by Master Richard "DD" Hopkins H.O.F.
This information came from the USA during my visits or from what I personally know or found out from my many friends within the Martial Arts
Some people say different due to they wish to claim "they were the first or the biggest" but this is how it is and how it was "believe me"

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  The Birth of Full-Contact Karate
During his career Joe Lewis of the USA who I have met many times objected to the unrealistic structure of non contact karate in which blows were to be pulled short of actual contact.  In 1969 while training under Bruce Lee Lewis also started training within Boxing Gyms with an idea of becoming a professional boxer.   In late 1969 Lewis was contacted by Los Angeles promoter Lee Faulkner who was organising a major non-contact team contest in which he wanted Lewis to participate.   Lewis agreed on the condition that Faulkner permit him to fight also in a full-contact match.  Faulkner agreed to promote the bout, but only if Lewis fought in the team event as well.  Lewis searched for a suitable opponent and found Greg Baines, a San Jose Kenpo Stylist who agreed to meet Lewis under full-contact conditions.  The bout preceded by the US Team Championships, took place on January 17th 1970 at the Long Beech Sports Arena.  Results of the contest were victories for Lewis by a 2nd round KO and for a West Coast team composed of :  Lewis, Mike Stone, Bob Wall, Chuck Norris and Skipper Mullins.   Incidentally this was the very last competition of Chuck Norris's great career.  While the Lewis - Baines bout had been promoted as the "First Full-Contact" Championships the uninformed announcer inadvertently but repeatedly called it "American Kickboxing".   The announcers blunder caught on and Lewis became known for having pioneered American Kickboxing.  Lewis defended 10 times in one year.  The term "Full-Contact Karate" would not be used until 1974.    In August of 1974 Mike Anderson, Don & Judy Quine formed the "PKA" The Professional Karate Association.  This was to be Full-Contacts first sanctioning body with aims to establish this as a major professional sport with recognised champions, standardised rules and network television coverage.    The PKA on September 14th 1974 hosted the first World Full-Contact Championships at the Los Angeles Sports Arena hosting 10,000 spectators and $20,000 prize money.   These bouts were fought on matted areas.
14 fighters from 8 countries fought for the 4 titles in a knockout system, winners were :-  
1.   Heavyweight title went to    Joe Lewis     -   USA
2.   Light Heavyweight went to  Jeff Smith    -   USA
3.   Middleweight title went to   Bill Wallace   -  USA
4.   Lightweight title went to      Isalas Duenas  -  Mexico
Within one year there were 7 Full-Contact Organisations with promotions nearly every week throughout the USA.
May 3rd 1975 the PKA held the first World Title defence between champion Bill Wallace and Joe Corley in the Omni Arena, Los Angeles. In front of 10,000 spectators Wallace TKO'd Corley in the 9th round to retain his title.   At this 1975 event there was a demonstration of Martial Ballet, created by Jhoon Rhee where a team of blackbelts performed a routine to classical music.  I first saw this in England in 1983 where Rhees student John Chung and Charlie Lee performed this at Wembley Arena at the WAKO World Championships. I will never forget it, "amazing".   Rhee's idea eventually became what is now known as "Musical Forms". 
 In June 1975 Mike Anderson resigned from the PKA.
On September 21st 1975 the first world Full-Contact title fight was held outside of USA at the Deutschlandhalle Arena in West Berlin. promoted by George Bruckner & Mike Anderson, the bout was the first ever Super lightweight title between Gordan Franks of the USA Vs Ramiro Guzman of Mexico, 20year old Franks of the USA won on a unanimous 9 round bout.  Franks was the first Black fighter to win a world full-contact title.
Also in 1975 the 3rd WUKO World Karate Championships were held in the Longbeach Arena, USA.  The British won the team event and the Japanese won the Individual events.  At this event Dominic Valera was disqualified for heavy contact and proceeded to hit the judges, one of those were England's Roy Stanhope founder of UKASKO.
From 1974 until 1985, the PKA was the most recognised world-wide sanctioning group. Don & Judy Quine, along with Joe Corley, helped it on it's way and were instrumental in establishing the first links with television. Their contract with the American TV network ESPN helped take the burgeoning sport to a wider audience. The PKA developed the first fighter's ratings systems and presented their champions with a very real and very high profile. Jean-Yves Theriault, Brad Hefton, Jerry Trimble, Steve Shepard and others became the first stars of this new regulated sport.
The American Steve Shepherd fought England's Arthur O'Loughlan in the early eighties.  I caught up with Steve Shepherd at the US Open in 2005 and we talked of the old days, he held Arthur in high esteem, Steve has invented a tournament shoe that can be worn in the ring, he presented my whole family with a pair, good one Steve.
 I personally fought from 1978 to 1985 on many English PKA events run by Mike Haig who was the editor of Combat Magazine at the time   In 1985 I personally met Joe Lewis.   I was picked to represent GB in a Full-Contact team by a friend the great Alfie Lewis. I fought Joe Lewis's student John Graden of the USA in the semi-final of the WAKO World Championships held at Wembley Arena with Joe Lewis as his cornerman, The Wembley bout happened to be my last Full-Contact fight!.
It was a great 5 round fight with Graden picking me off with a longer reach however I do remember getting 2 jumping back kicks into him at the last round which made me feel a little better from my loss. After the bout while chatting to Mr. Lewis, he confirmed the above facts for me and I logged them into my diary.
John Graden regularly emails me now with his Champions Way information.  

