kickbox Champ Anthony "Amp" Elmore fight for justice: The Contemporary Gladiator is confirmed the world's 1st independent 35mm theatrical Karate-Ka biopic, ask Court & UNESCO to preserve this crucial piece of global Black history obscured in Memphis
MEMPHIS, TN, November 18, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ -- It is noted that in 2025 that over 100 million people worldwide study Karate, a discipline globally revered as one of the world's oldest and most profound art forms. Until Anthony "Amp" Elmore an African/American living in in Memphis, Tennessee there had never been a biopic 35mm Theatrical film produced about a Karate-Ka until Elmore wrote, produced and directed his 1988 Film Release "The Contemporary Gladiator."
Click here to view a You Tube video titled: From Orange Mound to the World A DEI Celebration. This video is a 2025 tells the Anthony "Amp" Elmore story whereas the Federal Government has erased DEI or diversity equity and Inclusion Anthony "Amp" Elmore via his 1988 film "The Contemporary Gladiator" put it back.
*The Contemporary Gladiator*, created by Anthony "Amp" Elmore in 1988, stands as a landmark achievement in world film history—one that transcends local recognition and demands global acknowledgment. At a time when over 100 million people worldwide practice Karate, it is astonishing that the first biopic of a Karate-ka was written, produced, directed, and starred by an African American from Memphis. This film is not merely a cinematic work—it is a historical first.
Elmore's decision to produce the film independently on 35mm, the global standard for theatrical release since 1909, places *The Contemporary Gladiator* in the same lineage of world-defining innovations as the Wright brothers' first flight. Just as their 12-second airborne moment marked the birth of aviation, Elmore's film marks the birth of a martial arts biography in cinema. It is the first Kickboxing film made in world film history. Most importantly "The Contemporary Gladiator film is the first biopic of a Karate practitioner called a "Karate-Ka. Most important "The Contemporary Gladiator" is the first independent 35mm film in Memphis history. Linn Sitler the White Memphis Shelby County film commissioner used her function and authority to erase not only Anthony "Amp" Elmore's Film History Linn Sitler erased "World Black History" whereas Memphis Black leaders silence and acquiescence is a betrayal to Dr. Martin Luther King and Black America. Black History and World Black History is important.
The 1988 Anthony "Amp" Elmore film "The Contemporary Gladiator" is not only Memphis 1st Independent 35mm Theatrical Film, "The Contemporary Gladiator" is the 1st independent 35mm Theatrical film in Memphis film history and this Black History is not only un-acknowledged in Memphis it is outright erased via a racist act in Memphis.
Memphis records show that the production of the 1989 Film Release of the Memphis produced film "Mystery Train" did not start production of the film until August of 1988 and the film was not released until 1989. Whereas records proved the Black produced Anthony "Amp" Elmore film "The Contemporary Gladiator A Black film premiered in Memphis August 26, 1988 before production of the White Film "Mystery Train" started production.
In 2007 the Memphis Shelby County Film Commission and the Shelby County Historical Commission via an act of "White Supremacy" installed a "Historical Marker" at the corner of G.E. Patterson and main street in Memphis naming not only naming the White film "Mystery Train" Memphis 1st Independent 35mm Theatrical film, the film Mystery Train whereas the film was sponsored by the Japanese JVC Corporation that provided 2.5 million for the film production to promote two Japanese culture whereas the 1988 Memphis produced film "The Contemporary Gladiator is the erasure of Black Culture to honor Japanese culture.
"The claim that the 1989 film Mystery Train was an 'independent 35mm film' is a deliberate historical deception. The film was sponsored and financed by JVC Corporation, a global technology giant whose corporate scale was far greater than the entire annual revenue of many American film studios. This was not independent filmmaking; it was corporate cultural promotion, fully funded to the tune of $2.5 million to advance Japanese interests.
The Historical marker reads: On this South Main Street corner in 1988 the modern wave of Memphis movie making was born, in great measure through the efforts of the Memphis & Shelby County Film Commissioner Linn Sitler and Shelby County Government official Alonzo Woods. Until Mystery Train, Memphis had not hosted a nationally-distributed feature film since King Vidor's Hallelujah!, which had been based in the city in 1928 to shoot much of its principal photography here. An independent feature, Mystery Train later won producer/director Jim Jarmusch a major award at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival.
In regards to White Supremacy Memphis Shelby County Film Commissioner Linn Sitler chose a Black man by the name of "Alonzo Woods" who was only a Shelby County government employee gets his and Linn Sitler's name via a "Self-promotion."
The 1989 film release Mystery Train was not an "Independent Film" the film was a "Japanese Cultural Promotion" whereas White Film Commissioner Linn Sitler used her function and authority to erase Black Agency and promote Japanese Culture.
Please Click here to read snippet from the Memphis Commercial Appeal Newspaper dated Sunday March 6, 1988. The snippet notes Anthony "Amp" Elmore the Karate International Council of Kickboxing World Champion invite the public to be a part of filming the final scene of his movie "The Contemporary Gladiator."
The change of Black Memphis History is noted by the sign: The modern wave of Filmmaking in Memphis started in the African/American Community of "Orange Mound" in Memphis. The City of Memphis where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. died April 4, 1968 Black Memphis leaders betray the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King via being partners to the thief and erasure of Black Memphis history as with the erasure of the 1988 Black Film "The Contemporary Gladiator."
In regards to film making history; Anthony "Amp" Elmore never walked on a film set but remarkably produced a 35mm film. There did not exist a 35mm film camera in Memphis, there did not exist a film lab in Memphis to process 35mm film. There was no one in Memphis that had shot 35mm Film, nor did Memphis have a 35mm film editor, a Negative cutter or the means in Memphis to produce a 35mm film print. Anthony "Amp" Elmore originally hired an all Black crew from Chicago, rented film equipment, found a film lab and editors in Atlanta.
Anthony "Amp" Elmore in the middle of Kickboxing bouts in 1987 enrolled in then "Shelby State College" now called Southwest College, Elmore enrolled in a typing and English class whereas he converted his "Orange Mound Home" on Semmes street into a "Hollywood Film Set and a Film production Company." Anthony "Amp" Elmore started the film production with an all Black Film crew from Chicago whereas the film crew lived in Elmore's Orange Mound home.
The all Black crew worked union jobs and introduced Elmore into a culture he had never experienced. Every morning Elmore had to go to Seessel's now Kroger stores to get Bagels, Cream Cheese and Lox. Elmore had not idea what was a Lox that turned out to be the belly of a fish.
The film crew included a man called a "Gaffer" he was an electrician who went into the electrical box and connected to the raw power to feed large lights. The unknown and untold story of the Black film crew was learning to film Black people. In the past Hollywood had a practice whereas to film Black people "you had to make them shine." There is a small light called an inkie whereas when filming real dark Black people you had to put a light on their head so they do not disappear. What is unknown and untold about the 1988 Memphis produced film is the technical aspects whereas the Black film crew were Chicago union workers they were experts.
