Stefan Leko (born June 3, 1974) is a German

heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...

kickboxer. He is the current WKA Super-Heavyweight world champion in kickboxing, and former

Muay Thai Muay Thai or Muaythai (, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, the Art of Eight Limbs or the Science of Eight Limbs, is a Thai martial art and full-contact combat sport that uses stand-up striking, sweeps, and various clinch fighting, cl ...

world super-heavyweight champion and

Kickboxing Kickboxing ( ) is a full-contact hybrid Martial arts, martial art and Boxing (disambiguation), boxing type based on punch (combat), punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, norma ...

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. He fights out of Team Golden Glory in

Breda Breda ( , , , ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Brabant. ...

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

under Cor Hemmers. Since 2011 Stefan Leko is coached and managed by Tom Trautsch and won two Heavyweight World Champion Titles.

Biography and career

Backstory and summary

Stefan Leko was born in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

but grew up in

Buna, Mostar Buna (Serbian Cyrillic: Буна) is a populated settlement at the confluence of the Buna river and Neretva river some 10 km downstream the Neretva and south of Mostar, Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The famous source of the ...

, and carries a

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

n passport. He began training

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...

at the age of 7. He was discovered by Klaus Waschkewitz of Masters Gym ten years later when he was 17. While being instructed by Waschkewitz, Leko won several World titles and four K-1 tournaments. His nickname "Blitz" means lightning in German. Stefan left Masters Gym in 2005 and currently belongs to the Team Golden Glory. Besides his kickboxing career Leko is also running a gym in

Duisburg Duisburg (; , ) is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine (Lower Rhine) and the Ruhr (river), Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruh ...

named Versus Gym. He was the first person to beat Badr Hari in K-1 by first-round knockout, though it was later avenged by Hari. 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 Michael Shawn Bernardo (28 July 1969 – 14 February 2012) was a South African kickboxer and boxer from Cape Town. Bernardo was known as Beru-chan in Japan, where he has taken part in K-1 World GPs since 1994. He holds notable wins over ...

, 3x K-1 World Grand Prix champion Peter Aerts (x2), K-1 legend Ray Sefo, world Muay Thai champion Alexey Ignashov (x2), and K-1 Grand Prix finalist Francisco Filho. Leko was successful in both Muay Thai/kickboxing and K-1 during the late 1990s and early 2000s, despite often conceding height and weight to some of the larger men in K-1. He won various K-1 tournaments and Muay Thai titles. His fortunes varied in the later stages of the 2000s, though he did win various more trophies and titles after his 2005 return to the kickboxing and Muay Thai world. On 22nd of february 2020 Stefan Leko will make his appearance against Koos Wessels Boer, during 'Return of the legends' in Steenwijk (Holland).

Early success in K-1: European Grand Prix & Dream tournament champion

Leko first fought in K-1 in 1997, age 22. He won the K-1 European Grand Prix tournament in 1998, and after two losses to big names Andy Hug and Ray Sefo, he rebounded to win the K-1 Dream '99 tournament. By 2000, he had an 11–4 win–loss record in the world's premier stand-up fighting promotion, and was a 2x K-1 tournament champion.

Mixed fortunes in 2000–2002 - K-1 World Grand Prix USA title

A period of huge wins and bad losses followed. Over a three-year period, Leko would win the K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 in Las Vegas, and beat such champions as Remy Bonjasky and - stunningly - Peter Aerts, with a huge right cross that knocked the former 3x K-1 World Grand Prix champion out. In the same period, Leko also lost to Ernesto Hoost, Jorgen Kruth, Jerome LeBanner, Francisco Filho, and Mark Hunt. The following year, Leko eradicated this inconsistency, and by the end of 2003 was considered to be in the top 5 ranked K-1 fighters.

Rise to the top in 2003 - exit from K-1, MMA debut with Pride

After a six-fight win streak in 2003 (5-0 in K-1) that included wins over multiple time K-1 champion Peter Aerts, heavyweight kickboxing champion Mike Bernardo, and K-1 World Grand Prix finalist Francisco Filho, the now top-ranked Leko was a favourite leading into the K-1 World Grand Prix 2003. With previous champion Ernesto Hoost out, Leko was considered a favourite leading in. However, he would leave K-1 prior to the finals, after contract negotiations broke down. Former Leko opponent Remy Bonjasky, whom Leko had beaten the previous year, would win the Grand Prix tournament. Leko thus left the K-1 and kickboxing worlds, with a K-1 record of 23-11-1-1, and a total fight record of 50-12-1-1 (win/loss/draw/nc), and he decided to try his hand at another combat sport. He signed for

Pride Fighting Championships PRIDE Fighting Championships (Pride or Pride FC, founded as KRS-Pride) was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. Pride held more than sixty mixed martial arts even ...

, then the world's premier Mixed Martial Arts organisation. However, the striker was unable to find his place there, losing three successive fights to grapplers, and in 2005 he returned to the Muay Thai and kickboxing worlds.

