Grandmaster Sid Asuncion

     The late Sid Asuncion was born in Hawaii on September 25, 1926.
     He had been involved in the fighting arts for over 45 years. First as a boxer, then as a judo/jujitsu practitioner.
     Stating Kajukenbo training in the 1950's, he was one of the handful of instructors who came out of the Palama Settlement school. His instructors being Woodrow McCandless, and Joe Emperado.
     As young men Sid and Joe Emperado were very close friends. In fact it was Joe who influenced Sid to get involved in Kajukenbo, after he demonstrated his Kajukenbo techniques against Sid's boxing, judo and jujitsu techniques.
     After Sid accomplished his black belt ranking, he continued to pass on the intense training of Kajukenbo at his own club in the town of Waipahu. Here many of his talented and most recognized black belts developed. His first being Al Dela Cruz, then Al Dacascos, George Iverson, Dennis Sabala, and Sixto Ramos. Asuncion said he did not participate in tournaments at this time so he could totally devote himself to teaching.
     More would join the ranks with his first generation, and they too would in turn develop their own black belts. The generations of black belts that flow from his teachings thus far number into the hundreds, and many of them are passing on their knowledge in their own clubs to future Great Grand Children of the Asuncion clan. Professor Asuncion was ranked 9th degree in Kajuknbo, and 10th degree in his own Kenkabo organization.
     Till the day he died in 1994, Professor Asuncion was widely known as a awesome and inspirational instructor.

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