This communication is a historical document that is long, dated that deal with the history, culture of Memphis White Supremacy, Racism and Black on Black Racism. This document explains how Anthony "Amp" Elmore was able to pull off making a 35mm theatrical film. Because this document is so long and layered with so many topics this story not told chronically. Below the story goes from Filmmaker to Memphis historian.
Anthony "Amp" Elmore notes; the most difficult thing I ever did in my life was making a 35mm film. This is the equivalent of getting a doctorate degree. One can not get the knowledge of being a filmmaker in 1988 in a class room one would have to be on a filmset. In fact the University of Memphis then Memphis State sent Film students to Robert Raiford Hollywood Disco on Vance to work on the filmset. The Raiford Disco is now on second street Robert Raiford passed years ago and he is in the film.
On or about October 10, 2025 Anthony "Amp" Elmore notes Black Memphis Mayor Paul Young installed the White Supremacist Orange Mound sign at the corner of Airways and Park Avenue in Memphis. Anthony "Amp" Elmore has challenged the date of 1890 as the birth of Orange Mound as a planned strategy of Memphis White Supremacy, Racism and Black on Black Racism.
Elmore challenged the small historical marker whereas Black Memphis Mayor Paul Young installed a large marker noting the birth of Orange Mound as 1890. Black Memphis Mayor Paul Young and Black Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris use their office to ignore Black Memphis History and perpetuate White Supremacy and marginalize Black agency.
Anthony "Amp" Elmore explains; the persistence of the 1890 founding date and the "E.E. Meacham founded Orange Mound" narrative is a striking example of historical erasure. The "smoking gun"—the establishment of the Shelby County District 18 School at Spotswood and Boston in 1890—is undeniable proof that a thriving Black community was settled in the area (the former Melrose Station land) before the White real Estate developer E.E. Meacham's plan of a shotgun subdivision was only put on paper 1.8 miles away. The one fact that Memphis outright ignore; "The E.E. Meacham Orange Mound Community was never built and was only plans on paper" that never was a community.
In 1890 a White Real Estate Salesman by name of Elzey Eugene Meacham aware of the growing Black population of Orange Mound purchased 60 acres of land 1.8 miles away he registered as "Orange Mound" a name Blacks called their community.
Everyone in Memphis outright ignore the conclusive evidence of the established Black community of Orange Mound before E.E. Meacham in 1890. In 1890 the Shelby County Government established the 1st School for Black in Shelby County called "District 18" at the corner of "Spotswood and Boston" directly behind the Black MT Moriah Baptist Church. MT Moriah Baptist church purchased the land where the Church sits today at Carnes and Boston street in 1883.
In regards to "Black Memphis Leaders" many are gate keepers of White Supremacy, Racism and many practice "Black on Black Racism" whereas Black Memphis leader prioritize the legalistic date of Meacham's 1890 plat over this clear evidence of Black self-determination. There does not exist one shred of evidence that the E.E. Meacham Orange Mound community was built however Memphis Blacks and Whites tell the lie that Orange Mound started in 1890 via the White Real Estate Salesman E.E. Meacham.
Black Memphis Mayor Mayor Paul Young, Black Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris the majority-Black Shelby County Commission, the Black Majority Memphis City Council are silent for inadvertently perpetuating white-centric historical myths of E.E. Meacham founding Orange Mound. When asked for evidence regarding E.E. Meacham community there is silence.
In fact Black Memphis leader refuse to place a marker at the corner of Spottswood and Boston because the marker will show the historical district 18 Orange Mound Shelby County 1st Black school site in 1890 that emphatically proves that there existed the Black Community of Orange Mound before the White Real Estate Salesman E.E. Meacham who only "presented plans of his vision of the Orange Mound Community.
In regards to Black Memphis leaders and noting White Supremacy, Racism and Black on Black Racism there does not exist one shred of evidence of the planned E.E. Meacham 1890 "Orange Mound Community ever existed. To add insult to injury all one had to do is look at the 1890 E.E. Meacham plan and the facts will show that E.E. Meacham created the worst plan Blacks in American history, whereas the plans were mathematically impossible via American standards.
In spite of the fact that the White Real Estate Salesman created a plan to put 981 homes via lots of 25 x 100 was mathematically impossible Black leaders particularly Black anthropologist Dr. Charles Williams author of "African American Life and Culture in Orange Mound: Case Study of a Black Community in Memphis, Tennessee, 1890–1980" a landmark study documenting the history and social infrastructure of one of America's first planned Black communities."
Click here to an Anthony "Amp" Elmore video published August 24, 2025 titled: Anthony Elmore 21st Century Beyond Dr. Charles Williams Orange Mound Library Lecture Series Denial. Anthony "Amp" Elmore a 5-time world kickboxing champion, Memphis 1st Independent 35mm Theatrical Filmmaker, Historian and a 50 year residence was not allowed to speak at the "New Orange Mound Library in Memphis.
Anthony "Amp" Elmore notes that Dr. Charles Williams is practicing "Academic Malfeasance" whereas the E.E. Meacham Orange Mound Community never existed. Anthony "Amp" Elmore notes that Dr. Charles Williams in his 2013 book ""African American Life and Culture in Orange Mound: Case Study of a Black Community in Memphis, Tennessee, 1890–1980" a landmark study documenting the history and social infrastructure of one of America's first planned Black communities." is outright "Black Cultural appropriation." Dr. Williams in his 2013 book got his information from White Supremacist and "Sons of Confederate Historian" Barron Deaderick who falsely claimed in a 1949 article he wrote that stated the name Orange Mound came from a row of Osage Orange Tree plants on his Grandfather's plantation.
There are no images, records or any documentation logical reason to rely of the words of a "White Supremacist" and perpetuate such a myth other than "White Approval." Dr. Williams via promoting a white myth gains approval.
This is the real deal in Memphis. Black Memphis Mayor Paul Young while letting the flawed 1890 date of Orange Mound stand Black Memphis Mayor Paul Young is using his power as Memphis Mayor to purposefully diminish the powerful legacy of the true Black pioneers who named and built Orange Mound through their own initiative, churches, and labor, not a white developer's plan.
Black Memphis Mayor Paul Young purposefully ignore the fact that the White E.E. Meacham's plan to put 980 homes on 60 acres of land is mathematically impossible without evidence to name Orange Mound's birth as 1890. Anthony "Amp" Elmore via a lawsuit and seeking help for UNESCO and Black America to call out the Betrayal of both Black Memphis Mayor Paul Young and Black Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and Black Memphis elected officials.
Click here to view the October 12, 2025 Anthony "Amp" Elmore video titled: New Orange Mound Sign Racist: Truth Revealed by Anthony "Amp" Elmore Anthony "Amp" Elmore proves the false history of Orange Mound came from the White Supremacist historian the "Sons of Confederate Veterans Barron Deaderick. His grandfather John George Deaderick owned the "Deaderick Plantation."
After the Civil war in 1865 there was no more Deaderick Plantation whereas in 1871 sons William and Michael Deaderick platted a community called "Melrose Station" which was 200 acres. The plan was to be a suburban community for Whites.
