Mark Allen Selbee (March 2, 1969 – May 24, 2014) was an American kickboxer from Atlanta, Georgia.[2] He began his interests in Martial Arts at Sun Yi's Academy, where he rose up in the ranks to a Certified Master Instructor. He had recently expanded his knowledge of martial arts to include Brazilian jiu jitsu and trained out of Knuckle Up Fitness in Atlanta.
| Mark Selbee | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mark Allen Selbee March 2, 1969 Topeka, Kansas, United States[1] |
| Died | May 24, 2014 (aged 45) Miami County, Kansas, United States Drowned to Death |
| Other names | The Hammer |
| Residence | Leawood, KS |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Weight | 224 lb (102 kg; 16.0 st) |
| Division | Heavyweight |
| Style | Traditional Tae Kwon Do, Kickboxing |
| Rank | Certified Master Instructor at Sun Yi's Academy |
| Years active | -2006 |
| Kickboxing record | |
| Total | 23 |
| Wins | 22 |
| By knockout | 12 |
| Losses | 1 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 0 |
Career
editDomestic dominance
editOn April 12, 2002, Selbee won the International Kickboxing Federation Amateur Full Contact Rules East Coast U.S. Heavyweight Championship by defeating Adrian Turpin via unanimous decision in Anderson, Georgia, USA. He then turned professional immediately afterwards and automatically gave up this title.
His success continued as a pro on February 1, 2003 when he defeated previous champion Kevin Hudson to win the International Kickboxing Federation Pro Full Contact Rules USA Heavyweight Championship in Atlanta, Georgia by split decision. Judge Ray Thompson scored it 97-89 Selbee, judge Jim Reneau scored it 96-91 Selbee while judge Sean Wohl scored it 95-94, Hudson. Selbee retired this title when he was awarded the North American Heavyweight Title on October 25, 2003 in Dalton, Georgia by forfeit when his scheduled opponent Dan Lucas split open his forehead in a freak accident at his home the day before their scheduled bout..
On his first defence on April 23, 2004 in Atlanta, Selbee defeated John James by TKO when James did not answer the bell after the 5th round due to an injury in his neck suffered in round 4. Selbee again retired his title since he won the International Kickboxing Federation Pro Full Contact Rules Super Heavyweight World Championship on September 11, 2004 in Atlanta. He defeated Raoul Doucet by TKO (three knockdown rule) at 1:09 of round 1 on September 11, 2004. He retired this title in October 2006.
K-1 career
editOn April 30, 2005, he made his K-1 debut against Tsuyoshi Nakasako at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in Las Vegas. He won the fight, a tournament Quarter Final bout, via decision after three rounds. However, he was injured during the fight and was forced to withdraw from the tournament and replaced by Scott Lighty.
He returned to K-1 later that year at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in Las Vegas II on August 13 where he tasted defeat for the first time in his career as he was knocked out by Pat Barry in the first round.[3]
Honors and titles
editSelbee received several awards of distinction which include, but are not limited to:
- International Kickboxing Federation Amateur Full Contact Rules East Coast U.S. Heavyweight Championship
- International Kickboxing Federation Pro Full Contact Rules USA Heavyweight Championship
- International Kickboxing Federation Pro Full Contact Rules North American Heavyweight Championship
- International Kickboxing Federation Pro Full Contact Rules Super Heavyweight World Championship
Death
editSelbee drowned in Hillsdale Lake in Miami County, Kansas while on a boating trip with two of his three children on May 24, 2014. His body was recovered on May 25.[4][5]
References
edit- ^ "Mark SELBEE (1969 - 2014)". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
- ^ Mark Selbee Archived 2007-12-11 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Fighters Profile of Mark Selbee
- ^ Hillsdale drowning victim was Mark Selbee, a champion kickboxer and devoted dad
- ^ Friends remember Hillsdale Lake drowning victim as a champion, family man Archived 2014-05-30 at the Wayback Machine