was money and
concessions that made the deal work. Urquidez had to agree that he
wouldn’t use sweeps or leg kicks, both major strengths of Urquidez.
Fighting in Japan and the Orient, Urquidez had mastered both techniques.
But he agreed to go with the PKA rules. According
to people who attended the bout, Billye charged Urquidez from the
opening bell. Even though Urquidez avoided heavy damage, Billye
inflicted enough punishment to win the first three rounds by 10-9
scores. The fourth and fifth rounds were even. Urquidez, likely
surprised by the early attack, only started to unload his arsenal in the
sixth and seventh rounds. He closed the seventh with a strong effort but
couldn’t take the exhausted challenger down. When the split decision
was announced and Billye was declared the winner, Urquidez went
ballistic. It was his first loss in a long and storied kickboxing
career.4 Benny
protested, claiming that he had signed for an exhibition of five rounds
and that his corner was taking off his gloves when the referee told him
to get ready for the sixth round. He also claimed that Jackson was using
Mexican Casanova gloves, which are better suited to harder punching and
knockouts than the Reyes gloves he was wearing for the bout. He also
claimed that it wasn’t until the fight was about to begin that the
referee told him that he could not use throws or thigh kicks in the
match. Demitrius and the WKA disagreed.5 World
Karate Organization President, Howard Hanson, ruled that Benny knew it
was an official, sanctioned bout. He later said, “I don’t know where
the term ‘exhibition’ came from.” “That surfaced afterward. They
wanted to have the loss removed from his record, but I wouldn’t do
it.”6 Demitrius,
countered that he and Billye were never told it was an exhibition.
Demitrius told everyone who would listen that he went to Florida for
only one reason: to take care of business. Billye had inflicted the only
loss on Urquidez’s record. No matter how vehement Urquidez was about
the match (which he refused to recognize as anything but an exhibition),
it was recorded as a loss in the record books. Billye and Benny were
more than willing to negotiate a rematch, but it never happened because
promoters wouldn’t put up the money the fighters wanted. In
the middle of the uproar in Florida, Demitrius was anxious to tune in
long distance to hear the results of his time and investment in Cliff
‘Magic’ Thomas at his El Paso showdown with Gordon Franks. He was
disappointed he couldn’t be in El Paso with Cliff, but his day at the
office in Florida had made the day a resounding success. He fully
expected more good news when the Sandoval brothers reached him from El
Paso. Damned At The Press
Conference Two
days before the big fight in El Paso, Cliff and the Champion were
featured guests at a luncheon press conference. It wasn’t long before
Cliff realized that Franks was using his experience to make the setting
a venue to play mind games to try to get a psychological advantage.
Cliff found it tough to enjoy the meal as Franks hyped his experience
and reputation to the press. Franks had made it clear before he got to
El Paso that he didn’t think highly of his obscure challenger. As the
only remaining original PKA champion to hold his title and stay
undefeated, he treated Cliff as a minor annoyance in keeping his title.
At one point, Franks claimed that Cliff was fighting out of his class. El
Paso Times sports writer, Mark Leibson, quoted Franks as saying,
“My list of opponents reads like a ‘Who’s Who.’ Thomas’ list
reads like a ‘Who’s He?’”7 Thomas
was infuriated by Franks’ arrogance. He shot back to Leibson,
“Records don’t beat you. Everybody’s undefeated at one time in
their lives but there’s always someone who can beat you and that’s
what I’m going to do to Franks. He shouldn’t think that just because
he is undefeated that he is unbeatable.” Later, Thomas told Franks to
his face in his typical understated style: “You’re undefeated now,
your undefeated tomorrow, but come Saturday, I don’t know.”8 A
little later during the meal, Franks stated, “I have fought all over
the world. It’s a lot different than a person who just fights in his
region. I’m all business when I get into the ring. My job is done with
my hands and feet. I’m prepared to go the distance. Thomas doesn’t
know what it’s like to go twelve rounds. If it does go the distance, I
will win.”9
That kind of condescension got to Cliff who growled to a nearby sports
writer, “He really gets me mad. Sitting there with that cocky attitude
of his. Someone needs to bring him down to earth. Nobody is that
good.” Cliff promised that that someone would be him. He told the
gathering, “I’m going into Saturday’s fight with nothing to lose
and everything to gain. Franks has everything to lose and nothing to
gain. To beat a champion, you have to be the aggressor. I have to show
everybody what I’m all about. I also have to show everybody that
Franks is not as good as he thinks he is.”10 When
Leibson asked Cliff about his fight strategy other than being the
aggressor, Cliff replied, “I fight with my right leg forward and in
doing so, it nullifies my opponent’s hook. Franks fights with his left
side out. He would have to effectively switch his stance or move in
close to hit me.” Leibson reminded Cliff that Franks proved his
ability the previous November when he was rated as an underdog to the
number one contender, Tony Lopez, who came to the match with a 26 and 0
record. Franks had beaten him anyway. Franks claimed to Leibson that
there was no way a Texas-only ranked Thomas would beat him, not even in
his hometown. Cliff simply and confidently maintained he was prepared
both mentally and physically to take the title.
