Luan Krasniqi
Encyclopedia
Luan Krasniqi (born on 10 May 1971) is a professional German boxer
of Kosovo Albanian descent.
On April, 2006, he was ranked #2 by the WBO, coming before other heavyweight contenders such as Lamon Brewster
, Shannon Briggs
, and Ruslan Chagaev
.
On May 2006, he was ranked #1 by the WBO.
in Germany
. Krasniqi stated "my childhood was good, but when I learned that we would be rejoining my father who had moved to Rottweil in 1970 I was overjoyed. I had dreamt about a move to the city and now it was coming true!".
Krasniqi graduated his A-Level and an education as a wholesaler in Germany.
Spotting talent and kinship within each other, hard work developed Krasniqi into a solid, well schooled heavyweight. Once Krasniqi had been granted German citizenship, he entered the Multi-Nations Tournament in Liverpool
, England
and won the gold medal. He consolidated the success with a gold medal later that year at the German Championships, Berlin.
1995 saw him storming the 1995 World Amateur Boxing Championships
, by taking the silver medal beating Sinan Samil Sam
and Wladimir Klitschko
– losing only to one of the best amateur boxers of all times, the Cuban great Félix Savón
.
Krasniqi ended the year on a roll, taking the Heavyweight Gold in the International Chemie Cup Tournament, Halle
.
1996 he added the European Championships with a win over Christophe Mendy
.
in Atlanta he beat future amateur and professional champion
Ruslan Chagaev
and reached a semi-final bout with Félix Savón.
Krasniqi, cut under the eye in his last bout, was forced to withdraw upon doctors advice. This left him unable to fight for an Olympic Gold Medal. He returned home with the Bronze medal, Germany's first heavyweight medal since 1976
. "I felt that I could have beaten him. He had out-pointed me the previous year but I had grown stronger and developed further since then. I am sure that the fight would have been close but I think that this time, I would have celebrated." However, Krasniqi had many memories to savour from Atlanta - one of which was a meeting with his idol, Muhammad Ali
. "Muhammad Ali was and still is an idol. Nobody can ever achieve what he achieved. Such a thing is a once in a lifetime phenomenon."
"To shine so long and so brightly, to define eras in history with the sheer force of his ability and personality and to be so well remembered is unique. Meeting him was an honour I shall never forget." Krasniqi took his first steps to his own fame as he decided to become famous and to get in at Panix Promotions, where Lennox Lewis
has his contract.
1996 Olympic Results Boxed as a Heavyweight (– 91 kg)
During Lewis' training for the fights against Shannon Briggs
, Željko Mavrović
and Evander Holyfield
he was one of his sparring partners. Luan overcame with success the first hurdles of his career as a "newcomer" in professional boxing. He boxed extremely successfully for Panix Promotion 15 times and in 2000 after Lennox Lewis had terminated his contract, Luan decided to look for a new alternative. In February and April 2000 he built his connections with Universum Box-Promotion and fought a number of matches for them. In January 2001 he signed a three years long contract with Universum Box-Promotion.
The highlight of his career was the fight against Rene Monse
, when he became European Champion. He was the first German European Champion after 29 years.
, his fight was pushed to the main event. Mainly due to this lack of preparation, although leading by points, Krasniqi apparently feared a loss and elected to quit.
After this defeat Krasniqi struggled to get back to the top of the European rankings. Finally on the 14/02/04 he won against the "Bull from Bosphorus" Sinan Samil Sam
and became European Champion once again.
and became a mandatory challenger for the WBO crown. He lost against Lamon Brewster
. Brewster managed to efficiently attack Krasniqi's body. This resulted in Krasniqi fatiguing in the latter rounds and finally being forced into a punch-exchange and getting knocked down in round 9.
It was a disappointing loss to a lot of German and Albanian fans, since the resurrection of a new German heavyweight champion was highly anticipated to occur on Max Schmeling
's 100th birthday.
Luan's next fight took place on the 29 April 2006 in Stuttgart
, Germany
where he won against David Bostice
.
Luan Krasniqi was scheduled to fight against Top 10 contender, Tony Thompson
, in September 2006, but no contract was made. Krasniqi has stated that the money offered by his promoter Klaus-Peter Kohl was insufficient.
