LITMIR.BIZ

       FOREWORD

      I was a kid, all of eleven years old, when the fight between Muhammad Ali and Antonio Inoki took place in 1976. At that time, the two biggest names in martial arts were Bruce Lee and Ali. As a kid who got bullied because I suffered from a skin disease, severe asthma attacks, and being very skinny, I often dreamt: “If I only had skills like them, the bullies would be in trouble!”

      Several years later, having beaten my childhood bullies, I watched the documentary Kings of the Square Ring. That was when I saw the match between Ali and Inoki, which took place in the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo. I would have never guessed that many years later I’d successfully defend my Pancrase world title in that same arena by stopping Frank Shamrock.

      Crazy how life goes, right?

      Still to this day one of my biggest wishes is to meet the legend Muhammad Ali. This guy had it all: looks, charisma, skill, and he could walk the walk. Later in life, when I knew what pro wrestling was—we don’t have pro wrestling in the Netherlands—I realized that Ali took a lot of notes from that art to promote himself. Getting everybody riled up, you either wanted to see him win or lose. Love him or hate him, he sold tickets.

      The other great thing about the way he talked was that he made opponents really angry. And, when competing, anger is not something that belongs in the martial arts world because it clouds your mind.

      I really liked Ali’s nonchalant way of approaching a bout, so I did it as well when I was fighting. Training and competing would be the serious part, so why not have fun in between? Plus this way fans could also connect with me and see a “person” not just a “fighter,” because let’s face it, many people still perceive fighters as being angry all the time. I didn’t want to be as outspoken as Ali was, though. Just being colorful was enough for me.

      During my time competing in Japan, the name “Antonio Inoki” was mentioned in a conversation on many occasions. Everybody I talked to told me that he was not only a great pro wrestler but

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