Date of birth: January 3, 1990
Age: 20
Place of birth: Somers Point, New Jersey, USA
Residence: Egg Harbor Twp., New Jersey, USA
Marital status: Single
Ethnic origin: Italian
Style: Shotokan
School: Juan Kan Karate & Kickboxing
Instructor: Juan Perez
Year started in martial arts: 1996
Year received black belt: 1999
Team: Team International 2009-10
Sport karate coach: Malinda Ota & Steve Cooper
Favorite technique: Step-spinning back kick
First national win: 2004 TNT Nationals
Sport karate titles:
2009 - Adult breaking world champion
2008 - 15-17 Korean Forms World Champion
2008 - 15-17 Traditional Weapons World Champion
2008 - Junior Breaking World Champion
2007 - Junior Breaking World Champion
2007 - 15-17 Japanese Forms World Champion
2005 - Junior Breaking World Champion
2004 - Junior Breaking World Champion
Toughest form/weapons oppenent: Justin Lanteigne
Other martial arts accomplishments:
2001-03 - US TKD Union Junior Olympic Team Member
2001-03 - NJ State US TKD Union Forms Champion
Sport karate career highlight: Winning his 5th breaking title (2009), breaking his own record of 4 titles
Martial arts goal #1: To be remembered as the best breaker in NBL history
Martial arts goal #2: To win ten breaking world titles
Martial arts goal #3: To own and operate a martial arts studio
Non-martial arts goal: To become a successful Sports Agent
Favorite tournament: Kumite Classic
Favorite Super Grands: 2008 in Sacramento where he won 3 titles and set a new breaking record
Favorite sport karate players:
Past forms: Keith Weston & Pete Daypuck
Present forms: Scott Wu & Kenny Lim
Past fighting: Raymond Daniels
Present fighting: Ali Viola & Jamal Albini
Most admired people: His parents, Mike & Daphne Spizzuco
Favorite food: Sushi
Favorite movie: The Godfather
Favorite actor: Al Pacino
Favorite magazine: Sport Karate Magazine
Favorite book: Slash
Favorite music: Rock
Favorite musicians: Guns and Roses & Kiss
Favorite hobby: Martial arts & playing guitar
Favorite sports: Martial arts & football
Address: 102 Treetop Lane, Egg Harbor Twp., NJ 08234
Email: michael.spizzuco@student.shu.edu

“Breakers are a bit crazy. After all who would punch concrete, just for fun?". This from the lips of five time world champion breaker, Mike Spizzuco. " A bit ?"... I couldn't concur more. I admit, I do enjoy watching the craziness, but when it comes to performing, I'd just as soon keep my body parts intact, thank you. But the adrenaline rush of breaking seems to hide any inflicted pain, at least during the competition, so I’m told. But now tell me, other than for the great spectator appeal who would want to break three baseball bats with their forearm? Only a die-hard breaker like Spizzuco. And he did just that in his first year in adult breaking at the Super Grands this year. It's kind of like tightrope walking over Niagara Falls – Everyone wants to watch the feat, but there arent many that will sacrifice themselves that way.

Thirteen perfected breaks no misses, Spizzuco makes history in NBL this year; a total of five world titles, three consecutively and the only one to successfully go from junior to adult world champion.

But the consequences were high as his successful breaking win also produced a broken hand making the rest of his competition a bit difficult. But modest Mike confided to this writer that actually Daphne (mom) did this to him before he competed and that the breaking injury idea was just a cover up. I think this rumor will fly well for all those that know his mom. And for those that don't just listen for the loudest female fan in the audience the next time you watch Mike compete. Every young aspiring competition needs a "karate parent" and Mike has two; "Mike Sr. and Daphne. But all kidding aside, he's been fortunate to have parents that have supported him faithfully and enabled him to travel the circuit and for that he is eternally greatful. The Spizzuco's are actually a generous couple and are big fans of the NBL and its many followers.

Getting back to the injury she inflicted on her son (Just kidding Daphne... we love you). Despite a broken hand that was put into a removable cast, Spizzuco endured the pain, not wanting to miss the opportunity in his first adult year to compete in the Japanese and Korean forms divisions. But he did have to give up his beloved traditional weapons seed since his hand wasn’t capable of weapons manipulation at that point. Despite the broken hand he placed third in Japanese forms with only Kenny Lim and Scott Wu surpassing him. As a junior world champion in each of those traditional divisions in the past, I don’t doubt but what he will win world titles in a couple of them as an aspiring adult as well. Spizzuco has the look and all the right talent for traditional competition. He is passionate about his martial arts and competition and has no intention of giving up or giving in.

His karate career started at age six when bullied in kindergarten, so his parents decided to enroll him in karate lessons. As Spizzuco tells his karate kid story, that ended the bullying as later he put the bully in a headlock and dragged him to the principal’s office. Years later in 2004, as a young blackbelt he switched schools to train with NBL champion Rommel Gargoles. This was Spizzuco’s first introduction to NBL competition which he and his family immediately took a liking to. There he found a home with NBL breaking. By 2006 his parents had struck a relationship with famed NBL coordinator, Allen Torres and when Torres formed Team RCU that year, Spizzuco was asked to be a member. It was through Torres’ introduction that Spizzuco met his present instructor, Juan Perez, who has furthered his traditional training. This helped Spizzuco towards world title wins in both junior Japanese forms and traditional weapons. With the eventual demise of RCU, Spizzuco found a new home with Team International in 2009 as the team coach and sponsor, Steve Cooper, took a liking to Spizzuco as a fellow breaking enthusiast.

I quizzed Spizzuco if he had any aspiring plans for competition in new events and he said not as of now. I thought traditional self defense might be right in line for him but he related that with college and his moving around he wouldn’t have a steady training partner. I thought his father, a blackbelt in judo, would be perfect, but his dad already told him he couldn’t jeopardize missing work if he were injured. We then had a great laugh visioning his mom as his uke. “Nice... real nice”. How about it Daph? No, maybe not.

Completing his first year in college he is pursuing a sports management major and a minor in legal studies. His eventual goal is one of sports management or a legal career hopefully living in the climate of Los Angeles or Miami. As a student at Seaton Hall University, he’s a regular on the Dean’s list and was one of a select few to be chosen for their leadership team primarily because of his karate competition accomplishments.

Though engrosed in studies, he has no plans of relinquishing his adult breaking title and hopes to further the notches in his belt with other adult traditional wins. Whatever he does in the future, it will just be icing on the cake as his present records in breaking will be hard to beat by anyone soon.