Bobby Lashley
to appear at “Who’s Bad?” wrestling event
Interestingly, the 33 year-old Lashley got into the sport of wrestling by accident, but
you can bet he is glad the sudden challenge in his life led him from the
basketball court to the wrestling mat.
“I liked to participate in all
sports,” recalls the personable Lashley, a native of
In his first year of wrestling, Lashley weighed just 84 pounds. He went on to become a collegiate wrestling
star at
“I really didn’t want to go into
wrestling because I didn’t know anything about it,” said Lashley,
who will mix with competitors and fans Saturday morning. “However, I was a big
fan of professional wrestling.
What Lashley
discovered about wrestling was that the sport taught him discipline. When he
visits youth wrestling tournaments such as the one Saturday at
“These kids can set goals through
wrestling,” said Lashley. “In wrestling, there is
always another tournament in front of them. With every step is another goal.
“My first goal was to win the state
championship in high school. Then, I won three national championships in
college and was a world two-time Armed Forces champion while I was in the
Army.”
Lashley is
such a big believer in both wrestling and the youth which compete in the sport
that he’d eventually like to coach.
“Wrestling is a very tough sport,”
added Lashley, who has two children, a boy, 5, and a
girl, 17 months. “You get out of it what you put into it. In wrestling, you
have no one to blame but yourself if you don’t reach your goals. There is a big
work ethic involved with the sport.”
Lashley
recently added to an already-impressive resume when he signed with Strikeforce to become the second high-profile heavyweight
to sign with the organization. Now 4-0 with three first-round
MMA victories, Lashley will make his debut against a
yet-to-be-named opponent Jan. 30 in
The card will be broadcast on
Showtime. Also on the card will be former NFL star Herschel Walker along with a
welterweight bout featuring between Nick Diaz and Marius Zaromskis.
Adam
Gutierrez, who is the tournament director, said having Lashley
at the tournament is a definite inspiration.
“Little wrestlers love Bobby,” said
Gutierrez, 23, who competed in wrestling from the time he was eight years-old
through high school. “He is a world wrestling champion, and these kids all know
him. He’s the best of both worlds when you’re talking about amateur wrestling
and Mixed Martial Arts. He is an all-around kind of guy and he will have a line
waiting for his autograph throughout the day.
The tournament at
The tournament will include
competition in K-12 along with open categories. Doors will open at 7:15 a.m.
with events on 12 mats until 10 p.m.
The RMNE has 30 dates scheduled in
2010. The series is considered the premier youth wrestling series in the
country bringing together 60,000 competitors during the season.
The RMNE is a family-run operation
which includes Director Ed Gutierrez; his wife, Julie, ;
son, Josh, director; son Jordan, who serves as a director and also wrestles in
many tournaments.
Further
information can be found at www.rockymountainnationals.com
or by calling Ed Gutierrez at 303-635-1549.
Information regarding Lashley can be found at www.bobbylashley.com www.fightbobby.com.
CONTACT: Mike Henle, The Idea Company Public Relations, 702-279-3483