In Germany. In 1975, an amateur Organisation to rival the PKA appeared. The WAKO (WORLD ALL STYLE KARATE ORGANIZATION) was created by Georges Bruckner and was the only International Amateur Federation in Europe,  Over the next decade a myriad of sanctioning bodies came and went - all claiming to represent the best interests of the fighters and the sport.  WAKO was taken over by Ennio Falsoni, an Italian, a few years later and he still runs it. 
The WORLD KICKBOXING ASSOCIATION (WKA) was created in 1976 by Howard Hanson, a Shorin Ryu Karate black belt and student of Mike Stone. It developed the field of low kicks thanks to some strong Asian connections and good promotions in Japan. The WKA also prospered in Europe. Champions like Rob Kaman, Fred Royers, Ivan Sprang and Ronnie Green emerged over a decade ago and remain planted in the memory. When Howard HANSON sold the WKA to Canadian Dale Floyd in 1991 it’s North American activity started to fade. 
 In January 1994 Paul Ingrahm of Birmingham, England took over the prestigious federation and established its World headquarters in Birmingham, England. At the time, WKA was the second largest professional sanctioning organisation in the World.   When legal problems sent the PKA to the wall in 1985, 5 major USA based promoters and PKA executives decided to create a new body. On July 16th 1986, the International Sport Kickboxing Association was born. Mike Sawyer, Karyn Turner, Tony Thompson, John Worley and Scott Coker where the first ISKA Directors in the USA. Most of the major PKA promoters began sanctioning their events with the ISKA and several joined its administration. Major title bouts featuring the sport’s finest fighters were broadcast during 1986 on ESPN television network, and helped bring credibility and recognition to this new association. 
Thai boxing has remained the main fighting sport in Asia and is still controlled by the Thailand government. Most sanctioning bodies sanction Muay-Thai titles but the WMTC remains the most credible organisation in Thai boxing.
The Birth of Semi-Contact Karate
In 1973 Mike Anderson of Oklahoma, USA published national and regional ratings for karate competitors forming a Top Ten Rating.   Shortly after Anderson staged his Top Ten Nationals with a prize of $1,000 for Grand Championship. Other major promoters later followed suit with prizemoney also.
Anderson's Top Ten Nationals were the first to make mandatory the use of Jhoon Rhees newly created "Safe T Equipment" within the Blackbelt fighting divisions.  This innovation launched a new form of karate fighting which was dubbed "Semi-Contact" by martial arts columnist John Corcoran.   The use of Safe T Equipment basically foam rubber hand and foot pads, added excitement to competition, safely permitting moderate contact to both the face and the body .   At this 1973 event at only 5ft 5 inches and 152lbs lightweight Howard Jackson won the Grand Championship and the $1,000  Howard sadly died November 2006.


