This is the man of 1994. The man who tamed the beast of Rick "the Jet" Roufus. This man, Ernesto Hoost (the last name is properly pronounced like host) is a soft spoken gentleman who has had some major achievements in the last few years in the ring. A humble man of big achievements. I enjoyed talking to this man. Mike Miles

Mike Miles: How are you?

Ernesto Hoost: Good! Very good... and you?

Mike Miles: Great. First of all congratulations on knocking out Rick Roufus. It is very big news in North America. In fact the next issue of the magazine will have you standing over Roufus while he is on the canvas.

Ernesto Hoost: Thank you!

Mike Miles: When did you first start training in the Martial Arts?

Ernesto Hoost: It was in 1981. I started directly with Muay Thai in my home town of Hoorn.

Mike Miles: Have you trained in any other styles like Savate,etc.?

Ernesto Hoost: During my career, I have done Savate. In 1988 I was the European Champion. In 1989 I was World Champion in Savate. It was my first World Title!

Mike Miles: When did you have your first fight as a competitor?

Ernesto Hoost: It was in December 1983. I won by a second round KO against Wim Scharren Berg. It was Thai Boxing rules without elbow attacks (International rules).

Mike Miles: What is your present fight record right now?

Ernesto Hoost: 55 fights with 48 wins and 7 losses.

Mike Miles: What are some of the titles that you have presently won?

Ernesto Hoost: In 1988 I was Dutch Champion in Muay Thai. In 1988 I won the European Championship in Muay Thai, Savate, Full Contact (I.S.K.A.) and Kickboxing (W.K.A.). In 1989 I was World Champion in Savate and Muay Thai. In 1990 I became a World Champion in the W.K.A. for Kickboxing and in 1994 I have won the World (I.S.K.A.) Title for beating Rick Roufus.

Mike Miles: Which of all your fights do you feel is the most noteworthy?

Ernesto Hoost: The last one against Rick Roufus because the Full Contact I.S.K.A. rules are the most difficult for me. I very rarely trained these type of rules during my career, and my last fight before this bout was Thai Boxing. I have also fought against Jean Yves Theriault and they (the judges) cheated me, I believe they cheated me. It was the first time I tried to regain the World Full Contact Title. The second time was two years ago against Rick Roufus. It was also shortly after a Muay Thai fight for me. Again the change in rules was very difficult for me. The win over Roufus is definitely the crown on my work so far.

Mike Miles: Who has been your toughest opponent in the ring and why?

Ernesto Hoost: Roufus. Again as I said the rules were very difficult. Especially during our first fight, Rick was very difficult to fight because he moved a lot. It was very difficult to corner him or to come close to him.

Mike Miles: The first time you guys (Roufus) fought was two years ago. What was the outcome of the fight?

Ernesto Hoost: I lost by decision. The fight took place in Marseilles also like this encounter.

Mike Miles: Who are some of your other biggest wins in the ring over?

Ernesto Hoost: In 1989 I beat Branko Cikatic. In 1993 I won over Peter Aerts in the Japanese K-1. I had already beat him earlier in 1988 but that was at the beginning of his career and he was very young. I also beat Maurice Smith at the K-1.

Mike Miles: This is a rather delicate question but who are your losses to and who of them have you never been given a chance to refight?

Ernesto Hoost: I've lost to Rob Kaman twice. The first time I was very young and very inexperienced. The second time Kaman knocked me out in the last round, though I was ahead on points. I feel it was a lucky punch because he got me in the right place with a hook that knocked me out. I might get a chance to refight him but I have not had a chance yet! For me it used to be very necessary, because he was a very big name in Thai Boxing. But nowadays I don't need him anymore to make my name bigger. My name is big enough now. If a rematch will happen, then it is alright for me. I lost twice to Jean Yves Theriault. The first match was when I was very, very young and inexperienced and the match took place in Canada in 1986...It was only my 11th or 12th fight and he had well over 50 bouts! I was not ready to win that fight. The second fight took place in Geneva in 1989 and at the end of the fight I lost by split decision. Last year I lost to Branko Cikatic in the K-1. I think I was very unlucky because during this tournament I had the toughest competitors and Branko was still very fresh from stopping all of his opponents early. He did not face the quality of opponents that I did.