In 1878 the Yellow Fever struck whereas 25,000 whites left Memphis in 3 days. The Black population was dominate Whites were sick with yellow fever. Black Memphis leader Robert R. Church purchased a police wagon and hired Black former Union Soldiers to protect property and people.
In 1879 Memphis loss its charter and became only a taxing district. Orange Mound was in the County whereas also in 1879 with Whites gone and Blacks in power two Black Churches were formed; Mt Moriah and MT Pisgah. In fact MT Moriah purchased the land where the church sits today at Carnes and Boston in 1883. All Black Memphis leader outright ignore the fact that MT. Moriah Baptist Church purchased the land where the Church sits today a Carnes and Boston street in Orange Mound.
In 1887 Blacks organized a town called "Mound Bayou Mississippi. Whites did not use the word Mound. Unknown and untold in America there were Native Black Americans tribes. The Black founders of Orange Mound (like those who founded Mound Bayou) were referencing an indigenous geographical feature known to them, rather than a tree planted by a white developer (the Osage Orange Tree myth). The name Orange Mound came from Blacks who named themselves however Black Memphis leaders give the credit to a white erasing Black Agency.
Black Agency: It supports the idea that the founders were fully aware of and connected to a long, complex, pre-colonial history that was separate from the narratives of the plantation system and white developers.
In 1879 the two Black Churches MT Moriah and MT Pisgah began and what would later become Orange Mound a name always used by Blacks.
The greatest misconception regarding the Black Memphis community of Orange Mound is the false claim that it originated from the John Deaderick plantation. In reality, there is a clear line of demarcation between the pre-Civil War and post-Civil War eras. After 1865, the plantation system in America no longer existed.
In 1871 William and Michael Deaderick platted 200 acres of land known as "Melrose Station." When the Yellow Fever epidemic struck in 1878, Memphis was devastated, and within three days 25,000 whites fled the city. Former plantation owners and white landholders were financially ruined, while Black families began to build a new life.
By 1879, Orange Mound was taking shape with the establishment of two Black churches, and Black residents purchased land directly from the former Melrose Station subdivision. It is therefore inaccurate and racist to connect Orange Mound to a plantation that did not exist at the time.
The myth that Mattie Deaderick told E.E. Meacham not to sell land to Blacks is implausible, let us explain why. In 1883 MT Moriah Baptist Church purchased the land where the Church sites today in 1883. This notes that members of the Church lived in the area and had homes built on the land before 1883.
Let us look at factors after the yellow fever epidemic, because of the economic devastation after the yellow fever epidemic many White were not in an economic position to refuse Black buyers. Orange Mound was not a hand-me-down plantation community but rather a dynamic post-Civil War achievement, built by Black families through landownership, churches, and resilience. To frame it otherwise erases Black agency and misrepresents Orange Mound's true legacy as a symbol of freedom, independence, and self-determination.
In order to remove "Black Agency" Orange Mound's history was re-written by both White and Black writers and historian to name the White real estate salesman E.E. Meacham as the founder of the African/American Community of Orange Mound whereas the date was changed to 1890 to erase Black History.
Black Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, Black Memphis Mayor Paul Young betrays the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. via naming the birth of Orange Mound as 1890 and not recognizing Black history.
Please click here to read the April 19, 2021 letter written by Anthony "Amp" Elmore to Black Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris. The letter is titled: "Discrimination Suit against Shelby County Government."
The letter is historic and outlines the Black on Black racism via the Shelby County Government via it upholding White Supremacy, racism and it practice of Black on Black racism. This letter is historic and documents Memphis Black leaders "Black on Black Racism." This letter asks UNESCO, Black America to honor Dr. King and fight Memphis Black on Black racism and the erasure of Black Memphis History.
This letter is an effort to get a breakthrough regarding honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. whose legacy is being betrayed by Memphis African/American leaders. August 15, 2026 marks the 96th birthday and the 70th anniversary of Kenya leader Tom Mboya. On August 15, 1956 on his 26th birthday Kenyan leader Tom Mboya arrived in America. Unknown and untold in America Tom Mboya is the African who made the greatest contribution and influence on American history and culture than any African in America's history.
Tom Mboya is the missing link to connect Africans and African/Americans. Unknown and untold it is because of Tom Mboya influence America elected two significant Presidents.
This is what is written on the John F. Kennedy Library website about Tom Mboya: "At a key point in the 1960 presidential campaign, a dynamic young leader from Kenya named Tom Mboya visited Senator John F. Kennedy. Mboya led a campaign of his own that would eventually bring hundreds of African students to America for higher education, including Barack Obama Sr., President Obama's father. Kennedy's decision to support the effort became an issue in the election and possibly a factor in his narrow victory."
It is because of Tom Mboya America elected Barack Obama as President a Black man as President of the United States. On August 15, 1956 on his 26th birthday Tom Mboya arrived in America whereas Americans had never seen an African who was handsome and articulate. Tom Mboya asked Blacks and liberal White colleges to give scholarships to African students.
Tom Mboya acquired so many scholarship they had to charter an Airplane to bring students to America. A 23 year old Kenyan by the name of Barack Obama Sr. arrived in Hawaii in 1959. Tom Mboya got so many scholarships another charter flight was needed. It was President John F. Kennedy Foundation that helped the African students via other fights called the Kennedy airlifts.
John F. Kennedy used the image of he and Mboya helping African students and promoting his image with Mboya helped to change the Black vote that got President John F. Kennedy elected in 1960.
Mboya would later get Thurgood Marshall to write Kenya's constitution. It was Dr. Martin Luther King who brought Tom Mboya to Atlanta for an "African Freedom dinner."
John F. Kennedy 1st, Dr. Martin Luther King 2nd Robert Kennedy 3rd and Tom Mboya 4th, all would be get assassinated.
Anthony "Amp" Elmore in 1st traveled to Kenya in 1990 to premier his movie "The Contemporary Gladiator. Elmore connected with the "Spirit of Tom Mboya." In 2016 Anthony "Amp" Elmore via the support of Memphis Congressman Steve Cohen and that of Tennessee State Senator the late Reginald Tate Anthony "Amp" Elmore honored Tom Mboya's 60th at his home in Orange Mound in Memphis.
Click here to see video titled: Tom Mboya 60th Celebration hosted in Memphis, TN by Amp Elmore
Saturday August 15, 2026 marks the Tom Mboya 70th. The proposed Anthony "Amp" Elmore celebration of the Tom Mboya 70th Anniversary on Saturday, August 15, 2026. The event in Orange Mound in Memphis is not merely a commemoration but a historic act of cultural and political reclamation designed to formally cement the connection between the African continent and the African American Civil Rights Movement.
Please note Black Memphis Mayor Paul Young use his power as Memphis Mayor to uphold the White Supremacist fraud naming the birth of Orange Mound as 1890 would not be happy about honoring Black History and correct Orange Mound History. Black Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris is term limited whereas he would use his office to marginalize anything that support Africa as he did in 2019 regarding the African dignitaries coming to Memphis.
