For any Kiwis reading, 60 minutes on TV3, 7:30pm Thursday has an interview with Mark Hunt.
Good to finally see some recognition in NZ!

its about time..cheers for that Glen.

The Show is based upon the life of K-1 superstars Mark Hunt and Ray Sefo. the idea is to show the New Zealand public how popular our fighters are in Japan and the lack of recognition they recieve back here. 60 minutes spent 5 days recording the life of Mark and Ray outside the ring on the current trip to Nagoya.

Excellent Dixon that our sport is at last getting some mainstream public exposure and recognition.

I was reflecting on the lack of our fighting superstar names at the recent 'Sportsman of the Year' Awards. Especially consider who did win it in the end, when our heroes are true world champions and they were only second place getters.

I was just commenting to Vince about the sportsmen of the year award - I see you beat me to it Chiang!!!! You cant win with mainstream TV and media it seems.

Can one of you guys please tape this.

I'll be happy to buy a copy of anyone who has it.

Hopefully after this programme the public will see how popular and big this sport really is, not to mention how great our own fighters in all weight divisions are. The public is not the problem it is the media who don't seem to look outside the square. This in my opinion is good for all Martial Arts throughout New Zealand.

The NZ public love to support our successful atheletes, but they still need to know who is winning to know who to be proud of. For example I don't like netball, but I'm still very proud of our team when they win a cup or title.
With recognition comes sponsorships, advertising and bigger crowds. If we could get our best fighters sponsorship deals (Doug Vodafone Viney.. Andrew Pepsi Peck :) they could afford travel, training and actually live kickboxing 24/7.
Theres several corperations that sponsor sport teams and events all the time (eg Lion breweries, Vodafone, Telecom, Compaq, Panasonic etc) but they want their money to be worthwhile advertising, and without the media giving a damn it won't get TV coverage.
Its a vicious cycle.. recognition = TV time, TV time = recognition.

Well the interview with Mark Hunt showed him to be a really nice guy. He seems to have a pretty harsh family, he said they didn't visit him in jail and his Dad just hassled everything he did at the GP.
Doesn't seem to have the motivation that most of the top stars do. He seems interested in the money and not in the competition. Most of the top stars will say they love the sport and the fight, whereas Mark said he doesn't like hurting people or being hurt. He also said that he got a 2yr contract but said he would retire at the end of it.
They also quickly mentioned Ray Sefo, who seemed to have the killer attitude, loved the fight and the limelight. Ray talked to the media well, handled the pre-fight nerves well and was never seen without a massive smile :)

yep..good summary...i think Mark has the killer attitude, but prob just sick and tired of pre-fight buildup, training, nerves etc...i.e., if it wasn't for the money, he prob wouldn't fight/train...most fighters would fight all the time if it wasn't for all the hard work that u have to put in OUTSIDE the ring...Paul, email me if u still want a tape copy.

k-1 fans (e.g. Felix and Oliver) would prob find it very interesting too.

I do find it very interesting Vince!

I am surprised to hear that Mark Hunt will retire when his contract ends in about 2 year. In my eyes Mark Hunts career has just started, and we haven’t seen the best of him yet, so I am very surprised to read the interview above. I am sure that if Mark can continue the amazing developing he is in, he will turn out to be a "complete" and perfect fighter and short period of time.

But... If he don not like what he is doing, if he do not like the game or to hit people or getting hit, I guess it sounds like a very cleaver decision!! I highly respect Mark Hunt for being true and honest. It is 100% or nothing, whish’s is the spirit, nothing in between.

The big money in the game is always "nice" to get, but for most of the fighters is the pride and the competition that comes first, and I guess that is what make the different between the many fighters in the K-1. Peter Aerts and Hoost are born winners, and so was Andy Hug. It is all about winning!

Very interested to read! I guess that the lag of motivation is also the course of the “enormous” weight that Mark Hunt has?

Sure do Vince.
Emailing you now.

Micheal Shiavello will be absolutely devastated with that news! Who will he look up to now? Nobody else looks like him who can fight! Shiavello...glove up son, your taking over soon!!!