Return to K-1 and kickboxing

Leko returned to the stand-up fighting world in early 2005, becoming the WKN World Super-Heavyweight champion. Prior to his hiatus from standup fighting, he had joined Team Golden Glory, a Dutch fight camp known for such fighters as

Semmy Schilt Sem "Semmy" Schilt (; born 27 October 1973) is a Dutch actor and former kickboxer, karateka and mixed martial artist. Schilt holds the distinction of being the only kickboxer to have won 5 major heavyweight tournaments, being a four-time List of ...

Alistair Overeem Alistair Cees Overeem (born 17 May 1980) is a Dutch former professional mixed martial artist and kickboxer. He is a former Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion, Dream Heavyweight Champion, K-1 World Grand Prix Champion, and was the first fight ...

and Sergei Kharitonov. He made his return to top level kickboxing with Golden Glory for Dutch major league promotion It's Showtime, in 2005. He was booked in a grudge match with rising star Badr Hari. Fighting at It's Showtime in Amsterdam, Leko beat Badr Hari by spinning back kick in a grudge fight. Leko finished him in round 1, via spinning back kick to the liver. The fight had lasted little more than 100 seconds, with Badr throwing Leko across the ring from a clinch. Leko got to his feet calmly, and after a teep, landed his trademark spin-kick and it finished the fight. Hari stayed down for several minutes after the fight was waved off. A rematch was booked in K-1, and Hari returned the favour, winning via spectacular spinning back kick, the move noted for being Leko's trademark. This marks the duology as a fairly unusual rivalry, in that both men finished the other with the same move, a spinning back kick no less.

Last major success in K-1, later K-1 career

Leko's last major success to date came when he won his second K-1 World Grand Prix in Las Vegas tournament, beating Scott Lighty, Carter Williams and then Michael McDonald in the final. He won all three fights that night by KO. He 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. Leko claims these shots were unintentional; however, Remy took a considerable time out period during the fight, one that Leko had been performing well in to that point, and after which, Bonjasky managed to win a points decision from. A rubber match with Bonjasky occurred in 2007, but by now it was clear Leko was passing his physical prime, and he lost in round 1, after Bonjasky landed his trademark flying knee. Golden Glory claimed the stoppage was too quick, but nevertheless, Leko was out of another World Grand Prix - his last appearance in the final 16. By early 2009 he was considered a fading force, despite going 4-1 the previous year, with two wins in K-1. However, he had not competed in the World Grand Prix 2008, and ended the year with a loss to Freddy Kemayo. Dropped out of almost every top 10 heavyweight rankings, Leko began to compete almost exclusively in the Netherlands and Germany, with varying results. He returned to fight for It's Showtime in May 2009, facing another smaller but popular big name heavyweight in

Melvin Manhoef Melvin Manhoef (born 11 May 1976) is a retired Surinamese people, Surinamese-born Dutch people, Dutch mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and Kickboxing, kickboxer. In kickboxing, he is a former It's Showtime (kickboxing), It's Showtime Middl ...

. On the back of two consecutive losses in K-1, Leko went into the fight as an underdog, but he ended up dominating Manhoef for two rounds, picking him apart with boxing and leg kicks. Unfortunately, in the final round he broke his foot, and the fight was called off. Manhoef magnanimously admitted that Leko had outclassed him, and offered a rematch to the Golden Glory fighter. Despite this impressive display, Leko remained inconsistent, slipping into decline. He won his final K-1 fight to date in Sarajevo, and then lost twice in a row, in the Netherlands and Germany respectively.

2010

Leko strung together a three fight win streak, taking him to an overall K-1 and Muay Thai/kickboxing record of 64-22-1 win/loss/draw. After beating Volkan Duzgun on Fightingstars presents: It's Showtime 2010, Leko entered the Ultimate Glory heavyweight tournament, where he drew Wendell Roche in the quarter-finals. Halfway through round 2, Leko retired from the fight, with the reason given that he suffered "a dizzy spell", and lost his equilibrium. However, in the corner he seemed to be in considerable pain, and it emerged on Dutch fight forum mixfight.nl that Leko had a punctured lung. In 2011, no bouts had been confirmed for Leko as of February 20, either by the fighter or Golden Glory. Mike Passenier, owner of Mike's Gym and trainer of fighters such as Badr Hari and Melvin Manhoef, stated in an interview with Daniel Fletcher on February 25, 2011 that Stefan Leko has retired.

Return to the ring

The retirement talk was officially put aside as Golden Glory confirmed that Leko would be returning to face old foe Jerome LeBanner on June 11, 2011, in Geneva. Leko was said to be serious about a return, and that the short-lived "retirement" was no longer relevant. He 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.

