73 Facts About Dave Leduc

Dave Leduc was born on 13 December 1991 and is a Burmese-Canadian Lethwei fighter.

Dave Leduc is a former six-time Lethwei world champion who held the Openweight Lethwei World Championship and was undefeated under traditional rules KO to win.

In 2014, Leduc first gained widespread notoriety by winning his fight in the controversial Prison Fight inside a maximum security prison in Thailand.

Dave Leduc became a superstar celebrity in the country and is mobbed by locals wherever he goes.

Dave Leduc is the biggest star in the sport of Lethwei and has been described as cultural phenomenon in Myanmar.

In 2005, Dave Leduc represented Outaouais in Baseball at the Summer Quebec Games in Amos and won the bronze medal.

Dave Leduc played in the United States as a pitcher.

In 2011, at nineteen years old, Dave Leduc was managing a nightclub in Ottawa and owned a limousine company.

In 2009, at the age of seventeen, a disagreement with his father forced Dave Leduc to leave his home and live on the streets.

Dave Leduc decided to direct his anger into martial arts and joined the martial arts academy of Sifu Patrick Marcil in Gatineau, Quebec.

Dave Leduc began learning Sanda, Jeet Kune Do principles, training his headbutts, and hitting the bag bareknuckle while competing in amateur fight nights.

In 2013, Lethwei being illegal in the province of Quebec and having difficulty getting a fight in Myanmar, Dave Leduc went on his first trip to neighboring Thailand to begin his professional career.

Myanmar's lack of training facilities led Dave Leduc to move to Phuket in order to train at Tiger Muay Thai.

Dave Leduc fought MMA in Canada and went undefeated in his three amateur fights, winning two of them by submission via guillotine choke.

In 2014, Dave Leduc made his pro debut against future UFC welterweight fighter Jonathan Meunier.

Dave Leduc lost by referee stoppage in the first round and would return to the cage in November 2015 to face future ONE Championship title contender Koyomi Matsushima, this time attempting to drop down to 155lbs.

Matsushima won by referee stoppage in the first round after Dave Leduc was caught by a hammer fist trying to secure a triangle choke.

On July 12,2014, Dave Leduc took part in the controversial Prison Fight: Fight For Freedom, where inmates can reduce their sentences and even earn their freedom by winning a series of fights against foreign fighters.

Dave Leduc won by unanimous decision and left the top of his opponent's head lacerated because of repetitive elbow strikes.

When it came to fighting convicts, Dave Leduc said to the Bangkok Post that he wouldn't feel bad if he won and his rival's sentence wasn't reduced.

Dave Leduc explained to Argentinian news Infobae the mentality of the inmates at the Prison Fight events, saying:.

Dave Leduc dominated the fight and some furious fans threw projectiles in the ring.

Dave Leduc came back and floored Tun Tun Min a few times.

Dave Leduc opened the fight offensively, landing a fake roundhouse kick to sidekick and a counter elbow on Tun Tun Min's face soon after the opening bell.

In round three, Dave Leduc caught Tun Tun Min's overextended leg and flipped him to the floor twisting his knee, forcing his team to call his time-out.

Dave Leduc was awarded the Golden Belt, becoming the first non-Burmese fighter to hold the Lethwei openweight world title.

On February 16,2017, for the second event organized by the International Lethwei Federation Japan Dave Leduc headlined Lethwei in Japan 2 at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo Dome City, Japan.

Dave Leduc defended his title for the first time against veteran Lethwei fighter Phoe Kay.

Dave Leduc's opponent changed to Muaythai Champion Nilmungkorn Sudsakorngym from Thailand.

Dave Leduc made his entrance dressed as the grim reaper at the Tokyo Dome City Hall.

Dave Leduc ended the match with a knee to the face winning by knockout at 2m:23sec of the second round.

On 10 December 2017, Dave Leduc faced former WKN world champion heavyweight kickboxer Corentin Jallon from France.

Historically, the Air KBZ Aung Lan Golden Belt Championship was a kryptonite event for Lethwei champions, Dave Leduc having won the title by defeating Tun Tun Min, who had won it from Saw Nga Man on the same stage.

Inside the Thein Pyu Stadium in Yangon, Dave Leduc executed his ceremonial fight dance Lethwei yay, announcing the start of the match.

Just before the first exchange, Dave Leduc challenged Jallon with the Lekkha moun.

The Frenchman automatically replied with a flurry of punches, which Dave Leduc countered with an elbow counterattack.

On 19 August 2018, at the 3rd Myanmar Lethwei World Championship, Dave Leduc returned to face former Rajadamnern Stadium, WPMF and IKF Champion Diesellek TopkingBoxing inside the Thein Pyu Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar.