Take in concideration gentleman that fighters quite often change their minds as to their direction. One minute they don't want to fight and then the next minute they want to smash everybody. Mark is only talking and being honest with his feelings at the time. As much as we all start the sport with passion and this refers to all sports, once money is involved it becomes business. Especially at there level it is all about the money because when your up the money is up when your down so is the money. So it goes part and parcel with the professional world unfortunately.

Well Dixon, you are his manager! You will probably do everything in your power for him NOT to retire! A nice little cut on the side for you comes in real handy I bet ha? I just hope you respect his wishes and support his motions and Emotions now and AFTER he retires. Word around was that Hunt wanted to quit after he won the GP, but of course Ishi makes things more tempting after you win the big one. You should make sure he stays focused for the next 2 years at least so that he don't get hurt. After it's all done, 2 years have passed he can go out hopefully without being K.Oed badley like so many of the K1 fighters!

I thought Mark seemed like a cool guy in his interviews, but it struck me that he certainly wasn't very happy with his life before his GP win. Now he's found out that even his remarkable success hasn't chased his demons away. This must be very disillusioning, and may be the cause of his desire to quit and try something else in life. Of course, TV never gives you the full picture, and the next day Mark may have had a completely different outlook. In any case, I hope he finds the peace of mind he deserves, whatever he does in the future.

Hey Mike believe it or not Money comes second to me as far as my clients are concerned. I have a lucrative life outside the world of K-1. So lets call it a personal hobby or even passion. You are right though about protecting their interests as they cannot fight forever. If Mark decided to quit tommorrow as his manager I would respect his wishes if I thought they were for the right reasons. Our job is not to tell them what to do it is merely to reassure them of their steps and give them the best advise possible. I have the same attitude and approach with Ray as well. Too many managers seem to take the old school method towards management the bottom line is trust and if that ain't there, there is no relationship.

It's nice to hear that from you Dixon, I hope you live up to it. Good Luck.

Cheers Mike

As a fan I hope Mark stays in there a little longer than what's been mentioned. I honestly think winning the 2001 K1 Japan final isn't the best and biggest win we're going to see from him should he continue to be in the circuit for a few more years. I'm honestly not just blurting this because he's my favorite fighter and local, but I truelly believe that he won't be giving the belt away without an all out war. And the guy can dig very deep when he really wants to.
I really hope Mark will evaluate his steps very carefully should he decide to chuck it in too soon. The guy is capable and very strong. WInning another final or two would set him up for life beautifully.
Honest guys, what is five or six hundred grand these days? Well probably a lot, if like me you don't have it. But what can you buy with it?
My cousin just re-financed his 3 bedroom Flat in Maroubra cause he had to buy his ex-wife out. Just an average looking older flat 30 years old and it's worth half a million dollars. At the same time, how many years of work would it take to save or pay of half a million dollars. Quite a few, probably 20 plus even if your on very good money.
Mark is up there at the moment. Wow World K1 Champion. Man, that is big. As a photographer, I watch most elite sportsman at the top in many fields with such admiration and envy. Not envy for the fame and money, but envy for what strengths they must have in both mind and heart. I imagine the sorts of qualities and talents one must posses to be at the top of any sport, but then to be at the top of a brutal fighting sport like K1, for that I believe these talents and qualities have to me multiplied ten fold.
When Mark does finish up, I hope that we see him set up for life. Another GP win or two could see him comfortably sitting on 3 or 4 great investment properties returning 5 or 6 hundred dollars a week each at least and doubling in value every 5 or 6 years That way he could enjoy a comfortable lifestyle for the rest of his life without ever having to do a job he mightn't like .
Anyway, perhaps non of this is important to Mark, but as I said, I'm just a fan that would love to see him living like he's at the top even when he's no longer fighting.

I really enjoyed the look into the K-1 and the pre-fight tension and fans etc but instead of really applauding Mark and Ray's efforts, the journalist started asking personal questions to provoke emotional responses from Mark and he looked clearly uncomfortable with the questions. For instance asking him if his parents visited him in prison (actually it's a youth prison for teenage offenders, he was only 16 and it's hundreds of kilometres from where his family live) and if he was upset at his father etc etc etc. I thought it was going to turn into an investigative piece instead of a look at how well the boys have done in Japan. Then she says that Mark has psychological scarring and makes him out to be shy loner because he plays video games. What rubbish!

