Boec.COM continues with the articles about some of the finest Kyokushin fights that ever happened.
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Yes, we’re talking about the final battles of the biggest competition in Karate Kyokushin – the World Open Karate Championship.
Some of the biggest legends have participated in the tournament – Makoto Nakamura, Kenji Midori, Akiyoshi Matsui, Ewerton Teixeira, Andy Hug, Zahari Damyanov, Valeri Dimitrov and many, many more.
Following the death of Masutatsu Oyama in 1994, IKO (International Karate Organization Kyokushinkaikan) split up in several fractions. The World Open Tournament has continued to be held but organized in parallel by IKO1 and WKO (World Karate Organization Shinkyokushinkai).
5 years ago, the 11th Kyokushin World Open Tournament IKO1 took place in Japan. 192 karatekas from 46 countries flew out to Tokyo in order to participate in the prestigious event.
For the first time in the history of the tournament, a Bulgarian fighter was one of the two finalists. Sensei Zahari Damyanov squared off against France’s Djema Belkhodja.