The world of disciplined combat lost one of its most influential and respected figures on Friday, August 19th when American Kenpo Karate Academies (AKKA) founder and president, Bill Packer, lost his ongoing battle with cancer. He was 59 years of age.

Approximately a year ago, Packer, who held a 10th degree Black Belt, was successfully treated for a form of esophagus cancer. After one of his lungs suddenly collapsed a month ago, however, Packer underwent tests, which revealed that the cancer had returned and spread to other parts of his body. The growth of the disease caused a rapid deterioration of his health.

“He was a man of integrity, honesty, and respect, and his spirit will be missed by the entire martial arts world,” said K-1 North America CEO Scott Coker, who also credited Packer as being one of his mentors and a strong support system early in Coker’s career as a promoter. “Bill was always there for me when I got started in this business. He always encouraged me to keep my head up and helped me pull through during the tough times.”

Packer is recognized as one of the most progressive thinkers in the fighting arts, one who pushed the envelope of martial arts mastery and the understanding of body mechanics by integrating Chinese and Japanese philosophies about movement into his teachings.

After establishing AKKA in the late 1960s, Packer spearheaded the formation of Bad Company, a squad of elite AKKA students, to represent his approach to combat in the squared circle. Under his leadership, team members, including the likes of Fernando Calleros, John Macayo, Arlene Sanchez, and Mike Winklejohn, went on to capture a collective 20 world championships, 9 North American titles, and 10 United States titles.

“He believed in applying traditional martial arts methodology to the development of his kickboxers and insisted that they abide by traditional arts ethics as well,” stated K-1 North America Rules Director and International Sport Karate Association (ISKA) President, Cory Schafer. “He was a class act that required class from those he led.”

The son of a military man, Packer became turned on to western boxing and Judo before following in his father’s footsteps by enlisting in the army during the Vietnam War. After serving his country, he returned to Tucson, Arizona, where he had spent a portion of his childhood, and began to train rigorously in the martial arts at TRACO International Schools For Self-Defense.

The experience Packer gained as one of the original students of renowned Master Thomas Connor and, later, as an instructor and administrator at TRACO, provided him with the know-how to spearhead the launch of the first AKKA facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico. AKKA has since flourished and spread to 30 locations between The United States and Mexico.

Packer was buried in a family plot in Tucson. He is survived by his wife, Marisela Packer; a son, Jared William Dean Packer; a brother, Mort Packer; and his father, Buford Dean Head.