They spend five days filming for a 15 minute TV segment and Ray gets a minute if it. Mark then has to fend off stupid questions about his past and his family. I wouldn't be suprised if the bulk of the interview was done after his loss to Mirko so he's bound to be a bit down about fighting. It also wouldn't suprise me if he's taken out of context with the editing of the interview.

It's a style of journalism that other sports stars here have had to endure as well. Every time Jonah Lomu's interviewed, he's asked questions about his relationships and personal life that has nothing to do with his ability to play rugby. Do Axers from other countries notice this with their stars?

It was good exposure for them but it could've shown more of the fight build up, the training at home contrasted with the size of the event and other more relevant issues. Clint Brown would've done a far better job! There I've vented!

i'd have to agree with u there...the way Mark looked and the words he spoke, it looked like it was after the Mirko loss....alot of personal questions too...i don't know what he's like now, but he used to be quite a sociable guy, always cracking a joke.

Hi Dixon & Paul, both you guys made some valid points and have talk in support of Mark as a person...
I must say Dixon has done a fantastic job with Mark and I guess he can only do so much in such a short time of Mark winning the Grandprix.
Having just seen Mark last weekend he is still the funny person he still likes joking and laughing,my family found him rather down to earth and genuine person I was so proud for him to come and show me his beautiful Monaro and take us for ride my foster son and my nephew were
really moved by his attitude....
I to like you Paul wish him every success for ever how long he stays in the K1,he did mention how he is finding it a bit hard to handle the fans and media but I am sure he is at the teething stages and Dixon will help him through all that.
Just one point I would like to make is that Mark now starts to think like a champion and act like a professional when he is in the public eye in Japan or anywhere else in the World because you will always have someone been inspired by what he has achieved...I just hope that he will always keep his sense of humor and remember who his true friends are,that is so important when you become a highly Professional Sportmans in this world today,he is just starting I hope he will always have his feet on the ground......Ray Sefo has always been in front of the cameras with his modelling and TV commercials he was already groomed for such stardom...
Mark was a overnight Superstar without any preparation to handling media and fans..I hope next time they will get someone who is more interested in his fighting ability and training rather than his tormented
up bringing.....
Regards
Lucy Tui
Congradulations Mark I will always be so proud of you for what you have already achieved in the sport today..........Thank you for the t-shirts.....

television is 99% entertainment for the masses. even documentaries are as much fiction as they are fact.

to captivate the television audience the producer can't just give an interview and show it on the tube. no way. it has to be a story with a beginning middle and end [or a beginning, middle and cliff hanger] or the audience will go channel surfing.

obviously the hook was to contrast the smiling sefo to the brooding hunt. sefo loves the competition. hunt wants out. sefo's brother works his corner. hunts dad didn't visit him in prison. sefo beat bernardo. hunt got beat down. wow. these two are opposite sides of the same coin. break for commercial.

not a bad way to approach the story. they're not exactly tanya harding and nancy kerrigan, but there was obviously enough for a small project. as chainsaw pointed out, what mark didn't say on his own, the reporter elicited. mark might be a tough bastard in the ring but he is quite vulnerable to others, such as reporters, on their own turf.

remember when robin givens got tyson on tv and told everyone that it was a fact that he was a manic depressive. mike was dumb struck and humiliated. worst of all he believed it. luckily, his friends fixed that afterward. they had him analyzed by two of the leading shrinks and they both said that givens' public diagnosis was crap. unfortunately, mike dumped those friends for don king and the rest is a history of bad ass mo-fo shit.

Me strap on the gloves? Excuse me.... bwahahahahahaa! I'm a wuss Mike, if you pinch me I squeal!

I'll leave the fighting to the "685-Connection" - Mark Hunt and Ray Sefo. BTW, both of these guys are killing it on the K-1 scene at the moment and justifiably so. Mark is the fastest rising K-1 fighter in history and is now one of only five men to have won the K-1 World GP. He did it in style and he deserves every accolade. Well trained, well managed and a top bloke to boot!

