During the late 1980ies American kickboxing fell into a hole with many of the first generation champions retiring or seeking their fortune with fighting overseas – aside from the ailing PKA – Professional Karate Association – that was falling apart and which was being replaced my many smaller organisations such as PKC and ISKA apart from the competition of WKA and KICK.

Denver based promoter and former forms competitor Karyn Turner managed to find new sponsorship with Coors Beers for one of the most sensational American fighters of that time: Dennis Alexio also nicknamed ‘Terminator’. His big mouth and his ability to perform and to put his kicks and punches where his mouth was made him famous for a long time to come. His most famous quotes: “Fighting is my business and business is good” and “I kicked his butt and he quit” after knocking Branko Ciatic to the ground in their epic Atlantic City clash.
Aside from his fighting career he played a leading role in the 1989 Jean-Claude van Damme movie “Kickboxer”. He was managed by people like Harold Diamond and Bob Wall before he decided to move to Hawaii from California and become his own manager and promoter.