Tom Mboya, the Kenyan anti-colonial leader and architect of the 1959–1960 student airlifts, stands as the undeniable historical bridge connecting these two worlds: his efforts brought hundreds of promising African students, including Barack Obama Sr., to the United States for higher education, a move that fundamentally influenced American politics when Senator John F. Kennedy financially supported the effort, securing crucial Black voter support in the 1960 election.
By hosting the 70th anniversary in Orange Mound—America's first neighborhood built by former enslaved African Americans directly link Mboya's fight against colonialism with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s domestic struggle for civil rights, whose SCLC actively supported Mboya's airlifts.
This location transforms the celebration from a historical footnote into a living monument that anchors the global Pan-African movement to the very soil of the American South. The Melrose Stadium event will be an unprecedented cultural exchange that honors this shared heritage, positions Orange Mound as the "Birthplace of African Cultural Diplomacy," and visibly reinforces the historical truth that without Tom Mboya's vision, the emergence of the first Black American President, Barack Obama, may not have been possible, thus uniting Africa and America through a powerful, undeniable legacy of dignity, education, and political triumph.
In regards to this document we are back to a chronicling. The Anthony "Amp" Elmore "firsts" are not just personal milestones—they are cultural and historical breakthroughs that reshape how we understand Black achievement, martial arts, independent filmmaking and African Cultural Diplomacy.
In regards to Black Memphis history the April 19, 2021 Anthony "Amp" Elmore letter to Black Memphis Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris who hated Africa and who refused to allow Anthony "Amp" Elmore movie 200 Years of Black Memphis history to be a part of Memphis bicentennial celebration; and addition in regards to Black Memphis Mayor Paul Young there is a practice and culture to marginalize Black Memphis history and uphold White Supremacy. These Black Mayors are not friendly towards Black agency or those who promote Black Memphis History.
Please click here not to be ignored Anthony "Amp" Elmore posted an international news release on August 6, 2024 titled: Memphis World Kickbox Champ & filmmaker Elmore Ask Memphis Mayor Paul Young to Give Black History & Culture a Chance.
Anthony "Amp" Elmore pleas with Black Memphis Mayor Paul Young to help Black Memphis. Black Memphis Mayor Paul Young does not support Black Empowerment. Read the story for yourself whereas Black Memphis Mayor Paul Young ignored the call out via a national news release.
To ignore the Anthony "Amp" Elmore legacy as has been done in Memphis is to overlook a chapter of world history authored by one of its own. *The Contemporary Gladiator* is not just Memphis history—it is world history. The Memphis erasure is a culture, practice of Memphis White Supremacy, Racism and Black on Black Racism.
This story is more than a news release, instead this story is also a part of the education to correct the Asian myths. In addition, this story teach Black Memphis History and World Black History via a website titled BlackMemphishitory.com.
Anthony "Amp" Elmore is one of the few Americans who has the authority to speak about "Asian Culture." In 1970 Elmore began his training in Zen Buddhism via a Karate style called "Old Japanese Shotokan Karate." It was called "Old Japanese Shotokan because it its association to Zen Buddhism.
Anthony "Amp" Elmore notes that the Bruce Lee Superman stories is one of the greatest Myths in American history. The Bruce Lee movie "Enter the Dragon" came out in 1973. The Karate Kid came out in 1984. In America subgenres of Bruceploitation and Blaxploitation films emerged in America. Elmore explains; as hard as it would have been to accept Bruce Lee would not have been the super man in real fights in fact Bruce Lee beat in a point karate match.
Hollywood created via martial art films perhaps the greatest fallacy of Asian culture and history in American history.
The Anthony "Amp" Elmore 1988 film "The Contemporary Gladiator" is a detailed historical narrative that contrasts the myths of Hollywood martial arts movies. The Contemporary Gladiator the 1988 Anthony "Amp" Elmore film is the first biopic of a Karate-ka in world film history.
In the world of martial arts cinema, Hollywood has long been the architect of myth. On February 22, 1972 ABC Premiered the story of an Asia Superman titled "Kung Fu." Kung Fu was an American action-adventure martial arts Western drama television series starring David Carradine. was not a martial instead he was a dancer.
The series follows the adventures of Kwai Chang Caine, a Shaolin monk who travels through the American Old West, armed only with his spiritual training and his skill in martial arts, as he seeks Danny Caine, his half-brother.
While the world learned about Kung Fu from an ABC series: Click here to see the Anthony "Amp" Elmore video titled: A Black man started Kung Fu Black Buddhist Lecture: by "Amp" Elmore
What is unknown and untold is that the Shaolin Temple in China and the Zen Temple in Japan are one and the same practice. Anthony "Amp" Elmore started practicing Old Japanese Shotokan Karate which was Zen Buddhism and Karate. What is untold that it was Bodhidharma A Black man from Southern India started Zen Buddhism or the Shaolin Buddhist temples.
The introduction of karate in America was introduced via movies through stylized choreography, exaggerated feats, and fictionalized heroes, it created what Anthony "Amp" Elmore calls the "Asian Superman" myth—a cultural distortion that elevated fantasy over reality. From breaking boards with bare hands to the notion that Black Belts must register their fists as deadly weapons, these myths shaped American perceptions of Asian martial arts and created a hierarchy of honor that often excluded the truth.
The Black Belt, once a symbol of discipline and mastery, became a manufactured credential akin to a purchased doctorate or honorary title. In this system, respect was given not for lived experience or real combat, but for rank, ritual, and cinematic flair.
Bruce Lee, one of the few martial artists to challenge these myths, famously mocked the idea of breaking boards, saying, "Boards don't hit back." In regards to Bruce Lee the most noted Karate-Ka in world film history did not get a biopic made about him until 20 years after his death on May 7, 1993 whereas the film titled "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story premiered.
Five years before the Bruce Lee Biopic Black Memphis 5-Time World Kickboxing Champion Anthony "Amp" Elmore created the 1st Karate-ka biopic. This achievement by Anthony "Amp" Elmore is a "Heritage Asset" created via the 1988 Film "The Contemporary Gladiator."
What is a Heritage Asset.: A heritage asset is something which has value because of its contribution to a nation's society, knowledge, or culture. Anthony "Amp" Elmore Memphis produced film "The Contemporary Gladiator" is a "Heritage Asset because it is not only Memphis 1st Independent 35mm Theatrical film, The Contemporary Gladiator is the "1st Biopic of a Karate-ka in World Film history."
The film precedes the Brue Lee Biopic by 5 years. While the Bruce Lee Biopic premiered in 1993; on June 9, 1993 the Tina Turner Biopic "What's Love Got To Do With It "premiered. While the Tina Turner movie is noted as the 1st movie whereas a person adopted the Nichiren Buddhist Faith Chanting "Nam Myoho Renge Kyo" it was the Anthony "Amp" Elmore 1988 Film "The Contemporary Gladiator that is the 1st documented biopic of a Nichiren Buddhist Chanting and changing their live via Nichiren Buddhism and Chanting "Nam Myoho Renge Kyo."