Mike Miles: In terms of Kickboxing and Muay Thai, Europe is still ahead of North America. This is due to the fact that we are still very fragmented. A portion does Full Contact Karate, an equal or larger size of athletes does Kickboxing and a small and newer amount of fighters are now doing Muay Thai. Who do you think is now a good fighter or fighters from North America? Who really stands out to you?

Ernesto Hoost: Maurice Smith, but I think he is older now and I do not feel he will be fighting for much longer now. He is not as good as he used to be. Rick Roufus. Although I have now beaten him, he is still a very, very good Full Contact fighter. He was a real champion in Full Contact. I saw Lavelle Robinson fight in Japan and I think he is a fairly talented fighter in Thai Boxing. He can be a new name for North America. Peter Cunningham is not a bad fighter but I have not seen him fighting for quite awhile. Benny Urquidez is also old. I saw his fight against Tagami and I thought he lost that fight.

Mike Miles: What about Don Wilson? Would you have liked to fight Don Wilson?

Ernesto Hoost: Sure. For me there is nothing to gain out of it. These guys are old. If I beat him, they will say "look, you can beat him now because he is old". If a promoter would set up this kind of fight, I would for sure fight him.

Mike Miles: How do you feel about fighting with elbows? Do you like them or not?

Ernesto Hoost: I have fought with elbows I think three or four times. I don't like it because you get nasty cuts with elbows. When you see the Thai's fighting they are always trying to give you a cut to win by TKO. I do not think it is a good way to win a fight. When you knock someone out, it is OK. But when you give someone a cut with an elbow and win the fight, I would not be happy to win this way.

Mike Miles: In the United States , there are some fighters who will fight using knees, but they say you can not grab or clinch or hold onto the head when you are kneeing. How do you feel about this?

Ernesto Hoost: Ha ha ha! I think this is a little bit ridiculous. It is very difficult to land a good knee without a clinch. It is possible if you are good in the knees you should be able to knee without grabbing. I think when you have the knees, the clinching belongs to the knees. It is very important for completing the knees and it is a part of Muay Thai. I do not think it is very good to make rules when using the knees, not allowing the clinch. I believe the clinchwork takes away from the ability of a boxer and this may explain why Americans, who are usually good boxers hate the clinching. It nullifies their best weapons.

Mike Miles: Have you fought any Thai fighters? I know you fought Cheungpuek Kiatsongrit at Japan's K-2 last year.

Ernesto Hoost: I have fought four Thais and I have beaten them all by KO. The first Thai was Feyoke. The second one was Tettitak. The third one was Sanmark. The fourth one was Chuengpuek Kiatsongrit.

Mike Miles: What are your favorite fighting techniques?

Ernesto Hoost: Well, I feel I am an all around fighter. I used to have my low kicks (leg kicks) as my favorite technique. Now I do not have a real favorite technique anymore because I have trained all my techniques in a way that I can do anything. I do not think I am known for any technique in particular because my knockouts have been made with my arms, my legs, and my knees... I do not feel like a one dimensional fighter.... Hmmm! I like the right jab!

Mike Miles: Do you have any favorite fighters?

Ernesto Hoost: I admire Ramon Dekker, and one of my fellow fighters in my gym - Ivan Hyppolite. He just won the Dutch K-3. I have very much respect for Rob Kaman. I think these three.

Mike Miles: Who has been the most influential person in your life?

Ernesto Hoost: Fighting, my trainer Johan Vos. He has given me lots of opportunities to make very good fights. He has trained me excellently over the years. He fought in the beginning of Thai Boxing competition in Europe. I think he fought a few times. He is not real well known as a fighter but as a trainer. The advantage to have a trainer like Johan Vos is that he can do any kind of Martial Arts. He has trained KyoKushin Karate Judo, Jiu Jitsu, Aikido, all kinds of Martial Arts so you can learn a lot more than just the Thai Boxing from him. In life, My parents have always supported me in whatever I am doing and they are always behind me.

Mike Miles: What is your opinion on Full Contact Karate?

Ernesto Hoost: The rules are difficult. It is not my favorite style. I like leg kicks, sometimes I like the knees. However, the rules can be acceptable to me and I think the rules have to stay as they are for Full Contact. I think for Muay Thai fighters it is a good way to train without the leg kicks to improve their skill and variety in the boxing techniques. It is not a big way of fighting in Holland but it is a little bigger in France.