11 A Battlestar
Karatica Promotion Gordon
“Iceman” Franks hardly gave Cliff a second thought after the press
conference. The champ from Minnesota had a mandatory defense of his
title scheduled, and he planned to up his record to 18-0. He had earned
his black belt in 1972 under Pat Worley and three years later he won the
PKA super lightweight championship. Later, he would drop his weight to
win the featherweight title. For risking his title in El Paso he was
getting thirty-five hundred bucks and expenses. Not bad money for what
he considered an easy outing to retain his title. But it bothered him to
give an obscure, unranked opponent a title shot. After all, he was one
of the first PKA champions and last to hold his title. He, Joe Lewis,
Bill Wallace, and Jeff Smith of the United States and Mexico’s Isais
Duenas had won the first titles back on September 14, 1974. Though
he claimed he was not ducking top contenders Paul Vizzio or Richard
Jackson he was in El Paso to fight a virtually unranked unknown. At the
very least, the circumstances took some explaining. But no explanation
had been forthcoming. Franks’
arrogance prevented second thoughts about underdog Cliff as he entered
the El Paso Civic Center and saw the overflow crowd and heard their
excited, non-stop chants of “Magic! Magic! Magic!” This crowd was
anxious for action and they expected nothing less than for Cliff to give
Franks the West Texas wuppin’ his arrogance deserved. The champ should
have felt electricity of Cliff’s and that he may have underestimated
his opponent. But if he did, he was champion enough not to say so or
give any sign of any doubts he may have had. Ishmael
Robles and Rocky Galarza had led Cliff’s entourage into the ring. As
Cliff climbed through the ropes and entered the ring, the roar of the
crowd was deafening. Every supporter seemed to be pumping almost
adrenaline as Cliff himself. The rush of energy from those fans was
palpable to Cliff and his handlers. As
the energy peaked, Cliff danced around the ring in anticipation. After a
short display of shadow boxing and some kicks to stretch his legs, he
whipped off his robe and exposed his fit, svelte, splendid body. He had
reached the peak of his training at the perfect time for this
opportunity to reach the pinnacle of his sport. More
chants of ‘Magic! Magic! Magic!’ echoed throughout the Civic Center
as the ring announcer made the introductions. Cliff was announced as
5’11” tall and weighing in at 134 ½ pounds; Frank’s at 5’ 9”
at 134½ pounds. Cliff’s face mirrored his determination; Franks’
face was expressionless. Once the fighters were in their corners after
instructions from the referee the crowd rose to their feet as one in
anticipation of the bell. Ding. Round One Both
fighters left their corners tentatively; Cliff, a left-hander tried a
right sidekick that was short of the mark and Franks, a right-hander,
let loose a harder sidekick that Cliff blocked with his arm. Cliff got
in a medium powered left hand while Franks shifted to center ring and
threw a one-two punch that grazed his opponent. Franks then began
pressing Cliff, attempting a right to the body that Cliff avoided. Then
both fighters threw sidekicks that were blocked simultaneously.
