September 29, 2001

Promoted by Scott Coker at San Jose Civic Auditorium

San Jose, California, USA

Jean Claude Leuyer stops Jeff “Big Diesel” Ford in eight rounds to once again earn

The World Super Heavyweight Freestyle Rules Title.



In yet another action packed edition of the STRIKEFORCE series, America’s top kickboxing promoter Scott Coker presented an evening of high kicks and fists flying in beautiful San Jose, California. The fourteen bout card was highlighted by a world super heavyweight title contest, a retirement fight for one of the famed Fairtex champions and two amateur Muay Thai title contests.

The show was hosted at the San Jose Civic Auditorium, a facility famous for it’s “big-fight ambience,” and played to a lively crowd of appreciative fans. In order to fully appreciate the nature of the scheduled main event – here’s a little historical background. In early 2001 perennial champion Jean Claude Leuyer held both the ISKA Oriental Rules and Free Style Rules World Title belts. He was asked to defend his Free Style Rules belt at “Moscow Storm” in May to last year’s K-1 USA Champ’ Andre Dudko. The fight would have been a rematch between the two (hoping to duplicate what was dubbed 2000’s “fight of the year” where both men were almost KO’d by each other several times). That fight ended with a technical knockout victory for Leuyer thanks to his thunderous low kicks, but Dudko was never more than one right hand away from earning the world title. Unfortunately, when Leuyer was made the offer for the rematch with Dudko he was already committed to fight at K-1 USA 2001which was scheduled for the week following Moscow Storm. Leuyer’s plan was to take one last shot at the K-1 Grand Prix and then retire from the ring in order to pursue a movie career in Los Angeles. Jean Claude showed the class of a champion by vacating his Freestyle Title making it available to be contested at the Moscow Storm event. Kansas City’s, Jeff “Big Diesel” Ford was the American matched with the Russian, Dudko for the twelve round world title contest. In front of nearly 15,000 screaming Russian fans at Moscow’s historic Olympic Stadium it took “Big Diesel” just under a minute and a single counter left hook to dispatch of Dudko by TKO. Leuyer, unsuccessful the following week at the K-1 event rethought his retirement plans (as champions often due) and agreed to fight at least one additional bout. So on September 29th, World Oriental Rules Super Heavyweight Champion Jean Claude Leuyer squared of with World Super Heavyweight Champion Jeff “Big Diesel” Ford for Ford’s World Free Style Rules title.

Jean Claude, a notoriously slow starter came out true to form. Ford controlled the action in the first four rounds with his good movement and boxing skills. Listening to the advice from his corner Leuyer opened up in round five and clearly turned things around until the closing seconds. Launching a combination at the end of the round, Ford landed a left hook (a.k.a. the Russian Slayer) to Leuyer’s chin that appeared to make contact after the bell. The referee decided that Ford had initiated the punch before the bell rang so it was called a legal blow. Leuyer could barely make it back to his corner for the rest period. When the bell rang for round six Leuyer still looked shaky but kept his hands high and went back to work on Ford’s legs with his frightening low kicks. Jean Claude won the six round and continued his low kick assault on “Big Diesel” in the seventh. Ford was resolute. Even thought the leg kicks were taking a big toll he’d fire back big punches to Leuyer’s head that would buckle Jean Claude’s knees. Then Leuyer would come back and land leg kicks that would almost take Ford off of his feet. They went back and forth like this throughout the seventh round in about a 90 second slugfest of low kicks vs. head punches that had the entire crowd on their feet. Leuyer finally scored a knockdown and that probably earned him the round and the psychological advantage over Jeff Ford. The eighth round was more of the same; Ford’s left hook and right hand vs. Leuyer’s low kicks. As hard as Ford tried to take Leuyer out it was Jean Claude’s leg kicks that prevailed. He battered Ford’s legs, knocking him down twice in the eighth round and forcing his corner to “throw in the towel” prior to the start of round nine. In a remarkable Super Heavyweight match-up Jean Claude Leuyer reclaimed his Free Style Rules Kickboxing World Title.