Mike Miles: What do you think of kickboxing (with leg kicks)?

Ernesto Hoost: I like this style. For me it is the important kind of fighting style. It is not quite as big as Thai Boxing in Holland but very close. These kinds of fights are only on cards that also host Thai Boxing fights. We never have tournaments that are only kickboxing.

Mike Miles: What is your opinion on International rules Thai Boxing?

Ernesto Hoost: For me it is the best because I do not like the elbows to the head. Knees to the head is good for me because I am so tall. It is the style that most Dutch fighters like!

Mike Miles: What have gained from fighting or being a fighter?

Ernesto Hoost: A lot of respect from people. Good health, good physical competition. A lot of experience in life. I have seen a lot of places. Holland, France, Hong Kong, Japan, America, Canada, everywhere in Europe. It made me complete as a person.

Mike Miles: How old are you now?

Ernesto Hoost: 29.

Mike Miles: How much longer do you want to continue fighting?

Ernesto Hoost: As long as the results are good, and my health is staying good.

Mike Miles: What are planning to do after you quit fighting? Are you going to become a trainer, or do something else?

Ernesto Hoost: I want to keep doing something in kickboxing. maybe a trainer... or managing fighters or something like that. Maybe I want to do something for myself like own my own business but I am not sure exactly what I am going to do right now because I am focused on my fighting right now. I have started looking a little bit ahead but I am not sure yet what I will do.

Mike Miles: Is there anybody right now that you desire to fight?

Ernesto Hoost: Not really. Now I think I have got most of the good fighters in my weight and in my career. For me, I take every fight as a challenge. There is not a real opponent now that I would like to fight.

Mike Miles: How about Tasis Petridis from Australia?

Ernesto Hoost: I fought him last year before the K-2. I won the fight by using knees.

Mike Miles: Petridis is acknowledged for not being very adept (as of yet) when fighting with the knees due to lack of experience.

Ernesto Hoost: No he isn't. But he is very strong and a very difficult fighter. It was a very hard fight for me.

Mike Miles: Are you happy with everything you have achieved?

Ernesto Hoost: Yes. The things that I have seen in the world, the places where I have went, the winning, and I have all the possible titles I could get with the last title from Rick Roufus. I got all the possible titles that I could get so for now I am very glad with everything I have achieved.

Mike Miles: What do you think can be done to make Thai Boxing or Kickboxing bigger and better in the eyes of the public?

Ernesto Hoost: In Thai Boxing I think they have to get rid of the elbows. Knees to the head should only be allowed to the head for the 'A' class fighters. New or amateur fighters should be better protected. Things like headgear. Protecting the beginner fighters is very important.

Mike Miles: I think that is a good idea too! What do you feel about the multitudes of sanctioning bodies W.K.A., I.S.K.A., I.A.M.T.F,, P.K.C. , F.F.K.A. ..., What do you think about all of them sanctioning 3 or 4 different types of fighting in each division and in each organization?

Ernesto Hoost: I think it is bullshit! For me there are 4 kinds of styles. There is Savate, Muay Thai, Kickboxing and Full Contact Karate. Each one of these styles should only have one council or sanctioning body. Unfortunately everyone is making their own rules and their own titles, some World Titles are every important to me , like my last one. But most of the World titles I do not care too much about them. In my weight there may be three World Champions for the same kind of fighting, One from the W.K.A., the P.K.C., the I.S.K.A. you know... I think there is too many and it is bad for the sport!

Mike Miles: Too many chiefs and not enough indians.

Ernesto Hoost: Yeah!

Mike Miles: How did you feel about your performance in the K-2 in Japan?

Ernesto Hoost: I think it was very good. When I started my first fight against Manson Gibson...

Mike Miles: I do not think Manson Gibson is a very aesthetically pleasing fighter to watch, but he is really awkward and he gave you problems in that event forcing you into an extra round. How do you feel about that?

Ernesto Hoost: He is a very smart fighter and he did the best he could do against me. Also it was a problem because after the opening ceremony I should have had 10 minutes to warm up. I didn't get the 10 minutes so I was cold when I went to the ring. So it was very difficult to start for me. But that is ok, I won the fight.