On 17 March 2007, Krasniqi fought Brian Minto
for the title of WBO Intercontinental Champion. Despite having a height disadvantage of 4 inches (10 cm), Minto was able to hold his own against Krasniqi. However, in the 12th round Krasniqi was able to knock Minto down and win the match. It was later stated that it was Krasniqi's tactic to tire his adversary. This won Luan Krasniqi the title of Intercontinental Champion and has given him the possibility of a fight against Shannon Briggs
.
Kransiqi lost to Tony Thompson
, putting a serious dent in his hopes at a future title shot. On Nov 11, 2008, he lost by a third-round knockout to unbeaten Alexander Dimitrenko
.
Besides being a professional boxer, Luan Krasniqi is an interpreter and a wholesaler.
Luan Krasniqi's two boxing idols' are Muhammad Ali
and Lennox Lewis
.
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Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
of Kosovo Albanian descent.
On April, 2006, he was ranked #2 by the WBO, coming before other heavyweight contenders such as Lamon Brewster
Lamon Brewster
"Relentless" Lamon Tajuan Brewster is a retired American professional heavyweight boxer, and former WBO heavyweight champion. He won the silver medal as an amateur at the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata....
, Shannon Briggs
Shannon Briggs
Shannon "The Cannon" Briggs is an American heavyweight boxer and actor. He is the former Lineal and WBO heavyweight champion.-Early life:...
, and Ruslan Chagaev
Ruslan Chagaev
Ruslan Chagaev born October 19, 1978 in Andijan, Uzbek SSR, Soviet Union) is an Uzbekistani former WBA heavyweight boxing champion of Tatar ethnicity...
.
On May 2006, he was ranked #1 by the WBO.
Background
Krasniqi is the youngest of eight children, born to Kosovo Albanian parents. He has often said that he had a happy and active childhood, growing up in Junik, a small village in western Kosovo, where in 1987 he finished his primary and secondary school, before his family moved to RottweilRottweil
Rottweil is a town in the south west of Germany and is the oldest town in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg.Located between the Black Forest and the Swabian Alb hills, Rottweil has about 25,000 inhabitants...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Krasniqi stated "my childhood was good, but when I learned that we would be rejoining my father who had moved to Rottweil in 1970 I was overjoyed. I had dreamt about a move to the city and now it was coming true!".
Krasniqi graduated his A-Level and an education as a wholesaler in Germany.
Amateur
His boxing-career began at the local BSV Rottweil, where met Theo Kerekesch, a boxing trainer of high regard.Spotting talent and kinship within each other, hard work developed Krasniqi into a solid, well schooled heavyweight. Once Krasniqi had been granted German citizenship, he entered the Multi-Nations Tournament in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and won the gold medal. He consolidated the success with a gold medal later that year at the German Championships, Berlin.
1995 saw him storming the 1995 World Amateur Boxing Championships
1995 World Amateur Boxing Championships
thumb|German stamp from 1995The Men's 1995 World Amateur Boxing Championships were held in the Deutschlandhalle in Berlin, Germany from May 4 to May 15. The eighth edition of this competition, held a year before the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, was organised by the world governing body for...
, by taking the silver medal beating Sinan Samil Sam
Sinan Samil Sam
Sinan Şamil Sam is a German born Turkish heavyweight professional boxer. As a professional boxer, Sam won the EBU and WBC International titles in the heavyweight division.- Amateur career :...
and Wladimir Klitschko
Wladimir Klitschko
Wladimir Klitschko is a Ukrainian heavyweight boxer. Klitschko is the WBA , IBF, WBO Super, IBO & Ring Magazine Champion. His older brother Vitali Klitschko is the current WBC champion...
– losing only to one of the best amateur boxers of all times, the Cuban great Félix Savón
Félix Savón
Félix Savón Fabre is a Cuban heavyweight boxer, a winner of three gold medals at the Olympic Games. Savón is considered a legend in amateur boxing and has won six world titles....
.
Krasniqi ended the year on a roll, taking the Heavyweight Gold in the International Chemie Cup Tournament, Halle
Halle, Saxony-Anhalt
Halle is the largest city in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from the town of Halle in North Rhine-Westphalia...