Click here to see the November 2, 2025 video titled: Anthony Amp Elmore Black Movie Contemporary Gladiator 1st Biopic of a Buddhist in World Film History
Elmore's film, released in 1988, is not only the first biopic of a Karate-ka in world history, but also the first Buddhist biopic ever made. It is a real story about a real man—a five-time world kickboxing champion from Memphis, Tennessee—who dared to tell the truth in a world addicted to illusion. "Anthony "Amp" Elmore is the father of Black Buddhism. Black Buddhism is a Buddhist teaching inclusive of Buddhism's Black history and culture.
**Unlike Hollywood's martial arts fantasies, *The Contemporary Gladiator* is rooted in lived truth and cultural authenticity.** It is not merely a film—it is a historical document. Written, directed, produced, and scored by Anthony "Amp" Elmore.
The film chronicles his rise from the heart of Black Memphis—Orange Mound—to international kickboxing fame. It captures his spiritual transformation through Nichiren Buddhism, his struggles with love and betrayal, and his unwavering commitment to integrity over fame.
Elmore composed original music for the film, including the *first Black Buddhist songs ever recorded*, embedding his philosophy into the very soul of the cinematic experience.
Yet in Memphis, Tennessee, where this groundbreaking film was born, *truth has been buried beneath a culture of erasure*. In 2025, it remains irrelevant to Memphis institutions whether a Black man poured his heart into a film or made world film history. What matters to the Memphis Shelby County Film and Television Commission, under the long-standing leadership of Linn Sitler, is conformity to a system that rewards silence and punishes Black agency.
Elmore, Memphis's **first independent 35mm theatrical filmmaker**, dared to tell his own story, outside the bounds of white institutional control—and for that, his legacy has been systematically erased in Memphis.
Click here to see, the evidence is stark. On **November 22, 1987**, the *Los Angeles Times* listed *The Contemporary Gladiator* among films going into production, affirming its place in cinematic history.
In 2007, the Memphis Shelby County Film Commission and the Shelby County Historical Commission installed a marker at G.E. Patterson and Main Street declaring the White Filmmaker Jim Jarmusch's *Mystery Train*—a 1989 film—as Memphis's first independent 35mm production. This is not a mistake. It is a deliberate rewriting of history whereas no Black Memphis leaders will correct Elmore's world history.
Linn Sitler, who has held her position for decades, reflects a broader pattern of **white authority in Memphis that operates like a plantation system**—where facts are flexible, and Black contributions are disposable. In this system, even Black leaders have been complicit, offering silent consent to the erasure of Elmore's legacy. This is not just Memphis white supremacy—it is also **Black-on-Black racism**, where Black gatekeepers uphold the very structures that marginalize their own community.
Click here to see the video titled: Ms. Ann White Woman Shaped Memphis Culture History and Art Learn about Linn Sitler one of the most powerful White women in Memphis who shaped Memphis Culture, history and Art.
Despite being a five-time world kickboxing champion, a pioneering filmmaker, and a cultural ambassador, Elmore's contributions thanks to the powerful Linn Sitler who excluded Anthony "Amp" Elmore from Memphis's official film history.
Anthony "Amp" Elmore's 1988 film was dubbed in German and retitled "Kickbox Gladiator" was distributed internationally and Know in Asia as "Contemporary Gladiator and remains the **first kickboxing film in world cinema history**—yet it is invisible in Memphis's own archives.
This is not an oversight. It is a cultural betrayal. Memphis Shelby County Film Commissioner Linn Sitler used her function and authority to erase Elmore's film history she has the power to erase Black Memphis History and create her own Black heroes.' Whereas Linn Sitler arranged for Black Shelby County employee Alonzo Woods to get his name honored the Memphis film biopic at G.E Patterson and Main Street in Memphis. Please Click here to video of the story.
One can visit the Memphis Shelby County Film Commission office note that Anthony "Amp" Elmore's 1988 film does not exist because Linn Sitler choose not to acknowledge the Black film "The Contemporary" whereas Linn Sitler used her Whiteness, function and authority to name the 1989 film "Mystery Train" as Memphis first Independent 35mm Theatrical film. Linn Sitler erased Elmore's film because Elmore film came before the White film. Mystery train is a 1989 film produced by a White man by the name of Jim Jarmusch.
Memphis African/American leaders claim to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. while simultaneously erasing the legacy of a Black filmmaker who embodies King's call for dignity, truth, and justice. As Dr. King warned, *"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."* The silence around *The Contemporary Gladiator* is not just a local injustice—it is a global distortion of history.
Elmore tells of his historic educational screening of his film "The Contemporary Gladiator" at Paramount pictures in 1988 who had asked to see the film. Anthony "Amp" Elmore and his Co-executive producer Memphis attorney Charles Carpenter traveled to Los Angles California in May of 1988 via an attempt to sell the movie to Paramount. They arrived a Paramount pictures and were stopped at the gate and was instructed to leave the Print, but they were not allowed to come into Paramount Pictures.
Elmore notes; Paramount was not about to let us two Black men in their studio. They were told by a Black Employee at Paramount that the executive watched 5 minutes of the movie and walked out.
Elmore note having a film background would have had a sure film sale had he taken his movie to a film festival where film buyers are looking and screen films to purchase for distribution. Elmore learned a Hollywood rule and that was to put your best in the first five minutes. Elmore wrestled with the fact that he could have made a dynamite fantasy instead decided to hold on into his integrity, but Elmore came to realize that B.S. sells.
Elmore screened the film in 1988 with New Line Cinema. New Line Cinema was not as large as it is today, whereas the executives watched the entire film with Elmore and Carpenter. They were told they loved the movie, however they would only consider the move for distribution if they were allowed to scrap the entire movie and original cast and hire a younger actor, new writers and embellished the story to fit Hollywood's mold. They wanted to make Anthony "Amp" Elmore a Superhero and a Black movie that would sell.
Elmore refused. He chose integrity over profit, loyalty over legend and what it means to be a broke filmmaker. Anthony "Amp" Elmore learned one quality that he learned from his friend Attorney Charles E. Carpenter: "A student asked a law professor what's the best law school to attend and the professor said (One you can graduate from.) Many people set out on dreams but never complete their goals.
Many would ask Elmore "What Kind of movie he was making and Elmore said; one that I can finish. Elmore noted: "A finish movie is the best movie." People laughed, criticized and some told Elmore that he made the worst movie in the world. A film critic wrote they laughed all the way through the movie. Anthony "Amp" Elmore notes "Some of the stuff in our movie funny as hell" and I wanted people to laugh. My friend the Kingfish in the movie was a real character.
Anthony "Amp" Elmore spoke with a man by the name of James Campbell who was at a lost in life that he was never awarded a "Black Belt." Elmore told James that he was part of the 1st Kickboxing film in world Film History and the scene he played was a true story. James Campbell is 62 years old today in 2025 however when he shot the scene 37 years ago he was 25 years old. Having such a history is greater than a Black belt.
He knew that the people who helped make the film—none of whom were paid—deserved to have their work honored, not erased. He didn't understand the full weight of that decision at the time, but it would become the defining moment of his artistic legacy.
