BOXING: RICHMAN, LEE VICTORIOUS LAST SATURDAY

Minnesotan’s Mike Richman and Kou Lee were victorious in dominant fashion last Saturday night on the road. Richman, of Rosemount, knocked out out Marcus Gaines during his Bare Knuckle Boxing debut in England. Association of Martial Arts’ Kou Lee retained his XFN bantamweight kickboxing championship belt by knocking out hometown prospect Tevin Laskey of Oklahoma.

Mike “The Marine” Richman entered the fight sporting a throwback mustache and flashy trunks resembling a mix of past boxers John L. Sullivan and Prince Naseem Hamed. Despite being outsized, Richman’s boxing abilities stood out from the opening bell. Powerful hooks from Richman to the head and body sent Gaines to the ground 3 times before the fight was waived off by the referee later in the second round. BKB gives fighters 18 seconds to gather their wits as opposed to a normal boxing 10-count. It was a strong performance from Richman who said afterward that he was born for bare-knuckle fighting.

“I want to thank all my training partners at the Academy that did some rounds with me to prepare for this fight” said Richman. “I want to thank Greg Nelson for always being a great coach. I also want to thank Minnesota Top Team Jeremy Clark for always showing me love and support and all the little advices you give on fighting and life. Also, John Schimon and Gavin Hendrickson for being my main sparring partners for this training camp, you guys were a huge part of my success in my Bare Knuckle Boxing debut!”

Kou “Sexy Asian Invasion” Lee of Minneapolis, Minnesota, kept his XFN bantamweight kickboxing title after knocking out Tevin Laskey of Tulsa, Oklahoma moments before the conclusion of round three. It was a back and forth bout with Lee’s striking, particularly his kicks being too much for Laskey.

“I would like to thank all the people that have helped me achieve this goal” said Lee afterwards. ” I worked very hard to capture this fight, but the people involved worked harder in helping me prepare. There’s a long list, but here are a few, my wife Jessica Xiong and kids of course for their support and keeping my lifestyle in check. My teammates that’s been there to push me. My boxing coach Chuck Horton for the knowledge and great work he put in me. Jason Michael Laplante at Maxmuscle for the nutrition work. Yer Salina Lee and Nao Moua Lee real estate for their sponsorship in Oklahoma. And last but never least, my Muay Thai coach Mr. Steven Wright for showing me the way in Muay Thai and the way of life. You have been there in the beginning and pray you will be there till the end.”