.
1996 he added the European Championships with a win over Christophe Mendy
Christophe Mendy
Christophe Mendy is a retired boxer who competed for France in the heavyweight division during the 1990s. He won the bronze medal at the 1995 World Amateur Boxing Championships in Berlin, Germany, where he was defeated in the semifinals by Cuban legend Félix Savón...
.
1996 Summer Olympics
At the Olympic Games1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
in Atlanta he beat future amateur and professional champion
Ruslan Chagaev
Ruslan Chagaev
Ruslan Chagaev born October 19, 1978 in Andijan, Uzbek SSR, Soviet Union) is an Uzbekistani former WBA heavyweight boxing champion of Tatar ethnicity...
and reached a semi-final bout with Félix Savón.
Krasniqi, cut under the eye in his last bout, was forced to withdraw upon doctors advice. This left him unable to fight for an Olympic Gold Medal. He returned home with the Bronze medal, Germany's first heavyweight medal since 1976
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
. "I felt that I could have beaten him. He had out-pointed me the previous year but I had grown stronger and developed further since then. I am sure that the fight would have been close but I think that this time, I would have celebrated." However, Krasniqi had many memories to savour from Atlanta - one of which was a meeting with his idol, Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
. "Muhammad Ali was and still is an idol. Nobody can ever achieve what he achieved. Such a thing is a once in a lifetime phenomenon."
"To shine so long and so brightly, to define eras in history with the sheer force of his ability and personality and to be so well remembered is unique. Meeting him was an honour I shall never forget." Krasniqi took his first steps to his own fame as he decided to become famous and to get in at Panix Promotions, where Lennox Lewis
Lennox Lewis
Lennox Claudius Lewis, CM, CBE is a retired boxer and the most recent British undisputed world heavyweight champion. He holds dual British and Canadian citizenship...
has his contract.
1996 Olympic Results Boxed as a Heavyweight (– 91 kg)
- Round 1 - Defeated Ruslan ChagaevRuslan ChagaevRuslan Chagaev born October 19, 1978 in Andijan, Uzbek SSR, Soviet Union) is an Uzbekistani former WBA heavyweight boxing champion of Tatar ethnicity...
(Uzbekistan) 12:4 - Round of 16 - Defeated Igor KshininIgor KshininIgor Ivanovich Kshinin is a retired male boxer from Russia. He represented his native country at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was stopped in the second round of the men's heavyweight division by Germany's eventual bronze medalist Luan Krasniqi.-References:*...
(Russia) 10:2 - Quarterfinals - Defeated Serguei Dychkov (Belarus) 10:5
- Semifinals - Lost by Félix SavónFélix SavónFélix Savón Fabre is a Cuban heavyweight boxer, a winner of three gold medals at the Olympic Games. Savón is considered a legend in amateur boxing and has won six world titles....
(Cuba) WO
Professional career
Krasniqi won his first fight (with Harry Senior, 02.09.97). In order to improve his training he was invited to train with Lennox Lewis in Big Bear Lake, where he was in preparation for the fight against Andrzej Gołota. Luan showed that he could resist the pressure of sparring with Lewis. Since then, he has been to Big Bear Lake three times.During Lewis' training for the fights against Shannon Briggs
Shannon Briggs
Shannon "The Cannon" Briggs is an American heavyweight boxer and actor. He is the former Lineal and WBO heavyweight champion.-Early life:...
, Željko Mavrović
Željko Mavrovic
Željko Mavrović is a retired male boxer from Croatia turned enterpreneur.-Background:Mavrović was born in Zagreb, in the neighbourhood Srednjaci ....
and Evander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield is a professional boxer from the United States. He is a former undisputed world champion in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions, earning him the nickname "The Real Deal"...
he was one of his sparring partners. Luan overcame with success the first hurdles of his career as a "newcomer" in professional boxing. He boxed extremely successfully for Panix Promotion 15 times and in 2000 after Lennox Lewis had terminated his contract, Luan decided to look for a new alternative. In February and April 2000 he built his connections with Universum Box-Promotion and fought a number of matches for them. In January 2001 he signed a three years long contract with Universum Box-Promotion.
