Point fighting legends Richard Plowden and Ross Levine have officially been inducted into the Black Belt Magazine Hall of Fame as part of the 2022 class. Plowden gets the nod as the Instructor of the Year, while Levine enters this rarefied air as the Competitor of the Year.

Richard Plowden was an all-time great competitor himself. He brought his patented reverse punch to multiple legendary sport karate teams including the Budweiser Karate Team, the Atlantic World Karate Team, and Team Paul Mitchell. He received this long-overdue hall of fame invitation for his work as an instructor. Everyone knows that he is responsible for training his children Morgan and Avery Plowden into the superstar point fighters they are today. Over the years he has trained countless other fighters, led Team Impex to international prominence, and has been a leader in the sport as a commissioner for the World Karate Commission (WKC), as well as nearly two decades of service for Kids Kicking Cancer.

Ross Levine is always in the conversation as one of the greatest point fighters of this era. Turbo holds the all-time record for Warrior Cup titles with a staggering NINE championships from the event, including two cups from 2005 when he won both point fighting and weapons in his first tournament as an adult competitor. His competitive accolades also include three coveted diamond rings from the Diamond Nationals, two ISKA world championships, and three WKC world titles. He was selected as the Competitor of the Year for 2021 because of his successful transition from a prolific sport karate career to the full-contact area through Karate Combat, where he won his debut match in dominant fashion. The newly-minted Hall of Famer now has his sights set on claiming Karate Combat's middleweight championship, a feat that he would be the first American to achieve.

Check out the latest issue of Black Belt Magazine, available in stores now or at this link, to read the full feature article about the new hall of fame inductees.