Speaking of top blokes, well, you can't find a nicer guy than the "Ravishing One" Ray Sefo... Ray is a gentleman and a sportsman and I predict this year will be his finest yet on the K-1 circuit, you can see it in his eyes, he has that edge that tells you that he will do anything to make it to the top this year and that makes Ray Sefo and very very dangerous man.

Together, Mark, Ray, Dixon and Hape comprise the most devastating team in the K-1 circuit at the moment... you may have all heard of Mark's loss to Mirko Cro Cop but I tell ya, Mark BACKED UP Mirko for FIVE ROUNDS... ask anyone who was there... Mirko was very very very wary of "The Big K'bosh!" which, unfortunately, Mark didn't land. As for Sefo's fight against Bernardo... phew... hand me a straightjacket... that was awesome... best fight since HUNT vs SEFO last October in Fukuoka. (voted by K-1 fans as the number one fight of all time).

Anyway... I'm looking forward to HUNT vs LeBANNER III in May and I'm hoping that Ray will also be on the card so that the Samoan sluggers can deliver the big "Bok Choy" to the Frenchies smack-bang in the middle of Paris.

Take care everybody... big hello to everyone I know on here and we'll chat soon.

Michael Schiavello

btw, if any of u kiwi's have a tape of Mark Hunt's interview, can you please email Paul Cavka (cavka@mac.com), as he's after a copy

cheers

I'm getting a little worried about you Shiavello. I think Mark and Ray are great fighters, but please tell me you ain't no fag!!!

Funny hehehe....he definetly are!nt No Fag Mike I have seen him with some very nice ladies I might ad....hehehehe....
Regards
Lucy Tui

The Camera does not lie, Mike sure dont look gay here, caught in the act with his offsider devious Danny. That was the good night Irene alright, I mean all night. Few more knotches on thee ole belt aye. lol.

Trying to put up these photos, I'll get there.

its been 4 hours and I am still tryig to get it happening, some help please.

hape

Hahahaha

Nice one Hape.... your roving camera will certainly be interesting to watch.

Mike, I aint no fag - hehe - I have a beautiful girlfriend. I'm just a big wrap for Mark and Ray: the 685-Connection! Those who know me will know that I get very excited over this sport... I swear one day I'll have a heart attack while commentating! LOL!!

Chat soon!

Hape,

Underneath your name and details where the browse button is, you just select browse and click your way through the folders on your computer untill you find the image you want to show us.

Most times the problem seems to be that the image isn't saved in the correct format. Make sure the pics you have when scanned are saved as jpeg format. That way all users can see them. Perhaps this isn't the problem here, as there doesn't seem to be a file attached to your posts.

Thanks paul I will try again

I did it, well that is the photo with Micheals clothes on. I will save the gorry ones if Micheal gets out of hand.

You the man "The Voice behind the Violence, oh know that dont look like his verbal sparring partner, The Hammer Mark Castanin.

this is for you my niggaz

Here is jason, mark and that crazy nigga Hape,who would that Hape was a super middle weight.

Nice shot Hapes!! You DA MAN!!!!

Hey Haps what other discriminating photo's do you have. Ive seen those girls before but I wonder with who??. They certainly get around don't they

Well lets see what I have on you Dixon. I will go to my libary of sleez Photo's

Hmmm who`s that in the corner, is that the blue corner or the Red corner????

Hmmm who`s that in the corner, is that the blue corner or the Red corner????

Hmmm who`s that in the corner, is that the blue corner or the Red corner????

Hmmm who`s that in the corner, is that the blue corner or the Red corner????

oooops

oooops

Sorry I forgot how I done it.

Man those girls have been around alright,even I have seen them around ...hehehe.....but then again they all look the same I could be mistaken...hehehe..come on Hapes there must be more hidden pictures.
good pic of Michael S......he looks like he is in his element there....
Regards
Lucy Tui

Hey hapes looks like you had a few more goes when i left.Hahahah!

hey oliver great pics ....where did you get such pics

I got the pictures from the Official K-1 Homepage/Shop Zone.

(http://www.rakuten.co.jp/k-1shop/)

You can buy a lot of K-1 fighters and Mark Hunt Merchandise in the shop zone. (and also a lot of crap!!)

When will Mark Hunt be fighting in the K-1 next time?

