With his brief career in the NFL over, Bob Sapp was broke, unemployed and so depressed he draped black towels and sheets over his windows.
He had been a third-round college draft pick for the Chicago Bears but never made the team, and was only briefly an offensive lineman with the Minnesota Vikings before being suspended for using steroids, which he calls a "bum rap."
"I must have been like that for four, five months," he said. "That was my depression mode. It was a rough state."
Then he got another chance -- this time it was a karate master who invited Sapp to become a prizefighter in Japan.
Three years later, Sapp is known to his legions of Japanese fans as "The Beast," an almost invincible headliner for the popular, brutal sport of K-1, which combines karate, tae kwon do and kickboxing. At 193cm tall and 170kg, it's a role that fits him well.
"Oh, man, it's crazy," Sapp said. "And it's so hard to explain. A regular celebrity would hope to just get half this phenomenon."
Charismatic and willing to clown for the cameras, Sapp, 29, is one of the best-known Americans in Japan.
He has signed on as the "ambassador" for Northwest Airlines and the NFL's Japan office. He is almost a regular feature on Japanese TV, appearing in commercials promoting everything from DVD players to fabric softener. His tongue-in-cheek debut CD, Sapp Time, has sold more than 100,000 copies since March.
When asked about reports he'll make US$3 million this year, most of it outside the ring, he replied: "That's the worst case scenario."
Sapp trained for just six months before making his Japan debut last April, when he beat his opponent by TKO in the first round. In December, some 74,000 fans packed the Tokyo Dome and another 10 million watched on TV as he pulverized four-time world champion Ernesto Hoost of the Netherlands.
FRUSTRATION: Alcaraz made several unforced errors over four sets against Bosnian Damir Dzumhur, who had never made it past the third round in a major competition Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz reached the fourth round of the French Open after laboring past Damir Dzumhur 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in the Friday night session. The second-seeded Spaniard had never before played Dzumhur, a 33-year-old Bosnian who had never been past the third round at any major tournament. “I suffered quite a lot today,” Alcaraz said. “The first two sets was under control, then he started to play more deeply and more aggressively. It was really difficult for me.” Dzumhur hurt his left knee in a fall in the second round, and had treatment on Friday on his right leg during the
‘DREAM’: The 5-0 victory was PSG’s first Champions League title, and the biggest final win by any team in the 70-year history of the top-flight European competition Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League for the first time as Luis Enrique’s brilliant young side outclassed Inter on Saturday in the most one-sided final ever with teenager Desire Doue scoring twice in an astonishing 5-0 victory. Doue supplied the pass for Achraf Hakimi to give PSG an early lead and the 19-year-old went from provider to finisher as his deflected shot doubled the advantage in the 20th minute. Doue scored again just after the hour mark, ending any doubt about the outcome before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia ran away to get the fourth and substitute Senny Mayulu, another teenager, made it five. Inter were
The Greek basketball league finals between Panathinaikos and Olympiakos were suspended by the government on Monday following on-court scuffles involving rival security teams. The best-of-five series is at 1-1. The third game, scheduled for today, has been postponed. The owners of both clubs were summoned to meet with the country’s sports minister. They “will be asked to provide explicit guarantees that this situation will be brought to an end. If not, this year’s championship will be definitively canceled,” government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said. “There can be no tolerance for such pathological phenomena of violence and delinquency.” In online posts, the owners of Panathinaikos and
Defender Steph Catley says her UEFA Women’s Champions League title win with Arsenal last week will act as motivation to secure continental glory with Australia when the country hosts the Women’s Asian Cup next year. Catley and compatriots Caitlin Foord and Kyra Cooney-Cross were part of the Arsenal squad that defeated Barcelona in Lisbon on Sunday last week, before flying to Melbourne to feature in the Matildas’ 2-0 win over Argentina on Friday. The game was the first in a two-match series against the South Americans as the Australians continue preparations for the continental championship in March next year, when they would
RSS