Xeon Films who later acquired the rights and retitled the film Iron Thunder. Anthony "Amp" Elmore received one of those "God Father Deals." It noted to the Xeon films that Elmore owed the film company that held the rights to the film's negatives about $60,000 dollars. Xeon told Elmore he could be a part of the film or they would purchase the negatives and own the film via default and a sale of the negatives.
Anthony "Amp" Elmore had mortgaged his residence and his rental home. He was in about $40,000 in credit card debt and broke. Xeon offered to pay the film lab and give $15,000. A broke and indebt Elmore had no choice.
Xeon Films flew Elmore to California for the Video shoot. Elmore asked who were the Pretty Women and was told they were there for his film shoot the Black Girl was a noted "Soul Train Dancer" and Asia woman would give the film an oriental flair. Elmore notes people will look at the cover of the film box and think those women was in the film.
Xeon put twice as much money into the film than Elmore and Carpenter invested in producing the film. Elmore was in the company with Black Filmmaker Rudy Ray Moore. Concurrently Elmore and Rudy Ray Moore had signed deals with Xeon Films.
In 2019 Eddie Murphy played Rudy Ray Moore in the film titled "Dolemite is My Name." Rudy Ray more made Karate/Kung-/Fu films.
Elmore asked Xeon why did they cut out all the Black scenes and removed the girlfriend character. Elmore was told, "The movie was too Black." The girlfriend was removed because she had dumped him—violating Hollywood's rule that the hero must always get the girl. Xeon changed the pace and made "Iron Thunder" only a Black Karate movie.
Anthony "Amp" Elmore's story wasn't about fantasy—it was about truth. Real people get dumped. Real champions are scared. Real heroes are flawed. And that's what makes *The Contemporary Gladiator* not only the most accurate martial arts film in world history the Contemporary Gladiator is the most accurate story of a Black man who actually adopts "Asian Culture in America."
During the video craze in America the Anthony "Amp" Elmore movie Iron Thunder was in every Blockbuster video store in America. Elmore friend Shaka who was a truck driver would see his movie at stores across America selling cheap.
Compare this to Jean-Claude Van Damme's *Bloodspot* (1988) and *Kickboxer* (1989). *Bloodspot* was marketed as a true story based on Frank Dux's unverifiable claims. It launched Van Damme's career but was built on myth.
*Kickboxer*, which co-starred Dennis Alexio—a real world kickboxing champion—was a fictional revenge tale that introduced Muay Thai to global audiences. In one scene, Van Damme breaks a bamboo tree with his feet—a feat that has no basis in real kickboxing or Muay Thai. Van Damme was marketed as "The Muscles from Brussels," but his films were cinematic illusions, not reflections of real martial arts culture.
Elmore, by contrast, fought Dennis Alexio in real life and lost. He later learned that Alexio may have been using drugs during the fight—a claim Elmore cannot prove, but one that gains weight considering Alexio is now serving prison time for illegal activities.
Van Damme battled a serious drug addiction. Could either of them produce a biopic with integrity? Could they tell a story that honors the truth, the struggle, and the humanity behind the fighter? Elmore did.
*The Contemporary Gladiator* is not just a film—it's a living document and Black World history. In 1990 the film premiered in Nairobi, Kenya whereas the film made World Black History. President Barack Obama did not visit Kenya until 1988, at just 27 years old, "Barry," as he was known, arrived in Nairobi for the first time. He was on a journey of self-discovery to learn more about his heritage and his father, who was Kenyan.
Obama wrote in his memoir, "Dreams From My Father." A gate agent informed him that the airline had misplaced his bags. And his half-sister, Auma, and Aunt Zeituni picked him up in a beat-up, baby-blue Volkswagen Beetle with a missing muffler.
In contrast Anthony "Amp" Elmore's 1990 Kenya trip to Premier his 1988 Film "The Contemporary Gladiator was that of a "Cultural Diplomat." In 1990, when *The Contemporary Gladiator* premiered in Nairobi, Kenya, it marked a historic moment not only for African cinema but for African cultural diplomacy.
Unknown and untold in America, this premiere—arranged via Elmore's Kenyan Tom Mwangi who arranged the film to be premiered through the Kenya Film Commission.
In 1989 history was made in Memphis via it Annual Memphis in May Celebration whereas Memphis honored Kenya as its 1st African Country to be honored.. A Memphis Kenyan by the name of Jarret Okoth introduced Elmore to a Kenyan by the name of Tom Mwangi who worked in the film Industry in Kenya. Mwangi had a dream of making Kenya a hub and site for filmmaking in Africa.
Mwangi took his life savings purchased a one way ticket to Memphis. Mwangi purchased artifacts to sell in America to get back to Kenya and to get a Flight to I think to Colorado to a film convention. A Kenyan pastor told him to be careful of thieves and send the artifacts to him. The Kenyan pastor arranged for Mwangi a residence at the Christian brothers College dorm.
After some time the dorm asked him who would pay the bill. Mwangi knew no one in America, no goods, no pastor stuck in America whereas he asked Anthony "Amp" Elmore for help. Like in the movies Mwangi had eased his bag out of the window and escaped no money no goods and shelter with Anthony "Amp" Elmore a broke and indebted filmmaker. The Kenyan pastor was a crook who got Mwangi to ship goods to Memphis absconded away with Mwangi goods.
Thomas Mwangi had an above intelligence he was listed in Kenya Movies as Tom Mwangi African native and assistant director in the 1984 Film "Sheena Queen of the Jungle." Mwangi worked in the 1985 "Out of Africa" starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford. He danced with the Bomas of Kenya Cultural dancers early in his career.
Mwangi was a top artist in Kenya arts and culture. He lived with Elmore from May until almost December where he had to work and get money to get back to Kenya. Mwangi taught African dance at the "Blues City Cultural Center." He worked some tough labor jobs building gardens for a few White people.
Elmore a Nichiren Buddhist introduced Mwangi to Buddhism. What shocked everyone was Mwangi could speak Japanese whereas he had danced in Japan and learned the language. Mwangi returned to Kenya and promised to get Elmore's film played in Kenya whereas he knew everyone in the Kenya Film industry.
Elmore notes a movie Print cost was 1500.00 whereas Elmore had to get a Print to send to Kenya via DHL after a few short months Anthony "Amp" Elmore's move "The Contemporary Gladiator" premiered in Kenya in about July of 1990.
The premier of "The Contemporary Gladiator" movie in Kenya marked the birth of Anthony "Amp" Elmore and "African Cultural Diplomacy." The premier of the film in Kenya was more than a film screening; it was a symbolic bridge between African American achievement and African cultural pride. The actual bringing a film to Africa in 1990 was historic.
In Africa there were countries that never produced a 35mm Theatrical film. When shooting film there has to be a film lab to process the 35mm film. Such was a complex and expensive process lighting, sound and shooting a feature.
Anthony "Amp" Elmore, as the writer, producer, director, and star of the film, brought with him the distinction of being a five-time world kickboxing champion. His presence and the nature of the film itself—an autobiographical account of a Black martial artist's journey—automatically elevated him to the status of an African Cultural Ambassador by default. The film was not a big hit in Kenya, however, the publicity in Kenya was monumental. Elmore thanks to the publicly was known and respected as "The Kickboxer." In 1992 Elmore met Kenya President the late Daniel Arap Moi.
