Greg Baines

Greg Baines
Medal record
Men's Karate
Representing  USA
Northern Pacific Nationals
Gold 1967

Greg Baines was a former professional karate fighter. For a time, Baines was the top heavyweight karate fighter in the nation.[1] Also known as Greg "ohm" Baines.[2] In the 1967 All Star Championships, Baines earned a Gold medal in the brown belt heavyweight division.[3] In the 1967 International Karate Championships, Baines was the brown belt heavyweight champion.[4] Baines faced Joe Lewis in the first ever full contact professional kickboxing fight[5] and the fight is considered the birth of American Kickboxing.[6] This match brought forth the upcoming United States Karate Championships. Baines was the favorite in the match.[7] At the time of the match, Baines was the reigning California heavyweight karate champion.[8] The match took place in 1970 in Los Angeles.[8] The fight was stated to be no holds barred however kicks to the head were not allowed.[9] Baineslost via knockout in the second round.[5] This fight showed the effectiveness of Bruce Lee's fighting system.[10] Baines was proficient at the backfist.[11] According to Steve Sanders Baines had a street effective and tournament fighting style.[12] He was a student of Bruce Lee student Jesse Glover.[13]

Personal life

Baines was a black Muslim and a native of San Jose.[10] Baines died in a car accident.[14]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Black Belt Apr 1985 - Google Books
  2. ↑ Black Belt Feb 1972 - Google Books
  3. ↑ Black Belt Oct 1967 - Google Books
  4. ↑ Black Belt Nov 1967 - Google Books
  5. 1 2 Fight History www.ikfkickboxing.com]
  6. ↑ History of full contact, history of amrican boxing
  7. ↑ Bruce Lee: Fighting Spirit : a Biography - Bruce Thomas - Google Books
  8. 1 2 Black Belt May 1992 - Google Books
  9. ↑ Taekwondo - Uniting the World through Martial Arts
  10. 1 2 Immortal Combat: Portrait of a True Warrior - Bruce Thomas - Google Books
  11. ↑ Mastering Karate - Jerry Beasley - Google Books
  12. ↑ Black Belt July 1987- Google Books
  13. ↑ Screaming Monkeys: Critiques of Asian American Images - Google Books
  14. ↑ 40 Years Ago: Joe Lewis Professionalized Sport Martial Arts
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, April 25, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.