1. Stefan Leko was born on June 3,1974 and is a German heavyweight kickboxer.
34 Facts About Stefan Leko
1. 2.
Stefan Leko is the current WKA Super-Heavyweight world champion in kickboxing, and former Muay Thai world super-heavyweight champion and Kickboxing world super-heavyweight champion, WMTA, WKN, IKBO, IKBF, and WKA world champion, K-1 European Grand Prix 1998 champion, 1999 K-1 Dream champion and two time K-1 World Grand Prix in Las Vegas tournament champion.
3.
Since 2011 Stefan Leko is coached and managed by Tom Trautsch and won two Heavyweight World Champion Titles.
4.
Stefan Leko was born in Germany but grew up in Buna, Mostar, and carries a Croatian passport.
5.
Stefan Leko was discovered by Klaus Waschkewitz of Masters Gym ten years later when he was 17.
6.
Stefan Leko left Masters Gym in 2005 and currently belongs to the Team Golden Glory.
7.
Besides his kickboxing career Stefan Leko is running a gym in Duisburg named Versus Gym.
8.
Stefan Leko was the first person to beat Badr Hari in K-1 by first-round knockout, though it was later avenged by Hari.
9.
Stefan Leko holds notable wins over 3x K-1 World Grand Prix champion Remy Bonjasky, K-1 Heavyweight champion Badr Hari, world Muay Thai champion Mike Bernardo, 3x K-1 World Grand Prix champion Peter Aerts, K-1 legend Ray Sefo, world Muay Thai champion Alexey Ignashov, and K-1 Grand Prix finalist Francisco Filho.
10.
Stefan Leko won various K-1 tournaments and Muay Thai titles.
11.
On 22nd of february 2020 Stefan Leko will make his appearance against Koos Wessels Boer, during 'Return of the legends' in Steenwijk.
13.
Stefan Leko signed for Pride Fighting Championships, then the world's premier Mixed Martial Arts organisation.
14.
Stefan Leko returned to the stand-up fighting world in early 2005, becoming the WKN World Super-Heavyweight champion.
15.
Stefan Leko made his return to top level kickboxing with Golden Glory for Dutch major league promotion It's Showtime, in 2005.
16.
Stefan Leko was booked in a grudge match with rising star Badr Hari.
17.
Stefan Leko finished him in round 1, via spinning back kick to the liver.
18.
Stefan Leko got to his feet calmly, and after a teep, landed his trademark spin-kick and it finished the fight.
19.
Stefan Leko drew old foe Remy Bonjasky in the first round of the World Grand Prix finals5, and lost on points in a controversial fight in which Leko landed two shots to Bonjasky's groin.
20.
Golden Glory claimed the stoppage was too quick, but nevertheless, Stefan Leko was out of another World Grand Prix - his last appearance in the final 16.
21.
Stefan Leko returned to fight for It's Showtime in May 2009, facing another smaller but popular big name heavyweight in Melvin Manhoef.
22.
Manhoef magnanimously admitted that Stefan Leko had outclassed him, and offered a rematch to the Golden Glory fighter.
23.
Stefan Leko won his final K-1 fight to date in Sarajevo, and then lost twice in a row, in the Netherlands and Germany respectively.
24.
Halfway through round 2, Stefan Leko retired from the fight, with the reason given that he suffered "a dizzy spell", and lost his equilibrium.
25.
The retirement talk was officially put aside as Golden Glory confirmed that Stefan Leko would be returning to face old foe Jerome LeBanner on June 11,2011, in Geneva.
26.
Stefan Leko was said to be serious about a return, and that the short-lived "retirement" was no longer relevant.
27.
Stefan Leko was even said to be intent on securing a rubber match with old foe Badr Hari, if he could string together some wins to get ranked and merit a final grudge encounter with the Moroccan.
28.
Stefan Leko won his first world title since 2005, when he beat Marinko Neimarevic for the WKA World Super-Heavyweight kickboxing title by KO in round 2.
29.
Stefan Leko was knocked out in round four by Nicolas Wamba at Fight Night Saint Tropez in Saint-Tropez, France on August 4,2013.
30.
Stefan Leko was scheduled to fight Dzevad Poturak in Poturak's retirement fight at Final Fight Championship 7 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina on September 6,2013.
31.
Stefan Leko competed in a four-man tournament at GFC Series 1 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on May 29,2014 and had his rubber match with Badr Hari in the semi-finals.
32.
Stefan Leko lost the bout by TKO after appearing lackluster and getting knocked down 3 times in the first round.
33.
Stefan Leko suffered a twenty-one second high kick knockout loss at the hands of Zabit Samedov on the undercard of the Ruslan Chagaev vs Fres Oquendo boxing match in Grozny, Russia on July 6,2014.
34.
On May 30,2003, Stefan Leko failed a drug test prior to K-1 World Grand Prix 2003 in Basel.