Dariusz Michalczewski - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Dariusz Michalczewski (born 5 May 1968, in Gdańsk

Gdansk

Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...

, Poland) is a retired Polish

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

- German

Germans

The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....

boxer and former Lineal

Lineal championship

In professional boxing, the lineal championship of a weight class is a notional world championship title. It is initially held at some moment in time by a boxer universally acclaimed as the best in the class. Another boxer can win the lineal championship only by defeating the reigning lineal...

, WBO, WBA

World Boxing Association

The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...

, & IBF

IBF

IBF may refer to:*International Boxing Federation is one of several boxing organisations* International Bandy Federation former name of Federation of International Bandy , an international governing body for bandy...

light heavyweight

Light heavyweight

In boxing, the light heavyweight is a weight division above 168 pounds [12 Stone or 76.204 kilograms] and up to 175 pounds [12.5 stone or 79.38 kilograms]), falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight...

champion and WBO cruiserweight champion.

Early career

Michalczewski came up through Poland's state-run sports program as a boy and had a successful amateur career. He achieved an amateur record of 133–15–2 (83 KO's). Highlights of his amateur career include:

1986 – European Junior Semi-Finalist in Middleweight division, defeating Fabrice Tiozzo
Fabrice Tiozzo
Fabrice Tiozzo is a retired professional boxer in the light heavyweight division. His record is 48-2 .Tiozzo was a two time light heavyweight champion as well as a one time cruiserweight champion....

but losing to Ray Close
1990 – German National Champion in Light Heavyweight division
1991
1991 European Amateur Boxing Championships
The Men's 1991 European Amateur Boxing Championships were held in Gothenburg, Sweden from May 7 to 12. The 29th edition of the bi-annual competition, in which 191 fighters from 26 countries participated this time, was organised by the European governing body for amateur boxing, EABA.- Medal winners...

– European Champion in Light Heavyweight division

Defection to Germany

On 24 April 1988, while competing in Germany for the Polish national team, Michalczewski defected from the team to stay in Germany. Becoming a citizen of Germany in 1991 and turning professional the same year, he was soon signed by Universum Box-Promotion, one of the leading boxing promoters in Europe. His aggressive style earned him the nickname "The Tiger."

Professional career

He won the German International light heavyweight

Light heavyweight

(175-pound) title early on 13 February 1993, a title for foreign born fighters based in Germany. He then won the IBF

International Boxing Federation

The International Boxing Federation or IBF is one of four major organizations recognized by IBHOF which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the WBA, WBC and WBO.- History :...

Intercontinental championship on 22 May 1993. Finally, on 10 September 1994, Michalczewski captured the WBO light heavyweight title with a 12-round decision over defending champion Leeonzer Barber

Leeonzer Barber

Leeonzer Barber was a professional boxer in the light heavyweight division.- Professional career :Barber turned pro in 1986 and won the Vacant WBO Light Heavyweight Title with a TKO win over Tom Collins in 1991...

.

Between then and March 2003, Michalczewski made 23 successful defenses of his WBO title and picked up three other belts along the way. Three months after beating Barber, he won the WBO cruiserweight title with a knockout of Nestor Giovannini. However, he soon gave up that title to continue campaigning as a light heavyweight.

On 13 June 1997, he defeated Virgil Hill over 12 rounds to add Hill's WBA

World Boxing Association

and IBF titles to his own. However, Michalczewski soon lost both alphabet titles. The WBA stripped him for displaying its belt along with that of the WBO, an organization it didn't recognize. The IBF did so a few weeks later, when Michalczewski was unable to defend his title against mandatory challenger William Guthrie

William Guthrie

William Douglas Guthrie is a professional boxer in the cruiserweight division.-Early life:...

within 30 days.

After beating Hill, Michalczewski knocked out 14 consecutive opponents, all in defense of his WBO titles. On 1998, he defeated Drake Thadzi

Drake Thadzi

Drake Thadzi is a 6'1 light heavyweight retired boxer from Malawi, who represented his native country at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California...

and in 2000 he went to defeat Graciano Rocchigiani

Graciano Rocchigiani

Graciano "Rocky" Rocchigiani , is a former German professional boxer who held world titles in the super middleweight and light heavyweight divisions.-Professional career:...

.

Darius would attempt for 6 years to secure a bout with his American counter-part, Roy Jones Jr, without success. After his titles were stripped from Darius, Jones would win all the vacant belts and declare himself "world champion".. Jones steadfastly refused all offers for a lucrative fight with Darius and even made an attempt to ban the mention of Michalczewski's name on his home network, HBO. Seth Abraham, president and CEO of HBO, refused Jones demand and in 2002 a fan poll showed that the fight fans most wanted to see was Darius Michalczewski vs Roy Jones Jr. Jones continued to refuse offers for the fight however. One of his motivations may have been the insistence the fight be held in Europe, where Jones feared he could only win by a knockout.

