The 1997 K-1 World Grand Prix event was held in Tokyo, Japan, and it was the fifth installment of the tournament.
Sam Greco, Ernesto Hoost, Francisco Filho, Masaaki, Peter Aerts, Andy Hug, Mike Bernardo, and Jerome Le Banner all managed to qualify for the quarter-finals.
Nearly 54 000 fans were packed inside the “Tokyo Dome” in Japan’s capital city. The final battle for all the marbles was one for the ages – The Dutch Ernesto Hoost made it to his first ever final, while in the opposite corner was the Swiss Andy Hug who was defending champion from the year before.
It was their third pro fight so far with both men having one win apiece.
Both legends are in attack mode right from the get-go, turning their penultimate fight in an all-time classic.
