Mitchell Bobrow is a former martial arts fighter who was trained by Ki Whang Kim in the early 1960s. Bobrow was known for his continuous attacks using a unique combinations of kicks, punches and sweeps including his ''Trademark Jump Back Kick'' that scored on his opponents with either leg.

Early life

Mitchell Bobrow was born in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

. Born to Meyer Bobrow, who immigrated from Poland, and Sara Bobrow of

Baltimore, MD Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

. He was the second of three boys, brothers Nathan Mark and Jack Hal Bobrow. Mitchell began Karate/Taekwondo training at the age of 12 while attending Montgomery Hills Junior High School, Silver Springs, MD

Career

Bobrow was the first fighter to be nicknamed by ''Blackbelt'' magazine "Boy Wonder" in 1967. Bobrow started competing as a Black Belt at the young age of 15 with

Chuck Norris Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris (born March 10, 1940) is an American martial artist and actor. He is a black belt in Tang Soo Do, Brazilian jiu jitsu and judo. After serving in the United States Air Force, Norris won many martial arts champions ...

, Joe Lewis,

Ron Marchini Ron Marchini (born March 4, 1945 in Stockton, California) is an American karateka and actor who, according to many martial artists, is one of the top karate tournament fighters of all time. Martial arts Marchini is a member of the Black Belt Hal ...

, Toyotaro Miyazaki,

Benny Urquidez Benny Urquidez (born June 20, 1952) is an American kickboxer, martial arts choreographer and actor. Nicknamed "The Jet", Urquidez was a non-contact karate competitor who later pioneered full-contact fighting in the United States. He made the tra ...

, Jim Harrison, Louis Delgato, Joe Hayes, Thomas La Puppet Carroll and

Bill "Superfoot" Wallace William Louis Wallace (born December 1, 1945) is an American karateka and former professional kickboxer. He is known for his adept use of high-speed leg kicks, earning him the nickname "Superfoot." He was the Professional Karate Association (PK ...

during the blood and guts "golden era" of Martial Arts Combat in the US. Bobrow was a friend of Bruce Lee, who was often seen coaching when Bobrow competed on the sidelines. ''Blackbelt'' magazine yearbook rated Bobrow as a top ten fighter in the world throughout the 60s, and ''Karate Illustrated'' magazine placed him #1 in 1969 above Chuck Norris, Joe Lewis, and Bill Wallace. Bobrow was the youngest fighter ever to be ranked a Top Ten fighter by Blackbelt Magazine and still holds that honor. Bobrow was inducted into the inaugural Taekwondo Hall of Fame as Best Fighter of the 60s and was the event's chairman. In 2009 he was selected as a

Technical Advisor In film production, a technical advisor is someone who advises the director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a ...

for the Taekwondo Hall of Fame. He represented the United States Team in Tokyo at the First Karate World Championships, the

World Karate Federation The World Karate Federation (WKF) is the largest international governing body of sport karate with 198 member countries. It was formed in 1990, is the only karate organization recognised by the International Olympic Committee and has more than te ...

held at the Nippon Budokan. He was Grand Champion at 1969 All American Open Championship at Madison Square Garden, American Invitational Tournament of Champions, Marine Corps Grand Champion, International

Heavyweight Champion At boxing's beginning, the heavyweight division had no weight limit, and historically the weight class has gone with vague or no definition. During the 19th century many heavyweights were 170 pounds (12 st 2 lb, 77 kg) or less, thou ...

and Universal Open Champion. Bobrow was the founder of the first chartered karate club in the United States at Bethesda Chevy Chase High School in 1966 and graduated from

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress, GWU is the largest Higher educat ...

and Baron Brown Acting Studio. Bobrow opened E F Sly- Superstar Boutique in the trendy Georgetown quarter of Washington DC in 1972. Bobrow is the founder-owner of Otomix Sports & Martial Arts Gear, which was the official sponsor of the first

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

fighting championships in 1993. Bobrow produced the Black Belt Grand Slam of Karate with Arnold Schwarzenegger and PKA founder

Joe Corley Joe Corley is an American karate and kickboxing competitor, instructor, broadcaster and promoter who helped achieve the success of the Professional Karate Association and the early establishment of professional kickboxing in the United States. J ...

. Otomix is the first company to design and manufacture a sports-specific shoe for bodybuilders, weightlifters, and martial artists. Bobrow has appeared in films and television. In 2012, Bobrow founded the Ultimate Professional Golf Shootout, a professional golf event and tour in Las Vegas. Bobrow operates Otomix Sports Gear, is an Elected National Board Member of SAG-AFTRA 2021–25, and is a Real Estate Professional in Nevada.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Taekwondo Hall of Fame®Grand Master Mitchell Bobrow
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bobrow, Mitchell Living people 1950 births American male karateka American male taekwondo practitioners American tang soo do practitioners American jujutsuka