The highlight of his career was the fight against Rene Monse
René Monse
René Monse is a former German heavyweight boxer best known to win a bronze medal at the world championships 1995.-Amateur:...
, when he became European Champion. He was the first German European Champion after 29 years.
Loss
A half year later Krasniqi lost his belt in a fight against Przemysław Saleta. The man from Rottweil was prepared for eight rounds. But after an injury of Vitali KlitschkoVitali Klitschko
Vitaliy Volodymyrovych Klychko is a Ukrainian professional heavyweight boxer and the current WBC heavyweight champion. He is a leader of the political party Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform and a member of the Ukrainian delegation to the Congress of the Council of Europe. He previously...
, his fight was pushed to the main event. Mainly due to this lack of preparation, although leading by points, Krasniqi apparently feared a loss and elected to quit.
After this defeat Krasniqi struggled to get back to the top of the European rankings. Finally on the 14/02/04 he won against the "Bull from Bosphorus" Sinan Samil Sam
Sinan Samil Sam
Sinan Şamil Sam is a German born Turkish heavyweight professional boxer. As a professional boxer, Sam won the EBU and WBC International titles in the heavyweight division.- Amateur career :...
and became European Champion once again.
Later career
2005 brought Krasniqi to the top of the heavyweight competition after he knocked out highly-regarded Lance WhitakerLance Whitaker
Lance Whitaker is an American heavyweight boxer, who won the bronze medal as an amateur at the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata...
and became a mandatory challenger for the WBO crown. He lost against Lamon Brewster
Lamon Brewster
"Relentless" Lamon Tajuan Brewster is a retired American professional heavyweight boxer, and former WBO heavyweight champion. He won the silver medal as an amateur at the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata....
. Brewster managed to efficiently attack Krasniqi's body. This resulted in Krasniqi fatiguing in the latter rounds and finally being forced into a punch-exchange and getting knocked down in round 9.
It was a disappointing loss to a lot of German and Albanian fans, since the resurrection of a new German heavyweight champion was highly anticipated to occur on Max Schmeling
Max Schmeling
Maximillian Adolph Otto Siegfried Schmeling was a German boxer who was heavyweight champion of the world between 1930 and 1932. His two fights with Joe Louis in the late 1930s transcended boxing, and became worldwide social events because of their national associations...
's 100th birthday.
Luan's next fight took place on the 29 April 2006 in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
where he won against David Bostice
David Bostice
David Bostice, born April 3, 1972 in Los Angeles, CA, is a heavyweight boxer. Nicknamed "The Boss", Bostice is known for being a regular fighter on ESPN fight cards, and is a heavyweight clubfighter who fought several significant fighters of his era....
.
Luan Krasniqi was scheduled to fight against Top 10 contender, Tony Thompson
Tony Thompson
Anthony T. "Tony" Thompson was a session drummer best known as a member of Chic. He was raised in the middle-class community of Springfield Gardens, in Queens, NY.-Chic:...
, in September 2006, but no contract was made. Krasniqi has stated that the money offered by his promoter Klaus-Peter Kohl was insufficient.
On 17 March 2007, Krasniqi fought Brian Minto
Brian Minto
Brian Matthew Minto is a professional heavyweight and cruiserweight boxer.-Pro:Minto turned pro in 2002 and won his first 18 bouts, gaining the West Virginia heavyweight boxing title....
for the title of WBO Intercontinental Champion. Despite having a height disadvantage of 4 inches (10 cm), Minto was able to hold his own against Krasniqi. However, in the 12th round Krasniqi was able to knock Minto down and win the match. It was later stated that it was Krasniqi's tactic to tire his adversary. This won Luan Krasniqi the title of Intercontinental Champion and has given him the possibility of a fight against Shannon Briggs
Shannon Briggs
Shannon "The Cannon" Briggs is an American heavyweight boxer and actor. He is the former Lineal and WBO heavyweight champion.-Early life:...
.
Kransiqi lost to Tony Thompson
Tony Thompson (boxer)
Tony Thompson is a professional boxer from Maryland, nicknamed "the Tiger".-Professional career:After his first four wins he lost against undefeated prospect Eric Kirkland on points over four rounds in 2000...