Suddenly, Cliff shot in with a back kick that didn’t do much
damage but got Frank’s attention. Franks retaliated with a light jab
to the head. Cliff sneered off the punch and decided the feeling out
process had gone far enough. Never a runner, he feinted a little to
avoid some shots by Franks and then went after the super lightweight
champion. Cliff’s
turning aggressor surprised Franks who made an effort to end the threat
by delivering a wheel kick to Cliff’s arms and chest and a partial
roundhouse to his side. Cliff was ready for the counter and easily
stepped inside of the kicks to land a strong left that grazed the
champ’s temple. Franks then crouched as Cliff pressed him again and,
possibly remembering that he was the champion and still head of the
‘Pecking Order,’ made his stand. First,
Franks came out of his crouch with a jab that Cliff slipped and a
sidekick that Cliff blocked and countered with his own sidekick. Franks
continued to flurry and got a piece of Cliff with a right-left-right
hand combination. He looked every bit the good boxer while executing the
combination. However, after landing a left wheel kick to Cliff’s ribs,
Gordon chose to jab and then shove Cliff backwards, rushing him as he
went towards the corner where he attempted to do some serious damage
with a right uppercut, left hook and some inside kicks. Though the move
was mildly successful, it freed Cliff to counter the Franks’ attack
with a big uppercut while moving away and setting up his power stance.
Franks miscalculated and closed the distance with Cliff while throwing a
couple of jabs and a left axe like kick. It was just the opening Cliff
had been waiting for. Cliff
immediately blasted the oncoming champ with a right hook, causing Franks
to back out. Both men then feinted and Franks tried a left but missed as
Cliff scooted along the ropes and came off with a solid right jab to the
head. Franks tried another counter and missed but followed up a counter
right by Cliff to get in a hook to the kidney. Then, regaining a little
confidence, the champ then pressed again and unleashed a hook, a long
right to the body and a couple of jabs that barely nicked Cliff. The
result was a vicious counter left hand to the body from Cliff. Franks
shot out a front snap kick that had no effect then followed it with a
feint, bob down and short right to the body. To show the champ how
ineffective all that effort was, Cliff responded with a right-left
combination, some good kicks including a strong right sidekick and an
excellent left uppercut that jolted Franks and sent the champ to the
ropes. To avoid getting cornered, the champ frantically jabbed out but
Cliff easily blocked his punches. Now Cliff was in pursuit. His eyes
told their own story: straightforward, focused, intent, deliberate,
intimidating, and showing the fierceness that lives at the core of all
great warriors. Franks
still had some composure as he continued to jab effectively. He began to
trace an arc around the ring, missing more punches than he landed. Then
he made another big mistake, working Cliff to a corner. Cliff did a
break down bend move and landed a crushing left to the champ’s chest.
Franks hooked to the shoulder and immediately tied up Cliff and put him
in the corner. Again, Cliff answered with a swift sidekick to Franks’
gut and took an uppercut to the body as he escaped the corner then came
back with his own left lead to the head and a front snap kick to the
body. Franks reeled backwards as Cliff renewed his pressing attack.
Going backwards, Franks missed some punches and kicks, landed a light
jab and ate a hard left hand and a right roundhouse from the challenger.
Then Cliff, eager to drill the champ, pressed him hard and, after a good
exchange, forced Franks to back away and circle the ring defensively. Franks
had to rely on more feints to hold back Cliff’s onslaught. He
unleashed a series of punches that temporarily stalled Cliff’s
unrelenting pressure but he couldn’t hold back the inevitable.
