Mihai Leu
Encyclopedia
Mihai Leu also known as Michael Loewe (born February 13, 1969 in Hunedoara
) is a Romania
n former professional boxer
who lived and fought out of Hamburg
, Germany
. He is the former WBO Welterweight
Champion.
Leu retired after one title defense, against Michael Carruth
, becoming the second European
boxer to retire as an undefeated world champion, after Terry Marsh
. Due to an injury, he was forced to abandon boxing but, unwilling to give up the world of sports, he turned racecar driver. He later became Romania
n national driving champion.
In 1987, he became World Junior Champion.
In total he fought 200 amateur matches, out of which he won 190.
and after only three years, he managed to become the second best racecar driver in Romania
. He had already participated in a race before, having made his debut in 1994, at the Banat
Rally, on a Volkswagen Golf GTI 16V.
Five years later, in 2003, he became Romani
an national champion driving a Hyundai Accent WRC, with co-driver
Ciprian Solomon. After failing to win any rally after his championship winning year, Mihai Leu gave up competitive rallying in 2008, only to return in 2010, as team-manager of Jack Daniel
's Rally Team, in the Romania
n National Rally (CNR) championship.
an racecar driver of the `70s - `80s. His brother, Victor, also made his debut in car racing in 1999, as his co-driver
.
He is married and has a son Marco, born in 1993 who is a karting driver.
He is involved in politics along with the Partidul Conservator, despite failing to secure a place in the European Parliament
, in the 2007 national elections. He works part-time as assistant at the Tibiscus University in Timişoara
.
Hunedoara
Hunedoara is a city in Hunedoara County, Transylvania, Romania. It is located in southeastern Transylvania near the Poiana Ruscă Mountains, and administers five villages: Boş, Groş, Hăşdat, Peştişu Mare and Răcăştia....
) is a Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n former professional boxer
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...
who lived and fought out of Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, 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...
. He is the former WBO Welterweight
Welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like kickboxing, taekwondo and mixed martial arts also began to use it for their own weight division system...
Champion.
Leu retired after one title defense, against Michael Carruth
Michael Carruth
Michael Carruth is a southpaw Irish Olympic boxer from Dublin who won the welterweight gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Carruth has just finished a stint as expert boxing analyst for RTEs Olympic coverage...
, becoming the second European
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
boxer to retire as an undefeated world champion, after Terry Marsh
Terry Marsh (boxer)
Terry Marsh is an English former professional boxer who was an undefeated world champion in the light welterweight division....
. Due to an injury, he was forced to abandon boxing but, unwilling to give up the world of sports, he turned racecar driver. He later became Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n national driving champion.
Amateur highlights
He started boxing in 1977 at the Hunedoara Constructorul club. In 1981 he moved to the Hunedoara Metalul from where in 1982 he moved on to Dinamo Bucharest. During his time with Dinamo, he won the national championship four consecutive years: 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986. In 1986, he moved to Steaua Bucharest and also became part of the national team.In 1987, he became World Junior Champion.
In total he fought 200 amateur matches, out of which he won 190.
Professional career
In 1991, he became a professional boxer in Germany (using the name Michael Loewe) and had 28 wins of 28 matches in welterweight, winning the following titles:- 1993 - Germany Intercontinental Title (which he gave up without fighting)
- 1995 - WBO Intercontinental Title (which he gave up without fighting)
- 1997 - WBO WelterweightWelterweightWelterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like kickboxing, taekwondo and mixed martial arts also began to use it for their own weight division system...
champion (which he gave up due to medical reasons)
Car racing
In 1998 he started his new career at the wheel of a Ford KaFord Ka
The Ford Ka is a city car from the Ford Motor Company marketed in Europe and elsewhere.The current European version is produced by Fiat Auto in Tychy, Poland, while the model sold in Latin America is built in Brazil and Argentina....
and after only three years, he managed to become the second best racecar driver in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. He had already participated in a race before, having made his debut in 1994, at the Banat
Banat
The Banat is a geographical and historical region in Central Europe currently divided between three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania , the western part in northeastern Serbia , and a small...
Rally, on a Volkswagen Golf GTI 16V.
Five years later, in 2003, he became Romani
Romani
Romani relates or may refer to:- Nationality :*The Romani people**their Romani language*The Latin term for the ancient Romans, see Roman citizenship*The Italian term for inhabitants of Rome...
an national champion driving a Hyundai Accent WRC, with co-driver
Co-driver
Co-driver is the term given to the navigator of rally car in the sport of rally racing, who sits in the front passenger seat. The co-driver's job is to navigate, by reading off a set of pacenotes to the driver, often over a radio headset, due to the high level of noise in the car...
Ciprian Solomon. After failing to win any rally after his championship winning year, Mihai Leu gave up competitive rallying in 2008, only to return in 2010, as team-manager of Jack Daniel
Jack Daniel
Jasper Newton "Jack" Daniel was an American distiller and the founder of Jack Daniel's Tennessee whiskey distillery.-Biography:...
's Rally Team, in the Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n National Rally (CNR) championship.
Personal life
He is the son of Nicolae Leu, a well-known RomaniRomani
Romani relates or may refer to:- Nationality :*The Romani people**their Romani language*The Latin term for the ancient Romans, see Roman citizenship*The Italian term for inhabitants of Rome...
an racecar driver of the `70s - `80s. His brother, Victor, also made his debut in car racing in 1999, as his co-driver
Co-driver
Co-driver is the term given to the navigator of rally car in the sport of rally racing, who sits in the front passenger seat. The co-driver's job is to navigate, by reading off a set of pacenotes to the driver, often over a radio headset, due to the high level of noise in the car...
.
He is married and has a son Marco, born in 1993 who is a karting driver.
He is involved in politics along with the Partidul Conservator, despite failing to secure a place in the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
, in the 2007 national elections. He works part-time as assistant at the Tibiscus University in Timişoara
Timisoara
Timișoara is the capital city of Timiș County, in western Romania. One of the largest Romanian cities, with an estimated population of 311,586 inhabitants , and considered the informal capital city of the historical region of Banat, Timișoara is the main social, economic and cultural center in the...
.