Don "The Dragon" Wilson

Don Wilson
Born Donald Glen Wilson
September 10, 1954 (1954-09-10) (age 57)
Cocoa Beach, Florida, United States[1]
Other names The Dragon
Nationality American
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight 195 lb (88 kg; 13.9 st)
Division Middleweight
Light Heavyweight
Cruiserweight
Style Gōjū-ryū Karate, Kickboxing, Pai Lum Tao Kung Fu
Fighting out of Alton, Illinois, United States
Team White Dragon Kickboxing
Years active 1974-2011
Kickboxing record
Total 83
Wins 73
By knockout 47
Losses 5
Draws 2
No contests 3
Website http://www.donthedragonwilson.com

Don "The Dragon" Wilson (born September 10, 1954) is an American champion kickboxer and actor. He is most famous for his acting roles in action/adventure films, including eight titles in Roger Corman's Bloodfist series.[2]

Contents

Biography

Early life

Wilson was born to a European-American father and Japanese mother in Cocoa Beach, Florida,[3] and grew up on Florida's Space Coast. He had a long and successful career in the ring. He was perhaps the best known and most successful kickboxer of his era.

He is a Sifu in Pai Lum Tao Kung fu (Source: Inside Kungfu, September 2004).[4] also known as White Dragon Kung Fu which is how he obtained his nickname. Wilson incorporated this and claimed his style as White Dragon Kickboxing.

Kickboxing career

Wilson won a total of 11 World Titles with several sanctioning bodies that included the IKF, WKA, KICK, ISKA, STAR and the PKO. He won his IKF (www.IKFKickboxing.com) FCR Cruiserweight World Title on May 15, 1999 in Lowell, Massachusetts, USA, when he defeated Dick Kimber. (Lynn, Massachusetts, USA PRO: 23-3/21, AM: 25-0/25 5'9" 197 lbs) At the end of the 3rd round Wilson came alive and exploded with a flurry that eventually knocked Kimber to the floor motionless. Referee Dan Stell counted Kimber out on the floor, a count that went into the round break. Kimber never stood during the count.

Having never been challenged for his title, Wilson voluntarily retired it to move down to the Light Heavyweight Division, where he eventually retired from fighting a few years later.

Hall of Fame 2010 by WKL World Kickboxing League (www.wklkickboxing.com).

According to Inside Kung-Fu Presents Kickboxing Magazine (August 1992), Don Wilson's kickboxing record was listed as 69 wins, 5 losses, 2 draws, 46 knockout wins, and 6 kick-knockouts, and 3 no-contests. On page 64, Wilson's first match with Bill Knoblok in Orlando, Florida in December 1974 is listed as a 3 round no-contest. However, on page 52 in the same issue, Wilson said about his fight with Knoblok, " But Bill won the third round by a larger margin than I had won the first. So he won the bout." Today the official result of this fight was listed as a no-contest on Wilson's official fight record because when he decided to fight for PKA, Joe Corley felt the rule of the bout was quite different from those of PKA, Corley told Wilson to omit it.

Wilson's kickboxing career spanned 4-decades; his first fight with Bill Knoblok in 1974 and his last fight, a 10th round knockout victory over Eddie Butcher on July 19, 2002 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He defeated among others, world champions Branko Cikatic, James Warring, Dennis Alexio, and Maurice Smith. Wilson fought a draw with another champion, Jean-Yves Theriault. In 79 bouts, Wilson was only knocked out by Glen McMorris in 1980. Wilson's kickboxing record is listed as 72-5-2 (48 knockouts) with 3 no-contests.

Commentating career

Wilson was a fight commentator and interviewer in many of the early UFC events, beginning with UFC 7 in Buffalo. He stated several times that he would be willing to fight in the UFC himself if enough fans requested it, but it never happened. He went on to be a commentator for King of the Cage.

Film appearances

Some movies to his credit include: Futurekick, Bloodfist 1-8, Ring of Fire 1, 2 & 3, Out for Blood, Operation Cobra, Blackbelt, Cyber Tracker 1 & 2, Sci Fighters, Redemption, Say Anything... Capitol Conspiracy, and Batman Forever as the leader of the Neon Gang.[5]

Personal life

Married well known film and television makeup artist Kathleen Karridene in 1996. They have three children together; Jonathan, Drayden, and Aubrianna.

