John Beyrooty sent along the following:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
INJURED ROBBIE LAWLER’S TITLE DEFENSE WITH KALA HOLOHE HOSE CANCELLED
Saturday’s Event In Honolulu To Be Rescheduled; Hawaiian Accepts Offer To Fight Jan. 25 On ShoXC
LOS ANGELES (Dec. 11, 2007) — This Saturday’s fight between EliteXC and ICON Sport middleweight champion Robbie Lawler and Kala Kolohe Hose was officially cancelled Monday. The announcement was made during a late afternoon press conference in Honolulu.
“We were all really looking forward to this event and to this fight because, style-wise, Lawler-Hose was going to be a great one,” said EliteXC Live Events President Gary Shaw. “Robbie is a great world champion, but, unfortunately, injuries can happen to athletes in all sports.
“I feel badly for the fighters and the fans in Hawaii, who are some of the best in the word. Once Lawler is healthy, we are going to begin working to make the fight happen.”
The world title match had to be called off after Lawler (robbielawler.proelite.com) completely tore his right bicep while doing wrestling drills last week.
“I heard something pop when I was doing a Muay Thai clinch,” said Lawler, who flew in from St. Louis to attend the press conference.
“I thought it was a minor thing so I took it easy for a few days. I felt good enough to go bowling, but when I tried to swing the ball, I felt a horrible pain, like my arm had collapsed. It was definitely much worse than I thought.”
A doctor confirmed the injury, which will keep Lawler sidelined approximately six weeks.
“I want to apologize to everybody,” Lawler said. “I am deeply sorry for the fans and the media, the promoters, Patrick and T. Jay, but, most importantly Kala Kolohe. I also want to apologize to all the undercard fighters that sacrificed and trained hard but now have to wait for another opportunity.”
So, too, will Hose, after a second consecutive fight with Lawler fell through. Hose and Lawler were scheduled to clash in June but the event was postponed after Lawler suffered a shoulder injury.
Hose (kalakolohehose.proelite.com), who is known as “The Hawaiian Rocky Balboa” and trains in a garage, was more than disappointed on Monday.
“I’m heartbroken,” he said. “I trained so hard and gave up so much of myself for this chance to fight Lawler. To have two fights not happen is very hard on not only me, but my family and team. This was going to be my big shot. But, once again, it went out the window. But my time will come.”
Promoters fought intensely to salvage the show, but Hose was adamant that his next fight be against Lawler. Ultimately, however, Hose was offered a prominent spot on the ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series card Jan. 25, 2008, on SHOWTIME, which he accepted. Win or lose, he will remain the ICON No. 1 contender.
“We all feel just terrible about this, but ICON Sport is committed to giving its fans the best possible events,” Thompson said. “We really wanted this show to happen and tried hard to save it.
“But to meet our fans’ high expectations and after speaking with Kala and Lawler, we reached a decision to delay the “Fearless” world title matchup and undercard.
“A new date will be announced very soon.”
NOTE: For those who purchased the Icon Sport: Fearless PPV on ProElite.com, please contact www.ProElite.com/contact for a refund.
The other recent ProElite.com pay-per-views, Cage Rage 24 and Fury Fighting Championships 5, are currently available as video-on-demand.
About ProElite, Inc.
ProElite Inc. [PELE.PK] delivers the most exciting entertainment experience in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA) with live arena-based entertainment events, cable television programming on Showtime Networks and community-driven interactive broadband entertainment via the Internet. ProElite embraces MMA with the highest levels of honor, integrity, discipline and self-esteem all the while remaining inclusive for fighters, fans and schools. ProElite’s live fight division, EliteXC, delivers spectacular live MMA fight events that showcase the world’s top fighters [elitexc.com]. ProElite’s interactive business, ProElite.com, capitalizes on the growing popularity of the sport of mixed martial arts by building a community of mixed martial arts enthusiasts. In addition to streaming the most exciting live fights to the web, ProElite expands the fan base of the sport by providing a comprehensive set of online social networking tools for fans, fighters and organizations. ProElite.com — Empowering the Fight Community TM