Dave Leduc continued with a fake right knee, fake left knee, followed by a right elbow, knocking out his opponent.

Dave Leduc threw a fake kick to punch, followed by a knee to jaw knocking out Diesellek and breaking his jaw.

Dave Leduc won by KO at 2:23 in the first round, marking his sixth title defence.

The third fight saw Dave Leduc fighting out of the red corner, the first time a foreigner has been able to do so in the history of Lethwei, as it is customary to have non-Burmese fighters come out of the blue corner.

At 1:28 seconds of the first round, Dave Leduc landed a headbutt to the temple in the clinch which floored Tun Tun Min, but managed to get up at the count of eight.

At the 2:35 of the same round, Dave Leduc executed a jumping elbow strike and knocked out Tun Tun Min for 43 second.

Dave Leduc's team had to call for the 2-minute injury time-out to revive him and attend to a cut above his right eye.

The later rounds saw both boxers vying for a finish but ended without another knockout at the final bell and Dave Leduc retained the Lethwei Golden Belt title.

In 2017, Dave Leduc had expressed his disagreement with the World Lethwei Championship's usage of the modern Lethwei rules known as Tournament rules.

On March 9,2019, despite a long-running feud with the promotion, Dave Leduc announced that he had signed an exclusive contract with the World Lethwei Championship which would make it impossible for him to defend his world titles from other Lethwei organizations.

On March 25,2019, Dave Leduc held a press conference at the Karaweik Palace in Yangon, Myanmar announcing that he was relinquishing three of his four Lethwei world titles.

Dave Leduc announced that the WLC had plans to host an event in the United States.

On 7 November 2020, Dave Leduc was challenged by American Cyrus Washington for the second and final time to determine who is the best foreign Lethwei fighter.

On January 29,2023, Dave Leduc officially vacated the openweight Lethwei World Championship title before the fight between Tun Tun Min and Thway Thit Win Hlaing.

Dave Leduc stated he would compete under Kun Khmer rules out of respect for the host country.

Dave Leduc invited the Prime Minister of Cambodia His Excellency Hun Manet to attend his match against Prom Samnang.

Dave Leduc dominated the majority of the fight and dropped Samnang with an overhand right.

Dave Leduc expressed his hopes that Lethwei fighters will remain true to the traditions of the martial art as it grows in popularity.

Dave Leduc stated that he would compete in ONE under Lethwei rules.

Dave Leduc is known for his powerful elbows and headbutts as well as for his unpredictable and unorthodox style.

Dave Leduc is referred to as the King of Lethwei Dave Leduc has stated eating mohinga in the morning, enjoying playing a games of chinlone with locals and is known for routinely wearing a longyi.

The majority of Burmese have accepted Dave Leduc and welcomed the idea of having a non-native as the champion of their national sport.

Dave Leduc is a vegan and believes that Veganism is the basis for the bettering of humans.

In 2016, Dave Leduc met Moldovan writer and model Irina Terehova when she traveled to Thailand.

In October 2016, Dave Leduc got engaged to Terehova on the Shwesandaw Pagoda in Bagan, Myanmar.

In 2021, Dave Leduc campaigned on social media to raise awareness and raised money for people who were victims of Myanmar military coup.

In 2018, Dave Leduc posted a fan art on social media, showing of a 1000-kyats note with a picture of him suggesting that the Central Bank of Myanmar was issuing a sports celebratory note with him on it.

Dave Leduc was severely criticized, receiving multiple threats before going public and explaining the strategy behind his stunt, stating his goal was to revive the debate about bringing back Aung San on the currency.

In May 2021, the Ministry of Culture ultimately blacklisted Dave Leduc from entering Thailand.

In May 2023, Dave Leduc accused "Thai spies" of poisoning him after eating at a Thai restaurant in Turkey.

On December 20,2020, Dave Leduc gave a speech to thousands of Canadians gathered at a peaceful demonstration in La Fontaine Park in Montreal.

Dave Leduc requested a public debate with unsponsored medical experts and asked for governmental transparency in regards of the sanitary measures imposed on the population in response of COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec.

Dave Leduc received a fine of 1546 CAD$ for not wearing a facial covering outside.

In 2021, Dave Leduc had become a leading activist opposing the health measures surrounding COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec.

In 2022, Dave Leduc was featured in the study conducted the UNESCO Chairs in Quebec entitled "The conspiracy movement in Quebec: Leaders, discourses and adherence" presented to the Quebec Ministry of Economy and Innovation.

In 2019, before headlining WLC 9, Dave Leduc competed with his wife Irina Terehova on The Amazing Race Canada Season 7.