Anthony "Amp" had a title in Kenya that was not a title conferred by bureaucracy, but one earned through impact. Elmore's film was the first independent Black film to premiere in Africa, and it carried with it the spirit of Pan-African unity, self-determination, and artistic excellence.
In a time when few African Americans were recognized internationally for cultural diplomacy, Elmore's premiere in Kenya stood as a living testament to the power of independent Black storytelling. It was a moment where Memphis met Nairobi, where martial arts met African pride, and where cinema became a vehicle for global recognition.
Movies playing in Kenya were arranged by the Kenyan Film Commission a Government entity. Ghana, not Kenya, was the hub for African American repatriation in the 1960s–1980s. Figures like W.E.B. Du Bois, Maya Angelou, and Julian Bond were drawn to Ghana's Pan-African embrace.
Kenya lacked a cultural infrastructure to receive African Americans. There were no repatriation programs, cultural centers, or diplomatic initiatives aimed at African American engagement. Elmore notes in 2025 there does not exist African/American tours in Kenya. Elmore can only describe Kenya as a dream and a heaven of being treated so nice.
There is media silence in Kenya. Even if African/American individuals visited, their journeys weren't documented in press, academic, or diplomatic records. Kenya's media and archives from that era rarely mention African American visitors.
This story is critical not just to Memphis and Anthony "Amp" Elmore this story is critical to Kenya. The premier of the 1988 movie "The Contemporary Gladiator" in Kenya in 1990 makes Anthony "Amp" Elmore not only Kenya's 1st African/America Cultural Diplomat the film The Contemporary Gladiator is the 1st Black film in American history a part of African Cultural Diplomacy. Anthony "Amp" Elmore explains me and Kenya have a history together and a story that binds African Americans and Africans together.
Click here to read the Memphis Sunday August 26, 1990 Commercial Appeal Full page story of Anthony "Amp" Elmore return from Kenya. The story is titled: "Kickboxer seeks respect in his Hometown."
In Kenya, Anthony "Amp" Elmore was affectionately known as *The Kickboxer*—a title that carried not just athletic prestige, but deep cultural resonance. When Elmore arrived in Kenya in 1990, he brought more than a film; he brought a world championship, a cinematic story of triumph, and the spirit of a brother returning home. His presence was not that of a foreign celebrity, but of a long-lost family member who Kenyans embraced with open arms.
The premiere of *The Contemporary Gladiator* at Nairobi Cinema and in Mombasa was more than a screening—it was a homecoming substantiated by the film itself. The movie, which chronicled Elmore's journey from Memphis to global kickboxing champion, mirrored the emotional arc of his return to Africa. It validated his identity not just as a fighter, but as a cultural ambassador whose story belonged to the African continent as much as it did to America.
In that moment, Elmore's legacy transcended sport and cinema—it became a symbol of Pan-African unity, Black excellence, and historical reclamation. His reception in Kenya was a testament to the power of storytelling, and to the enduring truth that when one of our own returns home, history embraces him.
Anthony "Amp" Elmore discovered a phenomenon in Kenya that does not exist in America. In Kenya Anthony "Amp" Elmore not considered " Just Black" but "American." Kenya and Kenyans pay the highest respect to Americans. In 1990 Most Kenyans had never met " A Black American" and it was an honor to meet a family from America.
In 2024 Anthony "Amp" Elmore was invited to Kenya as an Ambassador for the "Festac 2024 cultural celebration along with his then 24 year old son Anthony "Amp" Elmore Jr. who experienced a respect and love in Kenya that's not found in America.
Anthony "Amp" Elmore notes that there exist an unknown and untold tribal context between West Africans some who were made slaves there is an inherent unwritten ethnic conflict. There exist some ethnic conflicts between some Kenyans that is not experienced by an American.
The 1988 film "The Contemporary Gladiator" connects Memphis to Kenya, where the movie
screened in 1990. It links Memphis to Germany, where it was dubbed and distributed. It bridges Memphis to Asia through Buddhist philosophy.
The Contemporary Gladiator is the first film biopic to depict an American practicing Buddhist—five years before Tina Turner's *What's Love Got to Do with It* introduced chanting to mainstream audiences. Elmore's film is the first to show a Black man chanting "Nam Myoho Renge Kyo" on screen, making it the first Buddhist biopic in world history.
Anthony "Amp" Elmore's journey is far more than a personal triumph—it is a monumental chapter in African and African American history, bridging Memphis, Tennessee and Kenya through cultural diplomacy, cinematic innovation, and Pan-African unity. In 1990, Elmore premiered his groundbreaking 1988 film *The Contemporary Gladiator* in Kenya, marking the first time an African American independently produced film debuted in an African country.
This wasn't just a movie screening—it was a historic moment that made Elmore Kenya's first African American Cultural Diplomat. *The Contemporary Gladiator* is the first kickboxing film in world cinema history, the first biopic of a Karate-Ka, and the first Black film to serve as a tool of cultural diplomacy. Elmore's film a year later brought a delegation of African Americans to Kenya, creating a living bridge between Black America and Africa rooted in pride, artistry, and shared struggle.
In 1992, Elmore met with the late President Daniel Arap Moi, who named him an African Ambassador—a role Elmore has upheld for over three decades. The heart breaking part after meeting the Kenya President in 1992, Memphis elected its 1st African/American Mayor Dr. W.W. Herenton. Elmore realized a dream of honoring Dr. Martin Luther King and arranging a trade deal between Memphis and Kenya whereas Black Memphis Mayor Dr. W.W. Herenton hated Africa as so many Blacks Americans. Our schools and culture taught and teach Black Americans to hate Africa.
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLdcnFAdIKE]Click here to view the video titled: Black Memphis Mayor Herenton would not support Memphis & Africa. Learn documented evidence how Black Memphis Mayor Dr. W.W. Herenton wanted no association between Memphis and Africa. In 2019 Black Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris wanted no association between Memphis and Africa./url]
Anthony "Amp" Elmore's diplomatic ties with Kenya have remained strong and visionary: in 2024, Elmore was invited back as an ambassador by Kisumu Governor Anyang' Nyong'o and Elmore recently honored the late Kenyan former prime minister Raila Odinga.
Elmore also paid tribute to Tom Mboya, a Pan-African icon, and visited Mama Sarah Obama, affirming his deep familial and cultural connection to Kenya. He introduced kickboxing to Kenya, not just as a sport but as a symbol of empowerment and unity.
Through his film, music, and activism, Elmore became the first to bring African Americans to Kenya in a cultural context that celebrated Black identity and African heritage.
The Contemporary Gladiator* is more than entertainment—it is a living artifact of Black pride, a cinematic monument that tells the story of a man who loved Africa and used his art to connect continents. It deserves recognition not only in African film history but as a foundational work of cultural diplomacy. It Memphis there is a planned strategy to erase Anthony "Amp" Elmore's history and contributions.
