* Upcoming fight November 22, 2003

Shawn Yacoubian vs. Josh Bendell
San Bernadino Fairgrounds

* Karo Parisyan - first Armenian in the UFC

* Superleague results and videos at www.superleague.tv

* New book about the Armenian Genocide “The Black Tigris” written by Peter Balakian

* Strikeforce Kickboxing Show October 4, 2003

* K-1 Final Elimination October 11, 2003 - Live on pay-per-view

* Chiropractor Kim Khauv’s internet talk radio Healthlines
Every Tuesday 7-8 PM http://tir.fullerton.edu/

After taking some time off for the rest I needed after the Fresno fight. I have been back in the gym 4 times a week working with Peter Cunningham on quick kicboxing and boxing techniques. I feel my speed is becoming a major factor in my fight game to match my power. I have been sparring once a week with a couple different fighters to keep the combinations that I have learned fresh in my mind. European Champion, Javier Diaz has been helping me out with the drills Peter has me do. My workouts consist of many details, but the one I have been concentrating on is Shadowboxing. It has helped me keep my mind sharp.

My next fight against Josh Bendell has been confirmed and will take place on November 22, 2003 at the San Bernadino Fairgrounds in Victorville, CA, USA. The show will unfortunately not be live on pay-per-view but will be taped for future airplay on pay-per-view. I was supposed to fight Josh last February in Thailand as the second “Young Guns Tournament ” fight, but the show was cancelled. This fight will be a Young Guns Prestige 5 round muay thai ruled bout with no elbows. More info will be updated at www.kickbox.com as well as my Upcoming Events page shortly.

TICKETS MAY BE PURCHASED THROUGH HONDA ONLY 1-818-768-6608 ask for Raffi.

http://web.archive.org/web/20070219155818/http://www.hondaonly.net/- Your one stop shop for all your Honda & Acura needs
- Specializing in used Honda & Acura parts
- Bodywork available
- Shipping & Delivery available
- Aftermarket parts ( body kits, wings etc. ) available

My training regiment has been well thought out by my trainers. I will be leaving for Las Vegas to train with Rick O’ Kane, my main trainer, at One Kick Nicks Gym http://web.archive.org/web/20070219155818/http://www.onekickgym.com/ . I’ll be there for 2 1/2 weeks with Rick and then come back to LA with a month left to train with Nokweed and Peter Cunningham. Peter’s interview video is in the process of being edited to be put on the Trainers Analysis page.

I will be out of town this weekend to corner a friend of mine, Gary “Red” Wheeler, who will be fighting at the San Jose Civic Center on Cung Lee’s Strikeforce show. I am looking forward of having my last week of fun before I go back into training for myself. On a different note, there is another promotion in Germany that is has sparked my interest called Superleague http://web.archive.org/web/20070219155818/http://www.superleague.tv/ Malaipet Sitprophram, the thai fighter that has coached me in a couple of my fights last year fought on Sept. 27 and won a unanimous decision at this major event.

A fighter I have not had the chance to meet yet, but would love too, is Karo Parisyan, the first Armenian in the UFC. He is trained by Gokor Chivichyan and Gene LeBell at the Hayastan Academy in Hollywood, CA USA. I had spoken with Gokor a couple months ago about a possible training schedule for myself at the Hayastan Academy, it was then that he had mentioned Karo will be in UFC 44. I praise Karo for his phenominal win and look forward to seeing more. http://web.archive.org/web/20070219155818/http://www.gokor.com/ …. http://web.archive.org/web/20070219155818/http://www.ufc.tv/….

For future kickboxing shows on pay-per-view, dont miss K-1 Live from Osaka, Japan … this will be a good one … October 11.

I’d like to mention my Chiropractor Kim Khauv’s internet radio show called Healthlines that aires every week on Tuesday from 7PM -8PM. Kim has done a great job on me as far as Chiropractic treatment is concerned. He is one of the few Doctors who perform a new type of chiropractic style called NUCCA, http://web.archive.org/web/20070219155818/http://www.advancedspinalcare.com/nucca.htm .His office is located in Tustin, CA. www.precisionchiropracticcenter.com.

On a final note, there is a book I am about to read a book about the Armenian Genocide written by Peter Balakian named “The Black Tigris” http://web.archive.org/web/20070219155818/http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/75210…p-8435318c.html.