I personally met George Bruckner a few times and he knew me by name, I last saw him at the 1991 WAKO World Championships held in Crystal Palace, he later died that year, I was proud to know him, he confirmed most of the above to me.
by Richard Hopkins

The way it went:-
1970 - 1st Full-Contact fight between Joe Lewis Vs Greg Baines
1973 - Semi-Contact was formed by Mike Anderson of Oklahoma, USA
1974 - PKA - Professional Karate Association (1st Full-Contact Association)
          Started in August of 1974 by Mike Anderson, Don & Judy Quine.
1974 - PKA on September 14th 1974 hosted the first World Full-Contact      
.           Championships at the Los Angeles Sports Arena
1975 -  WUKO 3rd World Karate Championships. Longbeach Arena, USA. 
1975 -  WAKO was created by Georges Bruckner
1976 - Richard Hopkins opened Moreton Club, UK
1976 - WKA - was created in 1976 by . Howard Hanson.
1986 - ISKA On July 16th 1986 was created
1989 - WUMA The World United Martial Arts Federation was founded by myself on .         September 19th 1989 in order to look after unhappy Instructors.


My personal CV     (By Richard "DD" Hopkins)
1962 - Started Boxing under Pete Basten an ex Army Champion at         
the Blockley Youth Centre at the age of 8 years.          (for 6 years)
1968 - Joined Evesham ABA Boxing Club.                  (for 10 years)
1970 - Joined Stratford ABA Boxing Club.                   (for 8 years)
1971 - Joined Evesham Aikido Club.                           (for 2 years)
1972 - Joined Evesham Judo Club.                              (for2 years)
1973 - Practised Bruce Lee techniques from the films (for many years)
1976 - Opened my own Self-Defence & Keep Fit Club in Moreton.
          taught techniques to music, years before Aerobic's ever started!
1977 - Joined BKFA Lau-Gar Kung Fu Club in Banbury  (for 12 years)
1978 - Opened a Lau Kung Fu club in Moreton.       ( Still open now)
1979 - Joined Wado Ryu Karate under Clayton Murrain. (8 years)
1980 - Won my first Major Tera Karate Competition featured in Combat Magazine 
in October 1980.
1980 - Fought for British Karate Squad in Dublin. (1st International)
1982 - Opened Evesham & Aylesbury Lau-Gar Kung Fu club.
1982 - August, Promoted my first Major Tournament the Evesham Open 
and it was featured in Fighters magazine in September 1982.
1983 - Opened Cheltenham Lau-Gar Kung Fu club at Sixways. (Full-Time)
1983 - Left my job at British Leyland to teach full-time for B.K.F.A.
1983 - Became British Full-Contact Champion -75kg  AMAA
1983 - Promoted my own mini series of tournaments.   
1984 - Opened Stratford, Alcester Lau Gar Kung Fu clubs.
1985 - Opened Cirencester, Stroud & Brockworth clubs.
1986 - Bought a Bodybuilding Gym in Cheltenham.
1989 - March was my first USA trip, took 3rd in Los Angeles and Palm Springs.
1989 - Left the BKFA-British Kung Fu Association
1989 - Acquired a Free 15 year lease on Sixways Hall, Cheltenham.
1989 - Formed The WUMA, The Sixways Hall became The WUMA HQ.
                    WUMA - World United Martial Arts Federation.
Kevin Brewerton left the BKFA a few weeks later and became my partner.
Alvin Mighty, Mark Aston, Peter Edwards all joined us and success followed
1990 - We Won the FSK Team event knocking Alfie Lewis's Liverpool Freestyle off their No.1 slot that they had ruled for years.
The 1990's - WUMA has won "Clash of the Titans". German Open, Swedish Open, Clash of the Square Ring, US Open, Irish Open etc.
2000 - The WUMA Federation had grown to 600 + Schools within the UK & 22,000 members within the UK and 53 member countries.
2008 - WUMA membership is up to 923 schools and 26,000 members within the UK and 62 member countries.
WUMA World Championships have been held in:-
1996 - England      promoted by Richard Hopkins
1998 - England      promoted by Richard Hopkins
2000 - Sicily          promoted by Gino Vitrano
2002 - Denmark     promoted by Jorn & Liz Brandt
2004 - Germany     promoted by Uwe Mandler
2006 - Malta          promoted by Silvio Camilleri
2008 - France
 

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