Alvin Prouder was the real thing until two bullets pierced his brain and shattered his life forever.

“I didn’t care about me being shot; I was more worried about my cousin.”
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INSIDE KUNG-FU: You were top-rated in boxing, kickboxing and point fighting. What was your favorite?
ALVIN PROUDER: I liked boxing more, because that was a great challenge to it. I’d been doing kickboxing since I was 16 so for me it came pretty easy.

IKF: Why was it so hard for successful kickboxers to cross over into the sport of professional boxing?
AP: Probably because you had to change things, especially the stance. You had to shorten everything up with boxing, but karate point sparring and full contact were all about being wide, about attacking and getting out before you got hit.

IKF: How long have you had your school?
AP: Three years. It used to belong to Ray Wizard.

IKF: What’s the best thing about teaching?
AP: When one of your students goes to a tournament and wins or a student tells you that someone tried to attack him and the techniques you taught him worked in the real world.

IKF: You were among the legendary tournament fighters. What made you so tough to beat?
AP: To me, if I won there was nothing like it. I felt incredible. If I lost, it meant that I had to return to the studio and train even harder. And in the end, that wasn’t so bad because I loved to work out. That’s how I relaxed. I felt free.

IKF: How much do you train now?
AP: Five days a week, maybe two-to-three hours a day.

IKF: What do you think was your best fight?
AP: My best fight by far was against Bob “Thunder” Thurman. Because I lost and even though I wasn’t in shape it was still my best fight. That was the only fight that ever really tested me. Up until that time, I only trained a few weeks before the fight.

IKF: What was the most you ever made for a fight?
AP: $5,000 for my bout in Texas with Billy Jackson.

IKF: You are among the last of the great full-contact fighters. What happened to the sport?
AP: I think the promoters dried up and stopped giving the fighters real money. The main reason I turned to boxing was that I could no longer make a living as a full-contact fighter.

IKF: What was your secret to ring success?
AP: I worked a lot on perfecting distance. I could hit you but you could not hit me.

IKF: What do you remember about being shot?
AP: I was supposed to be training that day but instead I was tired so I went home to sleep. I had a fight later that week. Someone called and told me my cousin had been in a fight. I went over where he was to pick him up and take him home. By the time I got there they were shooting. I was outside when I got shot, twice in the head.

IKF: Doctors first wondered if you’d survive. Then they said you’d be a quadriplegic. And finally they said you’d be a paraplegic. Finally, they insisted you’d never regain use of the left side of your body. But you proved them wrong.
AP: You can imagine it was not easy, but I never gave up hope. Plus, I had a lot of family and friends around me who made sure I was always positive.

IKF: They say you were very lucky.
AP: Yes, the two bullets entered my head and broke apart. Kind of like a rock skipping across the water. They took out as much as they could.

IKF: Are you bitter about what happened? Did you ever ask, “Why me?”
AP: I have never been bitter about what happened. I didn’t care about me being shot; I was more worried about my 19-year-old cousin.

IKF: But because of being shot, no athletic commission in the world would give you a license.
AP: I didn’t think it was fair. I felt I could fight as good as ever. But no one was willing to give me a chance.

IKF: Who were your martial arts heroes growing up?
AP: Howard Jackson, Muhammad Ali, Chuck Norris, Bill “Superfoot” Wallace. I always wanted to kick like Bill Wallace.

IKF: What was your strategy going into the ring?
AP: It didn’t matter what my opponent had or what he wanted to do, because I had enough confidence in myself to overcome anything the other guy brought to the table.

IKF: When kids come into your gym do they know who you are?
AP: Not at first. The pictures on the wall are from so long ago they don’t recognize anyone. It’s almost as though I am from another era.

IKF: What did Bernie Krasnoo teach you about martial arts that you use today?
AP: From day one, “Pops” became more than just a teacher; he was a father figure more than anything. He kept me on the straight and narrow on more than one occasion. You knew he cared about you as a person more than you as a martial artist. I try to instill some of the same virtues into my students. I teach them about respect; I teach them that it doesn’t matter if you win or lose as long as you fight back.