Ignoring the all out attack by Franks, Cliff did feint before pressing
Franks hard with a furious series of punches and kicks that put the
champ into full retreat. As
Franks tried to counter during his retreat, Cliff stung him with jabs
and rocked him with a right hand to the head. Then, with only seconds
left in the round, Cliff uncorked a power left that landed square on the
face of the champ. Franks knees buckled from the effects of the blow and
fans hearts stopped. But the embattled champ countered with his own
straight right and a hook that did little to stop Cliff’s or affect
his will. A frustrated Franks took a crushing right-left hand
combination to the body and head as the bell ended the round. The
ESPN announcers, Joe Corley and Larry Black, expressed surprise at
Franks’ pressing attack and body ventures into Thomas’ left hand
range. Corley,
being the top executive of the PKA as well as a founder of the
organization, was now concerned that Franks just might be in for a
troublesome evening. Both Corley and Black still thought that Franks
would figure things out but Hilary Sandoval, near ringside, could hear
and see that they were clearly worried that the ‘Pecking Order’
might be changed that fine El Paso night. Round Two
Knowing that his last combination in the first round had
whip-lashed Franks, Cliff began to demonstrate the patience of a
champion in round two. A frantic Franks rushed out at the bell and
missed a high snap kick meant for Cliff’s head. He followed with a
wheel kick that kept Cliff close to his corner. Franks then raised the
tempo with a couple of stiff jabs and hard hooks that Cliff calmly
blocked. Cliff was in control of his game plan, avoiding any big shots
and countering with punishing punches to Franks’ body. Cliff’s
trainers had taught him to tear down his opponent’s body before going
to his head. In boxing, that was standard operating procedure. So Cliff
was content for the moment to slip Franks’ punches, weave right and
left to find openings and then punch into them with authority. When
their effects on the champion’s body indicated to Cliff that the time
was right he knew to go for the knockout. Cliff
confided to his coaches before the fight that he wasn’t going to leave
the outcome in the hands of the judges. He intended to test everything
Franks had, then wear him down, and knock him out.12
By the middle of the second round everything was going according to
plan, except the champion kept pressing and closing the range that Cliff
needed to blast him out of his trunks. Approaching
the midway point of the round, Franks drove in and landed a right and
left combo to Cliff’s head followed by a right uppercut to his kidney.
Cliff shrugged off the attack and retaliated with a punishing right
uppercut to the champ’s body, a great left wheel kick to the head and
two follow sidekicks to the body. Franks counter jabs were meek as he
backpedaled in full retreat. Momentarily regaining his composure, Franks
shot in a right hand to Cliff’s body, tied-up and then pushed away.
But he couldn’t escape the oncoming counter slamming right sidekick to
the ribs. Refusing to back away, Franks foolishly stepped in close to
trade punches with Cliff. Cliff in turn blocked Franks’ punches and
let loose a salvo of kicks and punches that were right on target. First,
Franks was knocked all the way back to the ropes by a ripping Thomas
right sidekick.. Next, Cliff landed a crushing left body uppercut that
Cliff immediately doubled up to his head, putting the champion in a heap
of trouble. Cliff effectively had the champ on the defensive. For
the last minute of the round the fight exploded. Franks tied up Cliff,
turned him to a corner and landed a right uppercut to the body.
Simultaneously, Cliff blasted home a right uppercut to the body and a
left-hook to the face that stunned the champion. Then Cliff cranked up
his attack by unleashing a volley of hooks to Franks’ body and head,
and then added some spice to his attack with two straight lefts that
buckled the champ’s knees. After an exchange of hooks and uppercuts, a
few front snap kicks and sidekicks, Cliff knew his blows were having the
intended brutal effects. By contrast, the champion’s shots were hardly
making him flinch.13Consequently,
Cliff just waded through the champ’s attack and after bending down and
feinting, landed a huge body uppercut that made Franks wince. Then he
connected with a vicious combination to the body and head that sent
Franks stumbling backward. When the champ tried to roll away and defend
himself with sidekicks, Cliff surged in and after a round kick, broke
left and came up with a thundering uppercut that hurt the champion once
again. As the champ fell against the ropes Cliff nailed him with another
straight left and a left uppercut at the bell. Cliff went to his corner knowing he
was going to seal the champ’s fate sooner than anyone but he expected.
