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
Statistics
Real nameMario Preskar
Weight(s)Heavyweight
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Nationality Croatia
Born (1984-01-12) January 12, 1984
Zagreb, Croatia
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights19
Wins16
Wins by KO10
Losses0
Draws3
No contests0

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 in Lviv, 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
  1. 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.
  2. "Preskar i Don King". croring.com (in Croatian). September 11, 2008. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
  3. "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.
  4. "Mario Preskar". Boxrec.com. Archived from the original on 2012-06-14. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
  5. "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 13 June 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  6. "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.
  7. "Velika istina o Hrgoviću i teškoj kategoriji; Evo gdje je Hrga uistinu u odnosu na one najbolje". 14 May 2021.
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