Shawn Yacoubian

www.shawnyacoubian.com

After Training (left to right- Hassan S., Kevin Dowell, Sean Amerson, Peter Cunningham, Shawn Yacoubian, Dr. Nelson Hamilton & Everton Davis)

For those of you who missed the IMTO title fight, I lost by unanimous decision. When I had arrived back in the U.S. from Thailand I had 2 1/2 weeks left of training so I stepped the level up a few notches and found out my calculations were off by a whole week. I had over trained to the point of exhaustion, which I never encountered before. It was a learning experience.

My opponent took full advantage and kept me in his range of fire throughout most of the fight; I give Ra’Karma Young credit for being a smart fighter unlike some other fighters I know. He was a very good opponent, it was just unfortunate I was mentally burnt out, otherwise it would have been a great show.

I will have a rematch either this year or early 2004 to prove my point that I will win; my trainers Peter Cunningham, Rick O’ Kane and Nokweed will all work together to supervise the training sessions to ensure my diet is on track and my mind is away from mental strain, that way over training will not be a factor again. I thank everyone along with my sponsors who came down to see the fight and promise to perform better my next event.

My plans for this month are to take a short break and work on a few things in the gym as well as designing a logo for my name and website and a new trading card. I will suprise you all hopefully in the next month or so.

My next fight, (once I get confirmation), will be 5 rounds of Muay Thai Kickboxing against Josh “The Avenger” Bendell LIVE on PAY-PER-VIEW from Victorville, CA. This will be a Dennis Warner promotion, the same as the first fight I had at the beginning of this year. When I get confirmation for this fight I will then set up my rematch with Ra’Karma.

For those of you, who like hip-hop and R&B, check out a (she’s Armenian) friend’s site www.surabian.com for upcoming shows; as I understand she was one of the finalists in the miss hip-hop 2003 contest. Her new CD is in the final stages of development.

I’d like to congratulate the students from HYEKATCHDO for flying to Armenia last month to test for their Black Belts, you can log on to their site and check out cool photos in their gallery www.hyekatchdo.com

My condolences go out to my trainer Rick O’ Kane for his mother who recently passed away from cancer, a few days after my fight in Fresno.

Shawn

After Training (left to right - Stephen Quadros, Shawn Yacoubian & Peter Cunningham) 9-8-03

* Next fight : August 24, 2003 for a IMTO light welterweight title belt at the Table Mountain Casino in Fresno, California USA.

* A detailed summary of my experience training in Thailand for this upcoming fight.

It has been quite awhile since my last journal entry. I have basically just been waiting patiently for my camp to negotiate all those “little things” before I sign a contract for a fight.
Unfortunately I will not be fighting the upcoming K-1 semifinals at the Bellagio on August 15, 2003, but I do want to wish KIMO and all the other fighters luck with their bouts.
I am however pleased to announce my next fight .
I will be fighting on Sunday August 24, 2003 in Fresno, California at the Table Mountain Casino for an IMTO world title belt against Ra’Karma Young. It will be a 5 round fight with Muay Thai rules.

My trainers arranged to have me come to Bangkok, Thailand for the past month to continue training for this upcoming fight. My camp and I were actually planning on fighting in Thailand if negotiations were not completed for K-1 or the IMTO fight before the first of August, things pretty much worked out in my favor; The fact being that I will fight in a city with many Armenians makes me feel very proud. What better opportunity for me to perform in a city that is largely populated by the people of my own nationality, and even better, for a IMTO world title belt. I think its great exposure for me. I can always fight in Thailand because there is actually a fight almost everyday of the week in Thailand.

Training in Thailand has been a great experience thus far ( I still have 5 more days before I go back home as I write this entry ). I have been staying at one of the top 10 gyms in Thailand, the Sasiprapa gym (www.sasiprapa-gym.com ). The gym is home to 20 fighters who all have devoted their lives to the sport of Muay Thai; remember that Muay Thai originated in Thailand and is quite different from American Kickboxing.
There is not so much advanced knees and elbows along with neck wrestling allowed in Kickboxing as there is in Muay Thai. The gym is located in Bang Kapi, Bangkok, a poor village-like area, with the weather being very hot and humid at the same time. The first thing I noticed when I arrived at the camp was that it wasn’t anywhere near as clean as my gym (www.houseofchampions.com ) in Van Nuys, California USA.
The gym reminded me somewhat of a stable for horses :), it was located outside roofed by a metal canopy type cover as seen in the gym’s gallery pics on their website. The floor was cement covered by a large old carpet and all the gloves, bags for kicking and equipment including the ring were pretty beat up looking.
Wow! So this is a real Thai Boxing gym … AAAHHH I want to go home!!! just kidding .
Training was held twice a day, 6 days a week, from 730am - 930am and 400pm - 600pm. The morning and evening training sessions slightly differed and routines gradually increased weekly as you become more in shape.
Morning training began with a
* 3 mile jog around the block
* shadowbox for 2 rounds. (1 round = 3 minutes + 30 second rest). (Shadowboxing is basically throwing punches, kicks, knees and elbows in the air to an imaginary opponent, which helps balance, coordination and to loosen up your body for the training regimen ahead).
* hit bag for 3 rounds. (1st round just punching with elbows, 2nd kicking with knees, 3rd a combination of everything)
* Focus Mitts for 3 rounds, (this is where the trainer holds the pads that cover his arms and stomach area so may execute blows to help out power and precision)
* 5 rounds of Neck Wrestling with knees ( this is a great exercise to help you advance your balance when you are held for a knee to be thrown from an opponent ).
* Calisthenics (sit-ups, push-ups etc. … ).
…. The evening sessions are when you add boxing sparring and light contact sparring with kicks and knees to your routine.
All in all I have learned a lot and can’t wait to show-off my new moves

