RINGSPORT ISSUE 2 | April 2020

Issue 2 20 April 2020

EXCLUSIVE: FRESNO ESCAPES WITH FINE BUT NO BAN

Popular Lightweight Johnny Fresno has escaped a ban from the ring following his attendance at the Judiciary Hearing yesterday afternoon.

At press time it was confirmed that the Bolton ring ace would be slapped with a £750 fine, with a warning to stay on his record for 12 months.

Fresno, the blond superstar lost his World Lightweight Championship when the ringside Doctor stopped the contest due to blood loss and awarded the championship and belt to Metallica Panther III. Following the bout Fresno refused to complete his broadcast requirements and then spoken out – including in this publication about the result of the match.

While he will be lighter in his wallet than before Monday’s hearing – grapple fans will be pleased to see that a return bout has been schedule to headline to All Star Extravaganza bill on 3 May at the splendid Fairfield Halls in Croydon. A treat for all fans of the great sport.

GREAT TOJO KEEPING TRACKS ON HIRAI

Japan sensation The Great Tojo has arrived in Britain this morning, arriving by boat from France following off some wrestling commitments he had in Paris at the weekend.

The Great Tojo is a thirty five year member of the professional ranks and one of the top stars of the world renowned Tokyo Wrestling Promotions Ltd. As well as being a formidable campaigner in the ring, he also runs his home promotions ‘Dojo’ as they call it in Japan. He arrives in England with one of his former students SUPER DOI – already tipped for huge honours this year and a a five year professional.

“I am not a fan of the lot of travel,” he said to awaiting media at Portsmouth Ferry Terminal upon his arrival.

“I have big bed with big wife at home, I no like leave Japan.

“Fuji Hirai was top member of 2019 class at my Dojo. We send him to England to get better at fighting. I come to watch him, team with him and make sure that he is getting better.

“Most times Japan wrestler come here and they just learn drinking. This not make me happy.” Tojo added.

The trio will be involved in a number of Six Man, Tag Team and singles competitions during the All Star Extravaganza tour with maybe their most mouth watering contest coming in the form of a tag team encounter on 2 May when Hirai and Tojo take on two of Britain’s best in Johnny Fresno and Billy Bingham at Vale Hall in Aylesbury.

MUSIC TO THE EARS OF WRESTLING FANS

Eugen Bastiens may look like a rough and ready merchant of the wrestling rings, but the 32-year old from Bremen, Germany is also a keen fan of the musical arts.

The European Lightweight Champion has played the Cello since his school days and still performs as part of the Bremen Amateur Orchestra when he has time off from his gruelling travel schedule.

“I take my Cello everywhere and of course it will be coming to England with me,” he told the Editor of this publication over the telephone last week, before he had travelled to Britain.

“I often surprise my fellow wrestlers in the dressing room after the matches when I pay a few notes.”

The 189lb weight classification is one of the most competitive in the world right now with King George VI Wrestling Club boasting World, European and British Commonwealth Champions on its booking sheets for the coming weeks and Bastiens is looking forward to the tests that await.

“As European Champion I travel a great deal,”

“I have hardly been able to wrestle in Germany since winning the belt last year, I have just returned from four months in Russia – where I also took my cello.”

Despite the cold months of Russian ring wars, Bastiens believes he is in great shape to take on challengers in the British rings with a juicy contest against Poland’s Mikolaj Salak set for All Star Extravaganza bill on 3 May at the resplendent Fairfield Halls in Croydon.

ASHURST SURPRISED AT LACK OF RETURN CONTEST

Fans lucky enough to tune into On The Mat III broadcast last Saturday afternoon will have been thrilled to see Len Ashurst and World Heavy-Middleweight Billy Tucker squad off in an all action packed match that ended with a sixty minute draw.

While shown on television last week, the match actually took place on 6 April from Liverpool, with Ashurst quickly expecting matchmaker Edwin Luntley to schedule in a return bout, but so fare no call has come.