Joe Corley saw shat was coming too. To the ESPN audience, he explained
that Franks was making a big mistake by moving into Cliff’s powerful
left hand range. Round Three Back
in his corner the “Iceman” had to know he was losing this heated
battle. His reddened face and bruised body showed the blows that had
landed. Cliff was clearly winning and was poised in his corner to resume
the fight with the look of a confident warrior whose skills were showing
on his opponent. At
the bell, Cliff wasted no time in taking his attack right back to the
champion. After Franks exchanged sidekicks and a missed short right
hand, Cliff skewered him with slicing and slashing techniques. His
combinations were coming together as smoothly as Franks’ skills were
coming apart. Cliff
executed a scorching right sidekick to the champ’s body and then made
light contact with a front snap kick followed immediately by a wheel
kick. Then Cliff landed a left-right-left counter punching combination
to Franks’ head that had “H-U-R-T” written all over it. Franks
desperately tried to tie-up but failed. Cliff easily twisted loose and
assaulted the champ’s body and face with uppercuts, then landed a
well-placed right hook to the head that sent the champ staggering. Off
balance now, Franks took a hard left hook from Cliff that sent him
reeling backwards again. Doing the splits in an attempt to erect
himself, the champ lurched backward and forward before dropping toward
the canvas just in time to avoid Cliff’’s drop kick that sliced over
his head. The crowd saw it: down went the champ! Down went Gordon Franks
- down for the first time in his kickboxing career! Referee
Truman Irving picked up the count from the timekeeper and, as Franks
staggered to his feet at eight, wiped his gloves and signaled for the
fight to resume. Cliff rushed the bewildered champ and rocketed a
straight left flush on the champ’s face. Down went Franks again! The
cocky champion was down! And the crowd was on its feet! The referee
cautiously examined Franks before signaling Cliff to resume. Cliff
sensed the kill, marshaled his left hand
power
again, again and again and sent the champ down into the ropes. Franks
was woozy, bloodied and done for. Referee Irving waved off any more
damage from Cliff, declaring the bout stopped by TKO. The house erupted
into roaring applause and echoing chants of “Magic! Magic! Magic!”
Wave after wave of fans flooded ringside. The first world kickboxing
championship had just come to El Paso and fans were overdue for their
long-awaited party. The Aftermath Cliff
was elated and deservedly so. He and his team had put together a
masterpiece of a plan and he had executed it perfectly. Franks’
slights had only strengthened his resolve to win. So after Cliff’s
coaches, managers and fans wound down their ring celebration, Cliff,
always gracious whether winning or losing, went to Franks corner in a
show of true sportsmanship. Then
the party continued. Cliff was snatched up and carried on the shoulders
of coaches and fans alike. He had realized his championship ambitions as
a 20-1 underdog. That is, if you believe the pre-fight hype. Those
of us who witnessed the sacrifice, pain and courage that Cliff underwent
in training, and who were familiar with his talent and skills knew his
real odds were much better. Cliff never thought of losing to Franks. Of
course he was nervous. But his mental and physical preparation for this
championship along with his commitment to earn a world championship
wasn’t going to be denied by Gordon Franks or any one else for that
matter. Those
of us who were close to Cliff and knew how he had struggled and worked
to overcome his childhood disabilities knew well just how sweet the
moment was for the electrifying ‘Magic Man.’. He had overcome
enormous adversity to reach this championship. Cliff’s mentor,
Demetrius Havanas, and other team members helped with the preparations,
but Cliff made it happen. He was now number one in the ‘pecking
order’ and ready to take on the top ten. It was a first for Cliff, a
first for El Paso and for some of us, unbelievably exciting. As El Paso
Times staff writer Mark Leibson exclaimed, “Cliff ‘Magic’ Thomas
erased any doubts as to who is the real Professional Karate
Association’s Super Lightweight King.”14 Cooled Off Gordon
‘The Iceman’ Franks had been TKO’d for the first time in his
career. Prior to fighting Cliff, he had never even been knocked down. He
personally knew first hand just how powerful and devastating a fighter
Cliff was. A rematch wasn’t certain in his mind.
PKA’s Joe Corley became a Cliff Thomas fan that night. He realized through that night’s performance that Cliff Thomas was definitely underrated. He started looking forward to Cliff’s rematch with Franks before meeting top-ranked challengers, Vizzio and Jackson. So was the ‘Magic Man.’ After the fight, he told managers Tony and Hilary Sandoval, “Bring it on.”
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