TheProfessional Karate Association(PKA), laterProfessional Karate & Kickboxing Association,and now effective from March 1, 2022PKA Worldwidewas originally amartial artssanctioning organization, now transformed into a martial arts promotion company.
 | |
| Company type | Martial ArtsOrganization |
|---|---|
| Industry | Karate&Kickboxing |
| Founded | 1974 |
| Founder | Don Quine, Judy Quine, Mike Anderson, Mike Haig (UK) |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Don Quine, Judy Quine, Joe Corley, Jeff Smith, Bill Wallace, Joe Lewis, Rich Rose, Howard Dolgon, Jerry Piddington[1][2] |
| Services | Organization of karate and kickboxing professionals and promoters |
| Owner | Joe Corley |
| Website | PKA Worldwide Website |
Through the 1970s, the PKA was the largest and most successful professionalkickboxingorganization in theUnited Statesand in the UK and much of Europe, featuring such fighters asBill "Superfoot" Wallace,Joe Lewis,Benny "the Jet" Urquidez,The Iceman Jean-Yves Thériault,Dennis "the Terminator" Alexio,Rick "the Jet" Roufus,Jerry TrimbleandJeff Smith.[3][4]
The original design of the PKA logo is a silhouette of Bill "Superfoot" Wallace performing a roundhouse kick.
The PKA introduced Kickboxing to the world when it originated in the 1970s and was brought to prominence in September 1974, when the Professional Karate Association (PKA) held the first World Championships.American Kickboxingwas first known asFull Contact Karatebefore becoming known or referred to as Kickboxing as it amalgamatesKarate&Boxingand aspects of various otherMartial Artsinto one sport. The pro full-contact version of karate is akin to boxing in that the fighters wearboxing gloveswithin aroped ring.Its resemblance to pure karate is that the fighters wear pads on their feet and must deliver a minimum of eight above-the-waist kicks in each two-minute round.[5]
History
editFollowing the disintegration of theUnited States Kickboxing Associationin 1972, the Professional Karate Association was formed in 1974 by Don and Judy Quine in association with Mike Anderson, going on to champion Kickboxing to the world stage to major success.[3]It was launched with the initial world championships in 1974 at theLos Angeles Sports Arena,and was telecast onABC'sWide World of Entertainment.The winners of the initial championship wereJoe Lewis(heavyweight), Jeff Smith (light heavyweight),Bill "Superfoot" Wallace(middleweight), and Isiasis Duenas (lightweight).[3]Additionally, Vernon "Thunder Kick" Mason would become US PKA's first bantamweight champion after winning via a KO victory over Sonny Onowa.
Joe Corleyjoined the PKA in 1977 and together with Glenn Keeney, Jerry Piddington, John Therien in Canada, George Sfetas in England and many others in the US organized the committees that would control the sport of full contact karate for the next nine years.[6]The PKA went on to have a long term relationship withESPNthat lasted until 1986, while also airing a series of fights onCBSunder the watch ofCBS SportsVP Barry Frank and onNBCviaSean McManus.The PKA was by far the most visible sanctioning body for what became better known as kickboxing in the United States, in 1982 sanctioning 43% of events worldwide.[3]and producing more than 1,000 hours of television content.
The PKA signed many fighters to exclusive contracts in order to build its brand in the sport.[citation needed]Some fighters chose to go to other competing organizations, but the PKA was the most well-known.[citation needed]The PKA sanctioned fights exclusively with what has become known as "full contact rules" which permit kicks only above the waist as opposed to the "international rules" advocated by other organizations. In 1989 Joe Corley gained the rights to PKA in an out-of-court settlement ending a 3-year dispute with his PKA partners.[citation needed]The PKA has since operated as a promotion company.