, putting a serious dent in his hopes at a future title shot. On Nov 11, 2008, he lost by a third-round knockout to unbeaten Alexander Dimitrenko
Alexander Dimitrenko
Alexander Dimitrenko is a German professional heavyweight boxer. He was born on July 5, 1982 in Crimea, Ukraine. He began boxing at the age of 14 and at the age of 18 won the world junior boxing championship in the Unlimited weight division. He was immediately offered a deal by German promoter...
.
Personal life
Luan Krasniqi speaks eight languages fluently.Besides being a professional boxer, Luan Krasniqi is an interpreter and a wholesaler.
Luan Krasniqi's two boxing idols' are Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
and Lennox Lewis
Lennox Lewis
Lennox Claudius Lewis, CM, CBE is a retired boxer and the most recent British undisputed world heavyweight champion. He holds dual British and Canadian citizenship...
.
Accomplishments
German Heavyweight Champion 2001-2002, European Heavyweight Champion 2002, 2004–2005, WBO Interconti Champion 2007Notable Professional Boxing Matches
| 30 Wins (14knockouts), 4 Losses, 1 Draws | ||||||
| Res. | Opponent | Type | Rd., Time | Date | Location | Notes |
| Lost |  Alexander DimitrenkoAlexander Dimitrenko Alexander Dimitrenko is a German professional heavyweight boxer. He was born on July 5, 1982 in Crimea, Ukraine. He began boxing at the age of 14 and at the age of 18 won the world junior boxing championship in the Unlimited weight division. He was immediately offered a deal by German promoter... |
KO | 3 | 2008-11-15 | North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
|
| Lost |  Tony ThompsonTony Thompson (boxer) Tony Thompson is a professional boxer from Maryland, nicknamed "the Tiger".-Professional career:After his first four wins he lost against undefeated prospect Eric Kirkland on points over four rounds in 2000... |
TKO | 5 | 2007-07-14 | Hamburg, Germany | |
| Win | Brian Minto Brian Minto Brian Matthew Minto is a professional heavyweight and cruiserweight boxer.-Pro:Minto turned pro in 2002 and won his first 18 bouts, gaining the West Virginia heavyweight boxing title.... |
UD | 12 | 2007-03-17 | Stuttgart, Germany | |
| Win | David Bostice David Bostice David Bostice, born April 3, 1972 in Los Angeles, CA, is a heavyweight boxer. Nicknamed "The Boss", Bostice is known for being a regular fighter on ESPN fight cards, and is a heavyweight clubfighter who fought several significant fighters of his era.... |
UD | 12 | 2006-04-29 | Stuttgart, Germany | |
| Lost | Lamon Brewster Lamon Brewster "Relentless" Lamon Tajuan Brewster is a retired American professional heavyweight boxer, and former WBO heavyweight champion. He won the silver medal as an amateur at the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata.... |
TKO | 9 | 2005-09-28 | Hamburg, Germany | |
| Win | Lance Whitaker Lance Whitaker Lance Whitaker is an American heavyweight boxer, who won the bronze medal as an amateur at the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata... |
KO | 6 | 2005-05-28 | Stuttgart, Germany | |
| Win |  Timo HoffmannTimo Hoffmann Timo Hoffmann is a professional boxer who fights in the heavyweight division. He is probably best known as being the only fighter for nearly a decade who went to the distance with Vitali Klitschko... |
UD | 12 | 2004-12-04 | Berlin, Germany | |
| Win | Rene Monse René Monse René Monse is a former German heavyweight boxer best known to win a bronze medal at the world championships 1995.-Amateur:... |
TKO | 7 | 2004-07-31 | Stuttgart, Germany | |
| Win |  Sinan Samil SamSinan Samil Sam Sinan Şamil Sam is a German born Turkish heavyweight professional boxer. As a professional boxer, Sam won the EBU and WBC International titles in the heavyweight division.- Amateur career :... |
MD | 12 | 2004-02-14 | Stuttgart, Germany | |
| Win | Julius Francis Julius Francis Julius Francis is a former British Heavyweight champion boxer - who participated in many noteworthy boxing matches in the 1990s and 2000s. In 2007 he also participated in a mixed martial arts bout.... |
UD | 8 | 2003-10-18 | Hamburg, Germany |
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