///////////////////////////////////////////

Before I end this entry I would like to send out my condolences to the family and freinds a fellow fighter Alex “F-14″ Gong, who was recently, shot and killed outside of his gym.

Shawn

I was informed last month that the Thailand fight was cancelled due to the international affairs of the US and the Mideast. I was to fight Josh Bendell with full Muay Thai rules. I didnt like hearing the news, but oh well what can you do, I will fighting in Thailand one day, just not in February of 2003. The pay-per-view show still went on airing other fights on the 21st.

I have continued to train hard because I do have a good match coming up on April 11, 2003 against Peter Nyland. Peter is from Sweden and has trained and fought in Thailand, but is now in LA in a gym in Hollywood. He was the winner of the other “young guns” fight against Edmund Taverdyan.

Last time I showed the public I have more boxing skills than meet the eye. I will continue to amaze the audience once more as my name is called the victor on April 11, 2003. I will update show times and location as soon as I know.

Shawn

Private Screening of Tony & Tina's Wedding Produced by Tony Travis

It seems that Dennis Warner has run into a bit of bad luck with the shows that were supposed to take place on February 28 and April 11 though that hasn’t stopped my training schedule.

This last month I have basically worked on my boxing skills with Peter Cunningham who has shown great effort in teaching me “slick moves” and counters with regards on expanding my horizons in the future for the sport of boxing as well. The main idea of this is to keep me busy in case there are no Muay Thai events such as NOW :).

I will, of course let you all know when the day of my first Pro Boxing match will be. Peter is great to work with and I do feel his style adds to my arsenal of being a boxer /puncher. I cant go on without giving credit to my main trainer Rick O’ Kane who has taught me to fight technically which was basically the main strategy used in my fight in January. I am confident that in future fights my boxing will be even more fluent than it is now between working with Peter Cunningham and Rick O’ Kane; especially when I get to go to boxing gyms to get proper sparring practice.

I will not be fighting on the K-1 USA undercard this May because I had been getting ready for the April 11 Young Guns Tournament before it was postponed to June or July 2003. K-1 usually books fighters months in advance allowing time to produce posters for distribution and ticket sales. I will however be at the K-1 show with my trainers to see to it that I am on the card for the August show at the Bellagio, to make some more contacts and to show my support as well. I did hear that there had been many changes in the lineup of the Heavyweight tournament fighters though. For further details on the K-1 Grand Prix check out www.k-1usa.net. The event will be televised on Direct Ticket pay-per-view.

Another show I will be attending is to support my Thai trainer Malaipet “the diamond” who had trained me for my K-1 event last August. He is fighting for a title belt at the Table Mountain Casino in Fresno California on April 27, a few days after my 26th birthday.

I would also would like to let everyone know of a smoker event that will be held at Kru Rex’s gym in Van Nuys, CA that will be on April 26. A smoker event is a chance for beginner fighter to give him/her a chance to fight with full gear on to let them get the feel of the butterflies one gets when performing in front of a small audience; but I wouldn’t know anything about that because I NEVER get nervous hee hee

The day of the Armenian Genocide memorial is very near. I would expect every Armenian to show their support in making the facts known of the Genocide that took place on April 24, 1915. For all the people who are not familiar with this historical date and would like to be educated on the topic at hand you may go to the links listed on my homepage. I for one have made plans to support the cause even though my birthday is on the same day. Its humorous to me when people trip out when they find out that I was born on April 24, which is also the same day my brother Raffi was born too, five years after me.