Michalczewski had a perfect record of 48 wins and no losses when he faced Julio César González

Julio Cesar Gonzalez

Julio César González Ibarra is a Mexican boxer and the former Lineal & WBO light heavyweight champion.Gonzalez was born in Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur, and still claims Mexico as his native country although he has lived in the United States for several years...

of Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

in defense of his title on 18 October 2003. Coming into the fight, he was within one victory of tying Rocky Marciano

Rocky Marciano

Rocky Marciano , born Rocco Francis Marchegiano, was an American boxer and the heavyweight champion of the world from September 23, 1952, to April 27, 1956. Marciano is the only champion to hold the heavyweight title and go undefeated throughout his career. Marciano defended his title six times...

's all-time record for an undefeated record by a world championship boxer. A win also would have put him just one victory short of Joe Louis

Joe Louis

Joseph Louis Barrow , better known as Joe Louis, was the world heavyweight boxing champion from 1937 to 1949. He is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweights of all time...

' all-time record for successful defenses at any weight class. However, the now 35-year-old Michalczewski was unable to pull it off. He lost a controversial split decision to the 27-year-old Gonzalez at the Color Line Arena

Color Line Arena

O2 World is a multi-purpose arena in Hamburg, Germany. It opened in 2002 and can hold up to 16,000 people. It is located adjacent to the football stadium Imtech Arena and the new Volksbank Arena in the Bahrenfeld district...

in Hamburg, and his career record dropped to 48–1.

Despite the loss, he still holds the record for the most consecutive successful title defenses at light heavyweight.

In October 2004, it was announced that Michalczewski would come out of retirement to fight France's Fabrice Tiozzo

Fabrice Tiozzo

Fabrice Tiozzo is a retired professional boxer in the light heavyweight division. His record is 48-2 .Tiozzo was a two time light heavyweight champion as well as a one time cruiserweight champion....

for the WBA light-heavyweight title on 26 February 2005, in Hamburg. He fought him but he lost, and then he declared the end of his career in May 2005.

Michalczewski was to come out of retirement to fight German boxing icon Sven Ottke

Sven Ottke

Sven Ottke, known as "The Phantom", is a German former professional boxer who was the IBF/WBA super middleweight champion...

in Germany in May 2008, but the bout never materialized.

In popular culture

Polish Energy drink "Tiger"
Tiger Energy Drink
Tiger is the name of non-alcoholic energy drink, produced by a Polish company Maspex.Tiger Energy Drink - carbonated energy drink .-Facts:...

is named after the famous boxer. His picture and text "Recommended by Dariusz 'Tiger' Michalczewski" appears on the cans and bottles.

Dariusz Michalczewski struck a friendship with performer Mark Wahlberg
Mark Wahlberg
Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg is an American actor, film and television producer, and former rapper. He was known as Marky Mark in his earlier years, and became famous for his 1991 debut as a musician with the band Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. He was named No. 1 on VH1's 40 Hottest Hotties of...

known at the time by his stage name Marky Mark
Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch
Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch was a hip-hop group led by Mark Wahlberg. The Funky Bunch consisted of Wahlberg , Scott Ross , Hector Barros , Terry Yancey and Anthony Thomas...

of the formation Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch
Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch
Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch was a hip-hop group led by Mark Wahlberg. The Funky Bunch consisted of Wahlberg , Scott Ross , Hector Barros , Terry Yancey and Anthony Thomas...

. In 1995, Marky Mark released a track called No Mercy about his friend Dariusz Michalczewski including excerpts in Polish language
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...

from Dariusz who also appears in the video clip shot by Frank Papenbroock
Frank Papenbroock
Frank Papenbroock , born 1963, is a German documentary filmmaker, film director and author. His documentary films cover a variety of topics in areas such as culture & arts, history, science, religion or reportage.- Career :...

. No Mercy appears in the album The Remix Album
The Remix Album (Prince Ital Joe album)
The Remix Album is the second and final album by rap/reggae duo, Prince Ital Joe and Marky Mark. The album was released in 1995 for Ultraphonic Records and was a remix album featuring remixed from the duo's previous album, Life in the Streets, as well as a Marky Mark solo track, "No Mercy"...

by Prince Ital Joe
Prince Ital Joe
Joe Paquette , better known as Prince Ital Joe, was a Dominican-American reggae musician best known for his collaborations with Marky Mark...

and Marky Mark, although this particular track is a solo effort by Marky Mark.