During the disputes happening within the PKA leadership at the time, two new Kickboxing associations were formed, this being the Professional Karate Commission (PKC) and theInternational Sport Karate Association(ISKA). The PKA however continued operations in America and parts ofEuropeincluding theUnited Kingdom.[7]
The PKA hosted fights withShowtimethrough the 90s and held its first pay-per-view event with Showtime featuring Jean Yves Theriault vs Rick Roufus, Dennis Alexio vs Dick Kimber and Paul Vizzio vs Juan Torres, but went dormant shortly thereafter. PKA President Joe Corley said in a 2022 interview in the newly published PKA Worldwide magazine that "an inadvertent series of decisions by a broadcast executive wreaked unparalleled havoc on the momentum we had built for 20 years, and quite frankly, I had to take a hiatus following the 2 decades of gruelling yet exciting and inspiring television and promotion work. I put my personal energy into our Joe Corley American Karate studios in Atlanta, training our instructors how to operate professional studios as the interest in Martial Arts continued to explode."[8]
PKA Hall of Fame
edit
Most notable historical legacy fighters of the PKA include:
Re-launch of modern PKA in the USA
editIn March, 2022, PKA CEO Joe Corley announced the re-launch of PKA as PKA Worldwide. As of October 31, 2022, PKA Worldwide had named members of its PKA Worldwide Leadership Team to include 3 Co-Presidents led by Jeff Smith. Joe Corley announced that PKA Worldwide was undertaking its "hunt for the greatest strikers on the planet", and as of June 1, 2024 has held auditions in New York, Fort Worth, Redlands, California, Arlington, Texas South Hill, Washington, Vitoria Brazil and Johannesburg, South Africa. As of June, 2024 PKA Worldwide has a Global Leadership team in place that includes Robert Gutkowski as Vice Chairman / President of the Broadcast Division and Jeff Smith as President of Sports Operations. Carlos Silva has been named PKA Director for Latin America, Joe Viljoen named PKA Director for Africa and Amir Mosadegh is the PKA Director for Asia.
PKA CEO Joe Corley said "Many of the analysts of the Combat Sports on television have recognized that the Striking Techniques in kickboxing and in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) are most appreciated by the sports' fans. The remarkable growth of MMA and other combat sports for the past 20 years has convinced us that now is the perfect time to re-introduce professional kickboxing to fill a niche in the combat sports landscape," said Corley. "The exciting striking aspect of kickboxing gives fans the elements of the sport they most want to watch – punching and kicking."
Following on from this, the new motto and mantra of the PKA is "Punch. Kick. Repeat." As Joe Corley PKA CEO said "It's what our fighters do best."[9]
PKA Worldwide is set to launch rebranded PKA Kickboxing events in 2024, and all the new fights will take place in a "Stikers Cage" as opposed to a traditional ring. PKA Worldwide has been scouting global venues and recruiting athletes with now with more than 50 new athletes already on the roster, they are continuing to scout new and fresh talent. PKA Worldwide is looking to introduce the iconic brand of PKA Kickboxing to Generation X with the 2 years of scouting complete the new cage design is final, venue deals have been agreed and broadcast and streaming agreements are in place.[10]
PKA Worldwide Leadership Team
- Joe Corley- CEO Chief Executive Officer
- Robert Gutkowski - Vice Chairman, President, Broadcast Division
- Jeff Smith- Co-President, Sports Operations
- James Thomas II - Co-President, Business Affairs
- Bill Wallace- PKA International Ambassador
- Greg Suther - Director of PKA Associated Schools
- Daisy Lang- Global Ambassador, Women Fighters
- Amir Mosadegh - Director, PKAAsia
- Joe Viljoen - Director, PKAAfrica
- Carlos Silva - Director, PKASouth America
- Dan Stell - Director of Officials, Training & Certification
- Jamie Cashion - Event Coordinator Director
- Derrick Huff - CCO Chief Creative Officer
See also
edit- Martin T. Buell– former commissioner of the PKA
References
edit- ^"Pro Karate Makes Debut".The New York Times.1 May 1981.Retrieved2010-12-11.
- ^"Call This One A Game Of Feet".Sports Illustrated.Retrieved9 June2017.
- ^abcdCorcoran, Johnand Farkas, Emil. Martial Arts: Traditions, History, People. Gallery Books, New York (1983) p. 317
- ^"Not Just A Lot Of Kicks".Sports Illustrated.24 January 1983. Archived fromthe originalon November 3, 2012.Retrieved2010-12-11.
- ^"Pro Karate Makes Debut".The New York Times.1 May 1981.Retrieved7 November2023.
- ^"Call This One A Game Of Feet".Sports illustrated.Retrieved6 June2017.
- ^Bill Wallace (October 1988)."The Decline and Fall of the PKA Empire"(Digitized by Google Books).Black Belt Magazine.p. 13.Retrieved4 August2024.
- ^"PKA Worldwide 2022 Placeholder Page".Atlanta Extreme Warrior.Retrieved7 November2023.
- ^"PKA Worldwide Offering a New Generation of Professional Kickboxers the Chance to Stand Up and Fight".PKA Worldwide. 26 July 2022.Retrieved30 October2023.
- ^"PKA Worldwide set to launch rebranded Kickboxing operations in 2023".Combat Press.Retrieved31 October2023.