Ex-NFL Player a Hit in the Ring in Japan

ByABC News
August 25, 2003, 1:46 PM

Sept. 4 -- I have seen more than a few foreign gaijin film, rock and sports stars pass through Japan over the past 25 years. But I've never seen anyone quite like Bob Sapp.

Every time he steps outside he risks being mobbed by squealing fans of all ages. People want to pose for pictures with him, shake his hands, or squeeze the formidable biceps on his 6-foot-4-inch, 375-pound frame.

Let me tell you, this guy is HUGE in Japan. And he just may be one of the biggest comeback stories in sporting history.

Sapp was a lineman for the University of Washington Huskies in the 1990s. Drafted by the Chicago Bears in 1997, he looked set for a formidable pro career. But he didn't make the cut.

Picked up by the Minnesota Vikings, he managed a few seconds of game time, but, mostly sat on the bench. "They called that position 'butt-back,' " Sapp recalls. "As soon as I ran onto the field, the coach would shout, 'Sapp, get your butt back on the bench!' "

Next, he found himself temporarily suspended by the NFL for using a nutrition drink that contained banned steroids. He recovered from that setback, only to see his pro career ended for good by crippling tendinitis. Then came a failed wrestling career, the loss of all his money to a financial scam artist, and severe depression.

But Sapp's life took a dramatic turn last year, when a Japanese promoter who had seen him wrestle in the United States hired him to fight in Japanese K-1 fighting league.

A violent mixture of boxing, martial arts, street brawling, and glitzy showmanship, K-1 is wildly popular. It's the fastest-growing sport in Japan today. And, almost immediately, Sapp became its No. 1 attraction.

Victories for The Beast

Under his new ring name, "The Beast," Sapp immediately racked up a string of victories against the world's biggest and baddest brutes. But what turned him into a sensation here was his gentle side.

He has appeared on hundreds of television talks shows, demonstrating a knack for self-deprecating, slapstick humor. Growling like "The Beast" one minute, cooing over pictures of his pet cat the next. Picking up a TV host over his head to show his strength, then allowing skinny kids to beat him up. "Itai," he'll shout in a squeaky voice, "It hurts, it hurts." The crowds love it.