In 2006, a documentary was made by P.M.Starost . The 60-minute documentary entitled "Tiger" took part in Filmfest München and won the award for the Best Documentary at the Biberacher Filmfestspiele.

Professional boxing record

Fabrice Tiozzo
|TKO
|6, 2:05
|2005-02-26
|align=left|

Julio Cesar Gonzalez
|SD
|12
|2003-10-18
|align=left|

Derrick Harmon
|KO
|9
|2003-03-29
|align=left|

Richard Hall
|TKO
|10
|2002-09-14
|align=left|

Joey DeGrandis
|KO
|2
|2002-04-20
|align=left|

Richard Hall
|TKO
|11, 1:50
|2001-12-15
|align=left|

Alejandro Lakatos
|KO
|9, 1:35
|2001-05-05
|align=left|

Ka Dy King
|TKO
|7, 0:28
|2000-12-16
|align=left|

Graciano Rocchigiani
|TKO
|10, 3:00
|2000-04-15
|align=left|

Montell Griffin
|TKO
|4, 2:59
|1999-08-28
|align=left|

Muslim Biarslanov
|TKO
|7, 1:41
|1999-04-03
|align=left|

Drake Thadzi
|TKO
|9
|1998-12-12
|align=left|

Mark Prince
|KO
|8
|1998-09-19
|align=left|

Andrea Magi
|TKO
|4
|1998-03-20
|align=left|

Darren Zenner
|RTD
|6, 3:00
|1997-12-13
|align=left|

Nicky Piper
|TKO
|7, 3:00
|1997-10-04
|align=left|

Virgil Hill
|UD
|12
|1997-06-13
|align=left|

Christophe Girard
|TKO
|8, 2:35
|1996-12-13
|align=left|

Graciano Rocchigiani
|DQ
|7, 2:35
|1996-08-10
|align=left|

Christophe Girard
|UD
|12
|1996-06-08
|align=left|

Asluddin Umarov
|TKO
|5, 2:30
|1996-04-06
|align=left|

Philippe Michel
|UD
|12
|1995-10-07
|align=left|

Everardo Armenta Jr
|KO
|5, 2:59
|1995-08-19
|align=left|

Paul Carlo
|KO
|4, 2:46
|1995-05-20
|align=left|

Roberto Dominguez Perez
|KO
|2, 1:05
|1995-03-11
|align=left|

Nestor Hipolito Giovannini
|KO
|10, 1:25
|1994-12-17
|align=left|

Leeonzer Barber
|UD
|12
|1994-09-10
|align=left|

Melvin Wynn
|KO
|2, 3:05
|1994-05-28
|align=left|

David Davis
|KO
|7
|1994-04-23
|align=left|

David Vedder
|DQ
|1
|1994-02-19
|align=left|

Sergio Daniel Merani
|TD
|9
|1993-11-20
|align=left|

Mwehu Beya
|PTS
|12
|1993-09-11
|align=left|

Juan Alberto Barrero
|KO
|5
|1993-06-26
|align=left|

Noel Magee
|TKO
|8
|1993-05-22
|align=left|

Pat Alley
|KO
|4
|1993-04-03
|align=left|

Ali Saidi
|KO
|10
|1993-02-13
|align=left|

Willie McDonald
|KO
|3
|1993-01-12
|align=left|

Mike Peak
|PTS
|8
|1992-12-08
|align=left|

Keith Williams
|TKO
|2
|1992-11-17
|align=left|

Cecil Simms
|KO
|2
|1992-11-07
|align=left|

Steve McCarthy
|DQ
|3
|1992-09-29
|align=left|

Sylvester White
|TKO
|5
|1992-08-28
|align=left|

Richard Bustin
|KO
|4
|1992-06-27
|align=left|

Terrence Wright
|TKO
|2
|1992-05-22
|align=left|

Robert Johnson
|TKO
|2
|1992-04-04
|align=left|

Sean Mannion
|TKO
|3
|1992-02-21
|align=left|

Yves Monsieur
|TKO
|4
|1992-01-28
|align=left|

Berlin
|
|-align=center
|Win
|align=left|Zoltan Habda
|TKO
|2
|1992-01-10
|align=left|

Aachen
|
|-align=center
|Win
|align=left|Peter Cenki
|TKO
|2
|1991-10-15
|align=left|

Frederic Porter
|TKO
|2
|1991-09-16
|align=left|

Berlin
|

External links

Tiger – A Film By Pawel M Starost

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