Many people have voiced their opinion to me about it saying “damn Shawn, that’s a messed up day to be born on”, but if you ask me, a day or event in time is what you make of it. I look at my birthday as a day of birth, not death. The way I see it is that even though I was born on a day that 1.5 million Armenians were massacred, I was still born; to me that symbolizes that the Armenian race is incapable of dying. I will be attending the Montebello monument next to the Turkish Consulate in California on the day of April 24 with Sensei Mihran and his Hyekatchdo students.

I went to a play last weekend with my girlfriend after I had received an email in response to Armenian events taking place this month in the LA area. I’m not into theatre that much , but I do make an effort to support peoples performances because I know how it is to have to practice again and again to perform it in front of an audience. Overall I was glad I went to this because it wasn’t at all what I expected, I actually had a great time.

Next on my list

“Let the Rock Speak” at the Fountain Theater in Hollywood …………………………
Lori Tatoulian performing her critically acclaimed One Woman Show!
THE 24th STREET THEATER
1117 W. 24th Street, Los Angeles.
Fridays @ 8:00pm from March 14th till May 2nd.
General Admission $15.00
For tickets and reservations call: 310 839-5266

Beginning with the retelling of her grandmother’s dehumanizing experience during the Armenian Genocide, the scene then travels to the American cultural landscape. The juxtaposition of these two worlds suggests that the consumer culture pose a similar threat to identity. This ritualistic piece embodies the dichotomy between the sacraments of the Armenian religious heritage and the commodification of the West, which has replaced the culturally specific rituals of the past. Razors and lipstick coincide with wine and bread, revealing the relationship between traditionalism and progressivism, the earthly and synthetic, the sacred and common. …….
so check it out !!

It’s been a hectic month for me between fights being postponed and having projects of organizing inventory at www.hondaonly.net. My trainer Peter insists that everything happens for a reason and that my time will come so chill out.

I love to meet new people as well as all my fans and supporters so don’t be afraid to approach me if you see me at an event…..

Shawn

I’m sorry to announce that the pay-per-view fight that was scheduled for April 11 has been postponed and is now scheduled for June 1st.

I have continued training pretty hard even throughout the time the Thailand fight had been cancelled until now. The K-1 show at the Mirage in Las Vegas is on May 2. I am now awaiting on an answer form the promoter, Scott Coker for a possible match-up for the event.

K-1 has signed with INDEMAND pay-per-view also and will be televised as a 3 hour event with heavyweights like Bob Sapp, Mike McDonald, Rick Roufus and more. If an opponent is found for me it would be nice to spend a weekend in Vegas :).

I will keep everyone informed as soon as I hear the word. I would like to thank everyone for all fan mails and for their support.

PS - I will be posting the Peter Cunningham interview soon, just a few more finishing touches are left.

Shawn

Wow, what a great turnout! I trust everyone who made it out had a great time, as well as all of my popcorn eating viewers on pay-per-view (popcorn sounds good right about now).

I’d like to thank everyone who has helped me accomplish a head start in the tournament, My family and relatives, my girlfriend, friends and sponsors HONDAONLY.NET, AUTOBAHN AUTO BODY & PAINT, PRECISION CHIROPRACTIC CENTER.COM and EXECUTIVE LIMO SVC. Please take the time to visit the sponsor’s page to see if any of the businesses interest you.

The fight venue on Friday was packed with excited fans. I was stuck in traffic for nearly two hours before arriving at the fights. I was facing Canada’s Jason Fenton, a veteran of 40+ fights. I knew he was Canada’s boy and had also fought in Thailand and Europe. A month ago, I did spend and hour or so on the Internet researching my future opponent’s victorious results of past fights. So I had some idea what I was up against. (Oh, by the way, my training regiment will still be under wraps until the tournament is over.)

Due to certain complications out of my control, my fight was moved up to the second fight instead of the fourth as promised by me, I apologize for this. I did however manage to get there at the last minute and see the doctor for a physical and to warm-up a little bit.
My corner, Mark Parra (owner of House of Champions), Rick O Kane (trainer) , Peter Cunningham ( trainer ), Bob Papenbrook (cutman) and Johnny Hovnanian (cameraman) were all on the same page considering the rush we were experiencing. I tried to remain calm because it seems that I always manage to have no time to warm-up before fights.

I entered the ring a bit warmed up as I was called to the center by the referee Cecil Peoples. We touched gloves, and it was on. We both started off slow feeling each other out. I had heard a lot of things about Jason, so I hesitated a bit to see what he had to offer (experience wise).

