Well, It’s been a wonderful year and I’m looking forward to 2003 where I will pretty much have my hands full with all these fights. I have been training consistently and feel great at this point.

I have been matched up with Jason Fenton from Canada for a 5 round Muay Thai fight. It will be televised LIVE on INDEMAND pay-per-view at 10 PM eastern time / 7 PM pacific time. I urge everyone to show their support, which is always appreciated, and buy tickets through my gym, House Of Champions 818-996-7180 or HONDA ONLY 818-768-6608.

My training at this time is pretty much under wrap, so I can’t mention much about it; anyways, I’m more of a person who DOES rather then TALKS ABOUT DOING

I had some revisions done to the sight which is now being updated regularly. There will be NEWS posted on the UPCOMING EVENTS page and a new article under TRAINERS ANALYSIS followed by an interview with one of my trainers Peter Cunningham to start off the new year.

I’d like to thank my family, fans and sponsors of 2002 as well as everyone who has helped me get this far; I now am focused on 2003 and my next event ………

but before I put an end to this journal entry I would like to share a poem with you that I stumbled on ………..

IF YOU THINK YOU ARE BEATEN, YOU ARE;
IF YOU THINK YOU DARE NOT, YOU DON’T;
IF YOU’D LIKE TO WIN, BUT THINK YOU CANT,
ITS ALMOST A CINCH YOU WONT,
IF YOU THINK YOU’LL LOOSE, YOU’RE LOST,
FOR OUT THERE IN THE WORLD WE FIND SUCESS
BEGINS WITH A FELLOWS WILL,
ITS ALL IN THE STATE OF MIND.
LIFE’S BATTLES DON’T ALWAYS GO
TO THE STRONGER OR FASTEST MAN;
BUT SOONER OR LATER THE MAN WHO WINS
IS THE MAN WHO THINKS HE CAN.

Anynomous ………

HAPPY NEW YEAR …………… and Ill see you at the fights !!!!

Shawn

Well, no sense in keeping you all waiting any longer about what I have up my sleeve. I have mentioned in previous journal entries that my camp and I were “putting something together”. Well the details are all falling into place and it time to start sharing the exciting news with you all.

OK, so I will start with the bad news. I will not be fighting at the K-1 show in Las Vegas in February of 2003. The good news part of this is that I am already booked for the first 6 months of 2003.

The World Championship Kickboxing

This will be a series of fights starting January 24, 2003 (location TBA) and will continue through June. These fights will involve 8 of the best Light Welterweight division fighters battling it out to determine who is the best upcoming “YOUNG GUN” in the Muay Thai scene today.

The basic format for these fights will be elimination style with each of us fighting our seven opponents until only the the 2 best fighters are left standing. All fights will be 5, 3 minute rounds with a 2 minute rest period, allowing knees to the body and head, with the exception of the 2nd show in Thailand and the 5th and final show in Las Vegas. The winner of the last fight will take home the grand prize of $15 ,000.00.

This may not seem like a lot fo 6 months worth of fighting but it will add a lot to my resume and provide a lot of great exposure for my career.

All fights will be aired live on INDEMAND PAY-PER-VEIW check them out at http://web.archive.org/web/20070219155808/http://www.indemand.com/for availability and times for your area. The promoter is Dennis Warner with INSYNC productions. All info, as well as locations and show times for the tournement fights can be found at http://web.archive.org/web/20070219155808/http://www.blackbelt.tv/

I will also be keeping all information on the fight locations and times and when they will air on INDEMAND PAY-PER-VEIW on my web site on the “upcoming fights” page. Tickets for the shows will be available through my web site as well. Check back regularly for the latest news on this exciting Tournament.

On a different note, I went to another of Denis Warners pay-per-veiw shows , November 15, 2002 and got to see some great fights.

Malipet, my previous Thai instructor who helped me get ready for the K-1 Bellagio fight, won a unanimous decision in his fight and was handed the IKKC Middleweight Tittle. He did this after taking the fight on very short notice.

At the fight I ran into a friend mine, a man I respect dearly, Grandmaster Frederick Peterson, the timekeeper of major kickboxing events. I was grateful to recieve from him an autographed copy of SOKE PRODUCTIONS, instructional self defense booklet complete with the video tapes, before they hit the market. I wish him all the best.

I would like to talk a bit about the new movie ARARAT by Atom Egoyan. I liked this movie a lot and it is the first major motion picture to tell the story of the ARMENIAN GENOCIDE. The producer Atom Egoyan, in my opinion is truly a genius with a unique style of laying out the scenes of a film. His use of vivid symbolism in telling a difficult story makes this a movie I would recommend that everyone see at least once. Atom Egoyan is a Armenian Canadian filmmaker. You can learn more about him and his movies at his web site http://web.archive.org/web/20070219155808/http://www.egofilmarts.com/

I would like to wish my friend and fellow fighter, Bryce Papenbrook, luck on his amateur debut at the age of 16. He will be fighting Friday 6, 2003 at the Hollywood Park Casino in Inglewood, California. I would like to thank the shows promoter VUT for hooking me up with ringside seats, a great start to the evening, for my girlfriends birthday.

From the time I first heard about the tournament opportunity, I have been training consistently with my chief trainer Rick O’Kane. I am also working with 2 other trainers I will not mention at this time. I also have 100% support from my camp and particularly from Peter Cunningham. All I have to say is 3-D baby …..

I will be posting more information in the weeks ahead. In the meantime, prepare to be astonished as a NEW RISING STAR WILL ENTER THE RING ON JANUARY 24, 2003.

Shawn

Another day @ the gym (left to right - Peter Cunningham, Everton Davis, Shawn Yacoubian & Gary Wheeler 11-25-02)

Group Shot (left to right - Gary Wheeler, Peter Cunningham, Jerry V., Danny Steele, Shawn Yacoubian & Everton Davis) 11-25-02