Mike Miles: That was probably your toughest fight in the event.

Ernesto Hoost: Yes. I think so.

Mike Miles: Has he talked rematching you or fighting you again?

Ernesto Hoost: I would like to fight him again because I was unhappy with my performance. I would like to fight him again to show him that when I am warmed up it will be a different type of fight for him.

Mike Miles: I want to talk to you about the K-2 from Holland. I have talked to several Dutch fighters and they all speak highly of you and respect you, but they state that the field of fighters in the K-2, especially the Dutch K-2 was weak. They state you won easily. They think that Peter Aerts K-1, both in Holland and Japan this year was a much more difficult feat for him than for you to win the K-2 in both places. How do you feel about that?

Ernesto Hoost: When I fought in the first K-1 (Japan 1993) against him (Aerts), I had the same problem. It was much more difficult for me to win after I beat Peter, because I had 2 very, very tough fights and I am sure I would not lost to Branko Cikatic had he not had such an easy time making it to the finals. I felt I was the best fighter at that event. I admit it was not the best fighters that fought in the K-2 in Holland, but still I had to fight three fights and you have to win them all. After my first fight, I had an injury on my leg and I still had to fight 2 other fights. You have you win them convincingly even if your opponent is not as good as you. You can not say he can beat you. The field of fighters in the K-1 of Holland was not that good, either in my opinion.

Mike Miles: Most of the Dutch fighters I have talked to have said that you are the best tournament fighter in the business. You fight very smart and you do not get hurt. From what I have seen I am also very impressed.

Ernesto Hoost: I am a kind of person who does not like pain too much. I always try to avoid pain.

Mike Miles: Bob Schijber was over training in my gym for awhile. You fought him in the Dutch K-2, how did that fight go?

Ernesto Hoost: It was the K-2 final. I know I can be very sharp when I fight. For me it was just picking the right moment to catch him with a combination. He attacked me with a right jab and I slipped and hit him with a right jab and a left uppercut and he went down. Andafter that it was just a formality to knock him out. Bob is a good fighter and the kind of opponent who can win from everyone. He is very difficult to fight.

Mike Miles: This weekend he is fighting for the W.K.A. World Cruiserweight Muay Thai Title against Poljo from Germany (now). Have you fought Poljo before?

Ernesto Hoost: No but Bob and Poljo fought each other at the K-2 here in Holland and Bob won. It is just a rematch between them really.

Mike Miles: Getting back to Rick Roufus, for your match he weighed in at 90 kilograms I was told.

Ernesto Hoost: Yes.

Mike Miles: Very heavy. So he did not have to lose anything?

Ernesto Hoost: For me it was a little bit strange because my contract was for 86 kilos. He claims to have a contract with the I.S.K.A. for to fight between 86 and 89 kilos. So, he had to lose a kilo so he was 89 kilos. For me it was either don't fight or try to fight even if he was a little bit heavier. So I chose to fight him.

Mike Miles: You knocked him out in the eleventh round right? What did you knock him out with?

Ernesto Hoost: Yes! A right round kick to the head.

Mike Miles: I was told that he was out for twenty minutes.

Ernesto Hoost: Yes. It was very nasty. It happened also with Cheungpuek Kiatsongrit in Japan at the K-2 and I do not like this kind of knockout. I like to knock someone out after the ten count I would like them to get up again.

Mike Miles: I have had all kinds of reports come to me from all over Europe with suspicion's about Roufus on enhancing substances. Have you heard anything about this?

Ernesto Hoost: heard the rumour. I saw his body. He fought against Theriault in March at 81 kilos. Now in October he is weighing in at 90 kilos. I think he has gained very much weight in that short of a time. But, I do not say he used it. But the way he looked I think it is possible that he used some "candy".

Mike Miles: Can you pronounce your last name for me properly in Dutch?

Ernesto Hoost: Host! My dad and my grand dad tell me my name used to be spelled Hoast.

Mike Miles: Thank you for your time! Good luck to you in the future with your career. I will be coming to Holland in the New Year (1995) and I hope we get a chance to sit down and talk again.

Ernesto Hoost: Anytime. Thank you Mike.