Round one was basically a feeling out round. I returned to my corner and listened closely to both my trainers’ commands to prepare myself for the strategies of the upcoming round.

The second round I came out, still not fully warmed up. Close to the end of the round I countered his lazy right with my well known and devastating left hook, the first knockdown of the fight. I walked over to the neutral corner and awaited the ref to give Jason an eight-count, which he survived. I ended that round with a brilliant combination.

I controlled the pace of the third and fourth rounds. The fifth round I doubled up on the round kicks to the body and leg and ended up winning a unanimous decision.

I wanted to show everyone that not only am I good with my hands, but am good all around. In this fight I showed ring generalship, combinations with both hands and feet, defenses against knee counters and body punches.

The audience loved it. JUST REMBER, I DID SAY 3-D BABY :). Jason Fenton was a good sport about the whole fight. It was an experience for both of us.

MY NEXT FIGHT WILL BE IN THAILAND AT THE OMNOI STADIUM FEBRUARY 21, 2003 AGAINST JOSHUA BENDELL. 5 ROUNDS OF MUAY THAI WITH FULL RULES, KNEES AND ELBOWS …………………….

Shawn

Watched Karen Surabian perform with some friends

Time is ticking away as I continue my preparations toward the fight. I am Looking forward to shining, once more in the ring. I have attached the press release of the fight to give everyone complete information for the fight which is on January 24th, 2003. I continue to encourage everyone to call my ticket outlets to reserve seating to be a part of my rise to stardom.

HOUSE OF CHAMPIONS 818-996-7180 and HONDAONLY 818-768-6608. As far as directions, check out www.mapquest.com

PRESS RELEASE
Quest for Champions

World Championship Kickboxing and Black Belt TV launch their highly anticipated monthly iN Demand pay per view kickboxing series on January 24th, 2003 at the Crystal Park Casino in Compton, CA. The four bout televised pay per view show will showcase IKKC world champion Danny “Hard As” Steele defending his title against the tough and flashy Baxter “The One Armed Bandit” Humby.

IKKC North American champion and WCK female sensation Jackie “The Azteca Warrior Princess” Nava is set to defend her title against the top female fighter in the East, Trisha Hill.

The two other televised bouts will feature four of the eight, elite young North American fighters in the 142 lbs division. Dubbed the “Young Guns” tournament. These eight competitors will fight each other in two divisions over a six-month period to claim the right to be called supreme young fighter in North America. This event will showcase Edmond Taverndyan vs. Mike Mananquil and Shawn Yacoubian vs Canada Jason Fenton. The complete ten bout fight card promises to deliver non-stop action to the live audience.

Here is the bout order, which starts at 6:30pm:

Rey Gonzalez vs. Chris Moorings
Mike Mananquil vs. Edmond Tarverndyan
Jackie Nava vs. Trish Hill
Danny Steele vs. Baxter Humby
Shawn Yacoubian vs. Jason Fenton
Joe Sarkissian vs. Ivan Babajanyan
Chris Reilly vs. Gary Wheeler
Scott Thorson vs. John Adams
Brian Warren vs. David Blocker
AbelCueva vs. Steve Nelson

Tickets are priced at $75 Gold VIP, $50 VIP, $35 ringside, $30 preferred & $25 general. There is free parking, food & beverages will be served at the venue and there is no age restriction. For more information call toll free 877-446-7962.

WC KICKBOXING “QUEST FOR CHAMPIONS”

On iN DEMAND pay-per-view EVENT FACT SHEET

Title: WC Kickboxing “Quest for Champions”
Description: Four LIVE outstanding Muay Thai fights pitting the best standup martial arts fighters in the world against each other.
Location: Crystal Park Casino
Channel: iN1
Event Date: Friday, January 24th
Time: 10:00pm ET/ 7:00pm PT
Replays:
iN 2 Saturday, January 25th - 11pm ET/8pm PT
iN 2 Monday, January 27th - 7pm ET/4pm PT
iN 1 Tuesday, January 28th - 10pm ET/7pm PT
iN 2 Thursday, February 6th - 12am ET/9pm PT
iN 1 Friday, February 7th - 2:30am ET/11:30pm PT
Program Length: 2 hours
Suggested Retail Price: $19.95

Shawn

Trainers Rick O' Kane & Peter Cunningham

Rick O' Kane, Rick, Everton Davis, Shawn Yacoubian, Gary Wheeler & Peter Cunningham

Rick O' Kane and Shawn Yacoubian Sparring

Sparring Drills