Elmore's legacy is a testament to what happens when storytelling, martial arts, and spiritual philosophy converge to reclaim history, honor ancestors, and build global unity. His work should be archived, studied, and celebrated as a blueprint for Afrocentric diplomacy and cultural restoration where as in Memphis Elmore's work is marginalized.
Click here to see Anthony "Amp" Elmore in a Memphis 1994 television commercial advertising anyone to join him traveling to Kenya for a "Cultural Safari." This video captures Anthony "Amp" Elmore at the time of this story 31 years ago in 1994. Anthony "Amp" Elmore has decades of work bringing Africans and African/Americans together.
In 2025, Memphis institutions have erased this achievement. The Memphis Shelby County Film Commission, led by Linn Sitler, has failed to acknowledge *The Contemporary Gladiator* as the city's first 35mm independent theatrical film. The Shelby County Historical Commission has ignored its significance. Local festivals and archives omit Elmore's name. This erasure is not just neglect—it is institutional racism. It is a betrayal of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy. It is a denial of Black Memphis history and cultural diplomacy.
Elmore's fight continues. He is preparing a master dossier for UNESCO, organizing over 160 press releases, and building digital monuments to preserve his legacy. He is hosting the Tom Mboya 70th in Orange Mound in 2026, using it as a platform to promote justice, unity, and global recognition. His story is not over—it is evolving.
In a world obsessed with fantasy, *The Contemporary Gladiator* stands as a beacon of truth. It shows that real heroes cry. Real heroes lose. Real heroes get dumped. But they keep fighting. They tell their story. They honor their community. And they refuse to be erased.
Anthony "Amp" Elmore is not just a filmmaker. He is a movement. He is a truth-teller. He is the real Contemporary Gladiator. The search engines are now recognizing the work of Anthony "Amp" Elmore while the city of ignores the work of Anthony "Amp" Elmore the 1st to chronicle Black Memphis history and the 1st to build a "Black Memphis History Digital Library."
Elmore is fighting nothing less than institutional White Supremacy, Racism, and devastating Black on Black Racism to preserve an undeniable piece of global cinematic and Black World history. The core of his fight is the truth that his 1988 film, The Contemporary Gladiator, stands as the first biopic of a Karate-Ka in world film history, a triumph that chronologically predates every film dedicated to martial arts legends like Bruce Lee.
This achievement—a groundbreaking piece of independent 35mm theatrical filmmaking by an African American Buddhist—has been systematically obscured by Memphis institutions, revealing a profound and calculated injustice where the city actively chooses to bury its most pioneering cultural legacies rather than celebrate them.
The historical record confirms this pivotal achievement: while the cinematic world reveres martial arts masters and the legendary figures like Bruce Lee, the first feature film biopic detailing Lee's life did not premiere until 1993. Five years prior, in 1988, Anthony "Amp" Elmore—a Buddhist practitioner and native Memphian—wrote, produced, directed, starred in, and scored the independent 35mm theatrical feature The Contemporary Gladiator, documenting his journey to become the Kickboxing Champion of the World.
This comprehensive authorship is a landmark in its own right, granting him an undisputed cinematic "first" that cannot be claimed by any other figure in the history of a Karate film. This makes Anthony "Amp" Elmore not just the pioneer of the martial arts biopic, but also establishes The Contemporary Gladiator as the first biopic of a Buddhist in World film History. This adds a rich layer of spiritual and cultural significance to an achievement Memphis authorities have attempted to erase.
In America, African Americans have been granted cultural space in sports like football, baseball, basketball, and track—arenas where white America has accepted Black excellence. But when it comes to filmmaking in Memphis or even Karate that space has been denied, obscured, and erased.
A simple online search for "Memphis Karate History" reveals a glaring omission: the absence of one of the most significant stories not just in Memphis, but in world film history. That story belongs to Anthony "Amp" Elmore, who in 1988 wrote, produced, directed, starred in, and helped score *The Contemporary Gladiator*—the first biopic of a Karate-ka in world cinema.
While Karate in America traces back to figures like James Coburn, who wore a gi in the 1966 film *Our Man Flint*, and Bruce Lee, who trained Coburn and starred in *The Green Hornet* the same year, it was Elmore who made history by telling his own story on film. The Karate craze exploded in 1973 with *Five Fingers of Death* and Bruce Lee's iconic *Enter the Dragon*, but no martial artist—not Lee, not Chuck Norris, not Jim Kelly—had created a cinematic biopic of their own life before Elmore.
In 1988, while Jean-Claude Van Damme starred in *Bloodspot* and later in *Kickboxer* (1989), it was Elmore's *The Contemporary Gladiator* that premiered first, making it the true origin of Kickboxing cinema. More than a martial arts film, *The Contemporary Gladiator* is a semi-autobiographical narrative rooted in real Memphis history. Shot in Memphis in 1987 and 1988, the film chronicles Elmore's journey from a 17-year-old student of Old Japanese Shotokan Karate in 1970 to a five-time world champion.
Yet Memphis Karate history fails to mention Elmore's contribution, ignoring the fact that while Kang Rhee Korean who brought Karate to Memphis may be considered the father of Memphis Karate, it was Elmore who brought Karate to the national and international stage—especially to Black America. Known as "The Muhammad Ali of Karate/Kickboxing." Elmore introduced the entertainment aspect of Karate, making it accessible, exciting, and culturally relevant.
When Kickboxing first emerged, it was called PKA Full Contact Karate. Elmore became the sport's first Super Heavyweight Champion through a grandfather clause, as the PKA created a new division beyond heavyweight and created the new "Superheavyweight division. Anthony "Amp" Elmore He electrified the sport, setting records for the most kicks thrown in a Kickboxing bout.
Anthony "Amp" Elmore's impact extended far beyond the ring. He became the first Kickboxer in American history to receive sponsorship from a major American corporation—Coors Beer. That is a powerful summary of the historic and cultural significance a **Coors Beer sponsorship.**
The Coors endorsement elevated Anthony "Amp" Elmore beyond a simple athletic deal, placing it squarely within the context of **Civil Rights history, Black achievement, and American advertising.**
The historical importance of the Coors relationship with Anthony "Amp" Elmore's impact extended far beyond the ring and into the economic and cultural sphere of American history. He became the **first Kickboxer in American history to receive sponsorship from a major American corporation—Coors Beer**—a historic achievement that elevated the sport from an esoteric niche into the American mainstream.
Anthony "Amp" Elmore notes history speaks louder that words.
Our Journey and Mission
Orange Mound, established as the first community in America built for Blacks by Blacks, has a rich history often overshadowed by negative stereotypes. Mainstream media and societal biases have painted Orange Mound as a "ghetto," contributing to a 30% decline in property values while surrounding communities have prospered. The Orange Mound News Network was created to counter this narrative and highlight the true spirit and resilience of our community.
Anthony Amp Elmore, a five-time world karate kickboxing champion, filmmaker, and community activist, has been a beacon of change in Orange Mound. With over five decades of community service, Elmore has dedicated his life to uplifting Orange Mound. From becoming a homeowner at 19, establishing businesses, to founding the Proud Black Buddhist World Association, Elmore's contributions have been immense.
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