(I guess that it will be against Jerome in Paris in May? Or will Mark take a "fast" fight before the big Revenge fight??)

Hey,
hehehe damn, I want me one of those Mark Hunt dolls.
Hape, I really hope you bought back some of those for us to buy.

The doll looks a lot like Mark!

Check out the tattoo and the scar in the head, and also the eyes. I just think that the doll is a little to fit, but never the less, it do looks like Mark Hunt. I guess that Lollo, Vince and Lucy will buy a handful each?

Mark mentioned he will get one for me and my foster son next time he gets a batch.....hehehe......We can!t wait...he was telling me it looks just like him with the scar and all...I thought that was funny....lol!slol!s.....
Regards
Lucy Tui

Wow! I just seen the doll it looks like him alright... that is how Mark is going to look when he fights in the Grandprix this year believe me.......hehe
Regards
Lucy Tui

Lucy;

If he is going to fight in the Grand Prix?

Personal I would like to see Mark defend his title again in December, but there is over 9 month until the Grand Prix tournament, a lot of things can happened in that period of time!! (Injuries, defeats etc...)

I agree with you about the doll, I sure look like him. There are many small well-done details on the doll, as the tattoo and scar.

Hi Paul, hows it going. I have tried a few things to get the picture up and I must have done some thing wrong some where as I am using windows xp professional but will get the hang of it soon. If I could get one for you I would , but when we were in Japan everything of Mark Hunts merchandise is sold out weeks before we get to try and find where they are.

Hape

No worries Hape,

Are you able to see the picture, (or it's name) that you want to put up when you select the browse button?

My laptop has XP Home version. All I do is click the browse button here, then navigate through the folders. Once I find the file, I just double click it. It's name then automatically goes in the 'attach image' box to the left of the browse button.


I don't mean to state the obvious, but don't forget if when you first click the browse button,
if the pic isn't in that immediate folder, all you have to do is click again at the top where the folders name is for it to give you a dropdown of more folder options.

Hope this helps.

Keep trying Hape. I can't see myself making it to Japan for a long while so really enjoy the pictures you guys put up.

Paul:

I have a few pictures of Mark Hunt in action, and I will gladly show some of them if you are interested?

Just let me know, and I will put them on this topic A.S.A.P.

Have a nice day,
Oliver.

Oliver,

For sure. I'd love to see them. I very much appreciate the archive you share with us.

Thanks buddy

Just looking at the picture of the fighters in suits, the height difference between Hunt and Lebanner looks huge. But strangely not as noticable in the ring pictures.

More to come soon - I have so many pictures, but right now so little time!

I hope you like some of the pictures of your champ, I'll be back with more pictures latter today, ok!

Oliver.

Thanks Oliver.

TIME OUT!!!

And please don’t ask me about pictures of Ray Sefo......LOL!! More to come latter, this was only about 25% of all the pictures I have of Mark Hunt.

(What am I doing? I hope that all you Kiwis and NZ don’t like Andy Hug or Filho, because then I have a big problem!!!!)


Greetings from Denmark,
Oliver.

Those photo!s were great Oliver Thanks for that I should get the ones of myself with him in the ring put up but I do not have a scanner as yet...
Thanks again lets hope we will see Mark at the Grandprix...I hoping he makes it again....
Regards
Lucy Tui

Lucy:

I am glad that you like the pictures!

Yes, lets hope that Mark Hunt will be one of the 8 fighters who takes part at the K-1 Grand Prix 2002.

I'll try again with my photo files. Wow Oliver it looks like yours is bigger than mine, I mean photo collection

hey hapes i see you are at again. Sorry I missed training I was bludging.Still having trouble with those pics.You should email me the pics and I will post them for you if you like hehheeh.

How do you do that?, these damn computers.

you got my email address, hapengaronoa@hotmail.com send yours to me so that I can try to send it to you

Hape:

Try and try and try again!

(Wow Oliver it looks like yours is bigger than mine, I mean photo collection..............LOL!!)

Is it Mark Hunt or James Bond above??

Mark 007 Hunt, great name!

hey hapes its shane_sultana@hotmail.com Ill post them up for you.it will be easier and that way we can get those .incriminating photos up on here !