Featured Image Credit: Universal Warriors
Topics: United States, Boxing
Ryan Smart
A boxing event involving 16 military personnel from the United States and 16 overseas representatives ended with a big victory for one team.
In 1998, Universal Warriors held a 'Commando Knockout Challenge' in the US state of North Carolina.
A total of 16 fights took place on the main card, with fighters from the likes of the United Kingdom, Russia, Canada, Japan and Spain all assembling to take on American personnel.
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The event was announced by Bruce Foster, who was inducted into the Carolinas Boxing Hall of Fame in 2016 after a career that had, at the time, already spanned 38 years.
Each of the 16 fights was contested over three two-minute rounds, with several bouts resulting in a decision or a draw.
As per Business Insider, the event featured heavy US-centric branding, with fighters even doing battle inside a pentagon-shaped ring.
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US fighter Jose Quesada scored the first victory of the night, stopping Spain's Jesus Dominguez via TKO in the first round.
Russia's Sergey Bychkov - who would later turn professional in MMA with a record of 15-8-0 - then drew the scores level as he earned the decision against Joseph Epperson.
Then the sole British fighter at the event, Carl Richardson, knocked out Matthew Ortiz in round two of the fourth fight.
The fight between Richardson and Ortiz is the only one from the event available to view online - with Richardson scoring a commanding victory.
Japan's Shoji Oto further extended the world military representatives the lead with a knockout of William Greene, but the American team took control of proceedings.
Before the main event of the night, USA held a 6-5 advantage, though did lose via decision the only women's bout between Christine Waicukauski and Russia's Natasha Larinova.
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And the Americans lifted the commando crown when Belarus service personnel member Igor Dorozhinski could only draw against Demetrius Maxey.
Barring Bychkov, little is known about the combat sports careers of many of the other personnel involved - though there is one notable exception.
Russia's Dmitry Stepanov, who suffered defeat to John Bates on the night, had actually taken part in one UFC fight in 1997.
Stepanov, who hailed from the Belarusian capital of Minsk, lost via first-round submission to Steven Graham at UFC 13: Ultimate Force.
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Graham would fight again later in the same event, losing to future UFC star Randy Couture - who himself was only in his second fight - in the final of the heavyweight tournament.