Fight promoters in Poland has bounced neo-Nazi Niko Puhakka off their Feb 25th bill. Fight promoters here are yet again keeping Maryland “Skinheads” member Doug Sonier on theirs. Go figure.
NYC Antifa
Just days after announcing that Finland lightweight Niko Puhakka would be fighting Artur Sowinski for the vacant lightweight title, Polish organisation KSW has pulled him from the bout.
The move was made after fan outcry over Puhakka’s tattoos and political leanings. He has a tattoo of German soldiers waving a Nazi flag on his upper right arm, along with other markings that indicate a far-right leaning.
KSW released a statement to Fighters Only in which it expressly stated that Puhakka’s removal came after a negative response from fans around the world. Poland also suffered heavily under Nazi aggression and the country bears numerous scars from the World War Two era.
In connection with controversy surrounding Niko Puhakka, KSW Federation decided to cancel his participation in the upcoming KSW 18 event scheduled for February 25th in Plock. The decision is associated with the respect our federation has for public opinion as well as the belief that personal views and ethical standards are equally important as sporting excitement.
KSW Federation never was and will never be an institution promoting any kind of political, religious or social beliefs. We are a sporting organization, which chooses its fighters solely on a basis of their athletic accomplishments. Our goal is to confront skills, records and names not fighter’s views.
However, the amount of negative feedback we received regarding the above- mentioned fighter forced us to exclude him from the competition. Niko Puhakka’s removal from the fight card does not mean that Artur Sowinski’s participation in KSW 18 will also be cancelled.
A replacement opponent for the Polish fighter will be announced soon
Oddly, Puhakka had fought for KSW on two previous occasions with no issues, the most recent being in March 2011. It seems either the thought of him fighting for a title in Poland proved unpalatable to fans, or the profile of the bout and associated publicity meant it was the first time his presence on a KSW card was widely noted.
It is not the first time that Puhakka has been ostracised as a result of his politics and while he is definitely a fighting talent, his career has no chances of progressing to any significant international level as long as he is wearing the symbol of the Third Reich.
One People’s ProjectMANSFIELD, MA—Neo-Nazi Mixed Martial Arts fighter Doug Sonier, an associate of the white supremacist Maryland “Skinheads”, is scheduled to fight Tom Evans on Friday Jan 13 at the Holiday Inn in Mansfield. Sonier, who just last year completed probation after making anti-Semitic threats to a former employer, has been removed from fight cards in the past, but promoters in Massachusetts have made him a virtual regular, his last announced fight being in Springfield on July 31 where they even kept his name off the advertisements for a time. This fight will be a part of the American Fighting Organization’s New Year’s Rebellion event. Sonier (0-11) fought with AFO in November 2010. Although Sonier is not considered a skilled fighter, his participation in Mixed Martial Arts competitions have been the focus of controversy due to many in white power scenes trying to use the sport to raise money for their respective organizations. Sonier’s coach in the past has been Maryland “Skinheads” member Jay Tankersley who just last year was operating a MMA training organization out of a gym near Baltimore, MD. |
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