Titles

Kickboxing record

Kickboxing Record

Legend:       Win       Loss       Draw/No contest       Notes

Filmography

Film and Television Credits

Year Title Role Notes
1989 Say Anything... Sparring Partner Film
1989 Bloodfist Jake Raye Film
1990 Bloodfist II Jake Raye Film
1991 Ring of Fire Johnny Woo Film
1991 Future Kick Walker Film
1992 Bloodfist III: Forced to Fight Jimmy Boland Film
1992 Blackbelt Jack Dillon Film
1992 Out for Blood John Decker Film (also producer)
1992 Bloodfist IV: Die Trying Danny Holt Film (also producer)
1993 Ring of Fire II: Blood and Steel Johnny Woo Film (also producer)
1993 Magic Kid Himself Video
1994 Bloodfist V: Human Target Jim Stanton Film
1994 Red Sun Rising Thomas Hoshino Film
1994 CyberTracker Eric Phillips Film
1995 Bloodfist VI: Ground Zero Nick Corrigan Film (also producer)
1995 Ring of Fire 3: Lion Strike
(aka: Lion Strike)
Dr. Johnny Wu Film (also writer--story)
1995 Batman Forever Gang Leader Film
1995 Bloodfist VII: Manhunt Jim Trudell Film (also producer)
1995 Cyber-Tracker 2 Eric Film (also producer)
1995 The Power Within Himself Film
1995 Virtual Combat David Quarry Film
1995 Top Fighter Himself Documentary
1996 Bloodfist VIII: Trained to Kill Rick Cowan/George 'Mac' MacReady Film
1996 Night Hunter Jack Cutter Film (also producer)
1997 Moesha Himself (1996 TV series) Episode: "Break It Down" (1997)
1997 Hollywood Safari Greg Film
1997 Inferno
(aka: Operation Cobra)
Kyle Conners Film
1997 Papertrail FBI Agent Ryu Film (as Don Wilson)
1999 Whatever It Takes Neil Film (also producer)
1999 Terminal Rush Jacob Harper Film (also producer)
1999 The Prophet
(aka: The Capitol Conspiracy)
Jarrid Maddox Film
2000 Moving Target Ray Brock Film (also producer)
2001 Walker, Texas Ranger Himself (1993 TV series) Episode: "Legends" (2001)
2002 Redemption John Sato Collins Video (also producer)
2002 Modern Warriors Himself TV special
2002 Stealing Harvard Loach's Friend Film (as Don Wilson)
2002 Mass Destruction Himself Documentary
2003 How to Be an Action Star Himself Video
2004 Sci-Fighter Jack Tanaka Film (also producer)
2006 Crooked
(aka: Soft Target)
Danny Tyler Film (also producer)
2006 18 Fingers of Death! Himself Video
2007 The Last Sentinel Tallis Film (as Don Wilson) (also producer)
2009 Hollywood Lives Himself TV series (one episode)

References

  1. ^ http://www.donthedragonwilson.com
  2. ^ "How the Dragon Gets His Kicks". The Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1991-01-05/entertainment/ca-6772_1_future-kick. Retrieved 2011-03-29. 
  3. ^ W.A.K.O. profile of Don "The Dragon" Wilson
  4. ^ Inside Kungfu September 2004
  5. ^ "KICKBOXER HAS NEW AIM DON WILSON RETIRES FROM RING, FOCUSES ON ACTING". Orlando Sentinel. http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1991-10-13/news/9110110164_1_kickboxing-karate-association-don-wilson. Retrieved 2011-03-30. 
  6. ^ “STAR System Authenticated Kickboxing Record: Don ‘The Dragon’ Wilson” (19 July 2002 - complete fight record & stats). http://starsystemkickboxing.net/DonWilson.aspx. Retrieved on 21 July 2011
  7. ^ “STAR System Authenticated Kickboxing Record: Don ‘The Dragon’ Wilson” (19 July 2002). http://starsystemkickboxing.net/DonWilson.aspx. Retrieved on 2 June 2011
  8. ^ “Career Record”. http://www.donthedragonwilson.com. Retrieved on 2 June 2011
  9. ^ "Career Highlights: Don ‘The Dragon’ Wilson Professional Kickboxing Record". (August 1992). Inside Kung-Fu Presents Kickboxing magazine, p. 64

External links