“Yes, I was a little surprised,” he said from his Bradford home that he shares with his fire Millie and Yorkshire terrier Max.

“I thought that we had a great match, it was a real test to be in there with a World Champion and I really felt like I was on the same level of him.

“There were a few times where I came close to putting him in the surfboard submission, that wins most of my matches. If only I had been able to put Tucker in the move a few minutes before the bell rang at the end, I really believe I would be a World’s Champion.

Even though there is no return bout scheduled for this tour, there are plenty of matches he is looking forward to.

“It isn’t everyday that the promoters are able to bring over so many top names from overseas. It’s going to be a great test for him.

“It looks like we’ll be headlining the Manchester show in a big elimination match where I get to face the boys from Mexico (Metallica Panthers) and Tucker. I’ve not been in an elimination tag match before, so I’ll need the referee to explain that one to me.

“I get another crack at Tucker in Worthing as well, Jackie Joyce is in that one – I can see that being a real scrap. He’s not one for trading holds, but really lets fly with the forearms and uppercuts.

“The one that I guess most people are asking me about and I’ve already had several letters and phone calls on this, is the contest against Billy Bingham.”

The match, which is already being dubbed the ‘Battle of Britain’, with two Heavy-Middleweights only separated by a pound in weight, a win for either man must surely see them return to Championship contention.

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NOT JUST GLAMOROUS GIRLS

A first in British rings from this week will be a single knock out tournament for the Ladies International Grand Prix. The tournament will feature several international stars and be the first time women’s wrestling will take place in some of our halls.

Edwin Luntley, matchmaker for King George VI Wrestling Club waisted no time in bringing in two of Japan’s top ‘Joshi’ stars with Jumbo Kaka and Miyoki Suzuki, already two of the favourites to win the trophy which has been commissioned by Hackney’s Dillon Jones Trophy Emporium.

Mitzi Bopp from Germany is joined in the tournament by Jenny The Farmer’s Daughter (Canada) while fellow North American star Jessica Hendrix will be tested in her opening contest against Kaka.

Little Roxy and Klondyke Dorothy will participate from the home nations. There will also be a chance at several shows to see some exhibition six women’s matches, a real treat for the fans!

CHAMPIONS ROLL CALL

Each issue we will look at the Champions from around the world and in this publication we take a look at Sin City Wrestling, the promotions from America’s exciting Las Vegas.

World heavyweight – Ben Jordan

World Bombshell – Andrea Hernandez

Internet – Austin James Mercer

Bombshell Internet – Kate Steele

Roulette – Jack Russow

Bombshell Roulette – Candy

Mixed Tag Team – Wolfslair (Alex Jones and Johanna Krieger)

Wouldn’t it be a treat for our fans to get to see some of these top stars over in British rings in 2020.

TV PREVIEW

On The Mat IV is set to be taped this Thursday with Jackie Joyce putting his British Commonwealth Lightweight Championship and Belt on the lines against Jamaica’s Junior ‘Iron Man’ Morgan. Joyce is a seasoned grappler but has not defended his championship in some time after gaining weight that would make him ineligible at the lightweight bracket. He has now dropped 10lbs for the contest and many wrestling fans will be keen to see how that has impacted his style – which recently has become far more concentrated on brawling than the beautiful art of catch as catch can.

Also schedule to be performed under the rolling television cameras will be a Six Man Tag with Mikolaj Salak, Samir Pande, Barry Bridges take on Joao Silva, Eugen Bastiens and Billy Tucker. Salak a contender at European Lightweight classification will meet Bastiens in single competition soon enough, but who will leave the ring having bragging rights from this encounter?

Silva – the Portuguese expert is sure to create some gasps from the audience with his silky tan and Hollywood good lucks, although will be his wrestling this publication will be most concerned about. Silva isn’t scheduled to defend his European Heavy-Middleweight crown on this tour, but if he loses a fall in this match, things may quickly change.