Paul Vizzio

Paul Vizzio (born April 1952) is a retired American martial arts and kickboxing champion from Manhattan, New York. After establishing himself through underground bare-knuckle fights, KICK, During his professional kickboxing career, he compiled a record of 47 wins, with 36 knockouts, against a single loss, where he started boxing and wrestling. These were bare-knuckle, no-holds-barred fights, often with little to no protective gear, fought on platforms or wooden floors. and Phil Borgia, a noted boxing trainer who also trained fighters like Kevin Kelley and Arturo Gatti.

In 1979, Vizzio defeated Kent Johnson in a lightweight bout. On Jul 24 1981, Vizzio challenged Cliff Thomas for the PKA World Super Lightweight title. The bout was televised on NBC SportsWorld with Vizzio losing by a TKO. and Roy Kleckner. defending his PKA World Featherweight title. Vizzio also retained his title by winning a rematch against Judah.

After the PKA folded in 1986, Vizzio began to fight for titles in other organizations. In 1993, Vizzio defeated Dale Frye to win the KICK Lightweight title. In 1994, aged 42, Vizzio defeated Juan Torres to both defend his KICK title and win the PKC Lightweight Title.

Between 1995 and 2000, Vizzio defeated Hector Pena, Doug Whitaker, Woon Shin, Juney Hale and Devon Cormack. In 2002, Vizzio fought his final bout vs. Parsieshvilli Gotcia. At the time, Vizzio was approximately 50 years old and capped an unprecedented career of longevity with a final win.

Trainer and teacher

During his professional career, Vizzio's reputation as a world champion attracted high-profile students including Morgan Fairchild who trained with Vizzio for 11 months while she was in New York performing in soap operas. Vizzio trained Kevin Padilla, an Olympian, and Herbert Perez, an Olympic Gold Medallist, in kickboxing, applying his combat expertise to enhance their athletic prowess.

After his professional fighting career, Vizzio dedicated his life to teaching kung-fu and kickboxing. Vizzio began teaching even during his competitive peak and continued full-time after his final title defenses. He operates his school, Wai Mo Kwoon, in Fairfield, New Jersey, and also teaches in other centres.

Personal life

Vizzio resides with his wife and four children in New Jersey. His personal interests include golf, dancing, and enjoying the community. Vizzio's students include his four children: Veronica ("Peaches"), Vanessa ("Twinkie"), Valentina ("Kitti"), and Paul Jr. ("Twizz"). All four studied kung-fu and kickboxing extensively with Vizzio.