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 WKO took place in Japan. 164 karatekas from 60 countries flew out to Tokyo in order to participate in the prestigious event.
Once again, the final battle was an All-Japan clash between Yuji Shimamoto and Kembu Iriki.