Mario Preskar
Mario Preskar (born January 12, 1984) is a former Croatian professional heavyweight boxer. He trained at Leonardo Boxing Gym in Zagreb with his trainer Leonard Pijetraj.
Mario Preskar | |
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Statistics | |
Real name | Mario Preskar |
Weight(s) | Heavyweight |
Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
Nationality | |
Born | Zagreb, Croatia | January 12, 1984
Stance | Orthodox |
Boxing record | |
Total fights | 19 |
Wins | 16 |
Wins by KO | 10 |
Losses | 0 |
Draws | 3 |
No contests | 0 |
Amateur career
Preskar was born in Zagreb, Croatia. He began boxing at the age of 9[1] at the urging of his father Željko, a cab driver. Preskar became a seven-time Croatian national champion, his final amateur record was 45-5.[1]
Professional career
Preskar started his professional career in 2003, at only 19, signing a contract with the world-famous boxing manager Don King.[2] King and Preskar parted ways in September 2008, with King reportedly unwilling to accept new contract terms put forward by Preskar and Pijetraj, who demanded more frequent fights.[2] Preskar founded new opportunities with K2 Promotions, run by the Klitschko brothers.[3]
In his 19th professional fight against Maksym Pedyura on June 27, 2009, Preskar was ahead throughout most of the match, but was knocked down twice in the last round.[4][5] After the final bell, he collapsed and was immediately taken to hospital.[4] The fight was declared a draw.
Preskar ascribed the incident to extreme exhaustion, due to high temperature and insufficient ventilation in the hall.[6] In August 2009, he announced an indefinite break from boxing, citing lack of motivation.[6] In May 2010 he collapsed while training, and was diagnosed with epilepsy.[7]
As of 2019, Preskar is working as a boxing coach and a boxing commentator for RTL Televizija.[7]
References
- Mladinich, Robert (July 8, 2006). "The speed and power of Mario Preskar". thesweetscience.com. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
- "Preskar i Don King". croring.com (in Croatian). September 11, 2008. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
- "Preskar od sada pod palicom braće Kličko: U planu čak šest borbi u 2009". Index.hr (in Croatian). May 30, 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-03-10. Retrieved 2009-03-15.
- "Mario Preskar". Boxrec.com. Archived from the original on 2012-06-14. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
- "Video: Preskar ipak nije izgubio - Hrvatski boksač je u svlačionici došao k svijesti" [Video: Preskar did not lose after all - Croatian boxer regains consciousness in the locker room]. Nacional (in Croatian). HINA. 27 June 2009. Archived from the original on 23 July 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
- "Preskar progovorio: Uvijek sam bio odgovoran boksač i ako ću boksati, to će biti na 100 posto!". Index.hr (in Croatian). September 3, 2009. Archived from the original on 2010-02-10. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
- https://net.hr/sport/klub-boraca/ekskluziv-marija-preskara-iz-kine-velika-istina-o-hrgovicu-herediji-i-teskoj-kategoriji-evo-gdje-je-hrga-u-odnosu-na-one-najbolje/