Ken Shamrock: For the Love
Ken Shamrock: For the Love
Josh Gross Jun 29, 2004
After it was done and he had a chance to breath again, Bob Shamrock
tried, with great difficulty, to remember another time when he felt
anything but confident as his son, Ken, walked to the ring.
Sitting in the packed Mandalay Bay Events Center that Saturday evening, Mr. Shamrock was betrayed by his thoughts, particularly the ones that focused on Ken's inability in recent years to win.
He hoped for the best when Ken stepped in versus Kimo Leopoldo, recalling the months
of hard work with fresh trainers, and the promised-stability of a
surgically-repaired knee he prayed would match the strength of
Ken's recent marriage to high school girlfriend, Tonya. Above all
else, Mr. Shamrock, in his son's life for the first time in three
years, wished that things would be end up right.
Like many of the battles he'd witnessed since meeting Ken some 27 years ago, he knew that his son's opponent, this time a physically-imposing heavyweight who fell to an in-his-prime Shamrock some eight years earlier, was not the person to concern himself with.
After high school, his dad, aware of Ken's athleticism and penchant for enjoying a good scrap, pointed him towards pro wrestling, which in turn led him to mixed martial arts.
"Ken was born to be a gladiator, born to be fighter," said the 62-year-old Shamrock. "I used to tell him, even as a teenager, that he was born in the wrong time frame."
Ken posted numerous victories doing what he was born to do, but the spoils of conflict left him wanting. A wife, kids and champion's lifestyle led him back to pro wrestling and the lucrative doors of the WWF.
That decision, along with several other points of contention, conspired in forming a rift between father and son. Only after returning to mixed martial arts in the spring of 2000 to endure the toughest loss of his career (a technical knockout versus to Kazuyuki Fujita in which he asked his corner to throw in the towel) did the two reunite.
Mr. Shamrock moved south from Lodi, Calif. to help manage the day-to-day operation of the Lion's Den, Ken's massive San Diego gym and fighting academy. Things, it seemed, were looking up, though Ken's personal problems persisted.
The notion of fighting or training weighed heavy and, as a result, both suffered. His only in-ring victory during that stretch came in August 2001 when, trying a hand at promoting, Ken attached his name to the one-and-done World Mixed Martial Arts Association, which yielded little but a payday for him and a handful of his fighters.
It was around that time that the Shamrocks parted ways again. They had little contact over the next three years. Every now and then, father and son would see each other at fights; the conversations would be brief yet cordial.
Sitting in the packed Mandalay Bay Events Center that Saturday evening, Mr. Shamrock was betrayed by his thoughts, particularly the ones that focused on Ken's inability in recent years to win.
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Like many of the battles he'd witnessed since meeting Ken some 27 years ago, he knew that his son's opponent, this time a physically-imposing heavyweight who fell to an in-his-prime Shamrock some eight years earlier, was not the person to concern himself with.
When Ken was 13, Mr. Shamrock took the teenager into his home for
troubled youth. Five years later, Ken had morphed into a
disciplined, highly regarded high school football player and
wrestler.
After high school, his dad, aware of Ken's athleticism and penchant for enjoying a good scrap, pointed him towards pro wrestling, which in turn led him to mixed martial arts.
"Ken was born to be a gladiator, born to be fighter," said the 62-year-old Shamrock. "I used to tell him, even as a teenager, that he was born in the wrong time frame."
Ken posted numerous victories doing what he was born to do, but the spoils of conflict left him wanting. A wife, kids and champion's lifestyle led him back to pro wrestling and the lucrative doors of the WWF.
That decision, along with several other points of contention, conspired in forming a rift between father and son. Only after returning to mixed martial arts in the spring of 2000 to endure the toughest loss of his career (a technical knockout versus to Kazuyuki Fujita in which he asked his corner to throw in the towel) did the two reunite.
Mr. Shamrock moved south from Lodi, Calif. to help manage the day-to-day operation of the Lion's Den, Ken's massive San Diego gym and fighting academy. Things, it seemed, were looking up, though Ken's personal problems persisted.
The notion of fighting or training weighed heavy and, as a result, both suffered. His only in-ring victory during that stretch came in August 2001 when, trying a hand at promoting, Ken attached his name to the one-and-done World Mixed Martial Arts Association, which yielded little but a payday for him and a handful of his fighters.
It was around that time that the Shamrocks parted ways again. They had little contact over the next three years. Every now and then, father and son would see each other at fights; the conversations would be brief yet cordial.