WKA World title win

Leko won his first world title since 2005, when he beat Marinko Neimarević for the WKA World Super-Heavyweight kickboxing title by KO in round 2. He was knocked out in round four by Nicolas Wamba at ''Fight Night Saint Tropez'' in Saint-Tropez, France on August 4, 2013. He was scheduled to fight Dževad Poturak in Poturak's retirement fight at '' Final Fight Championship 7'' in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina on September 6, 2013. The fight however never materialized. He competed in a four-man tournament at GFC Series 1 in

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

on May 29, 2014 and had his rubber match with Badr Hari in the semi-finals. He lost the bout by TKO after appearing lackluster and getting knocked down 3 times in the first round. Leko suffered a twenty-one second high kick knockout loss at the hands of

Zabit Samedov Zabit Samedov (, born July 21, 1984) is an Azerbaijani kickboxer and muay thai fighter. Samedov has won multiple titles, most notably the K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 in Łódź tournament championship. He was also a competitor in the K-1 World ...

on the undercard of the Ruslan Chagaev vs. Fres Oquendo boxing match in Grozny, Russia on July 6, 2014.

Failed drug test

K-1 World Grand Prix 2003 in Basel

On May 30, 2003, Leko failed a drug test prior to K-1 World Grand Prix 2003 in Basel. He tested positive for elevated

testosterone Testosterone is the primary male sex hormone and androgen in Male, males. In humans, testosterone plays a key role in the development of Male reproductive system, male reproductive tissues such as testicles and prostate, as well as promoting se ...

. The test indicated Leko's testosterone level was 5 times higher before his fight against

Titles

K-1 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993 by karateka Kazuyoshi Ishii. Originally under the ownership of the Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG), K-1 was considered to be the largest Kickboxing organization in the worl ...

** K-1 European Grand Prix 1998 champion ** K-1 Dream 1999 champion ** K-1 World Grand Prix in Las Vegas 2001 champion ** K-1 World Grand Prix in Las Vegas 2006 champion ** K-1 World Grand Prix 2001: 3rd place *International Kick Boxing Federation ** 1996 IKBF Full Contact World Championship ** 1997 IKBF Kickboxing Championship *World Muay Thai Association ** 1997 WMTA Muay Thai World Championship *International Kick Boxing Organisation ** 2000 International Kick Boxing Organisation Muay Thai World Championship *World Kickboxing Network ** 2005 WKN Super Heavyweight Kickboxing World Championship * World Kickboxing Association ** 2012 WKA Super Heavyweight Muay Thai World Championship

Kickboxing record

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Petar Majstorović Petar Majstorovic (born 5 February 1975), is a Swiss karateka and kickboxer. He was a two-time World Kickboxing Network (W.K.N.) World Champion and two times K-1 preliminary tournaments champion in Croatia and Germany. He trained with Andy Hug fr ...

, , Swiss Las Vegas Fusion 2016 , ,

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, , TKO , , 2 , , N/A , - , - bgcolor="#fbb" , 2015-05-30 , , Loss, , align=left, Martin Pacas , , Full Fight , ,

Banská Bystrica Banská Bystrica (, also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is a city in central Slovakia, located on the Hron River in a long and wide valley encircled by the mountain chains of the Low Tatras, the Greater Fatra, Veľká Fatra, and t ...

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

, , TKO (punches) , , 1 , , N/A , - , - , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2014-07-06 , , Loss , , align=left,

, , Chagaev vs. Oquendo , , Grozny, Russia , , KO (left high kick) , , 1 , , 0:21 , - , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2014-05-29 , , Loss , , align=left, Badr Hari , , GFC Fight Series 1 - Heavyweight Tournament, semi-finals , ,

Dubai, UAE Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

, , KO (right cross) , , 1 , , 1:38 , - , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2014-03-07 , , Loss , , align=left, Mert Akin , , AKIN Dövüş Arenası KickBoxing Event , ,

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, , TKO , , 2 , , N/A , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2013-08-04 , , Loss , , align=left, Nicolas Wamba , , Fight Night Saint-Tropez , ,

Saint-Tropez Saint-Tropez ( , ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Var (department), Var departments of France, department and the regions of France, region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Southern France. It is west of Nice and east of Marseille, o ...

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Ondřej Hutník Ondřej Hutník (born February 19, 1983) is a retired Czech Muay Thai kickboxer. He is a former SUPERKOMBAT Super Cruiserweight Championship title challenger. Biography and career On December 30, 2011, Hutník defeated Mohamed Boubkari and Fra ...

, , Time of Gladiator , , Brno, Czech Republic , , KO (round kick) , , 2 , , N/A , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2013-04-14 , , Loss , , align=left, Damian Garcia , , K-1 MNL MallorcaResultados Torneo K-1 MNL Mallorca
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Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...

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Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in North Hesse, northern Hesse, in Central Germany (geography), central Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel (region), Kassel and the d ...

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Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

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Errol Zimmerman Errol Zimmerman (born April 20, 1986) is a Curaçaoan- Dutch kickboxer and mixed martial artist, representing the Hemmers Gym in Breda, Netherlands. He is K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Amsterdam and SUPERKOMBAT Fight Club tournaments champion. Z ...

, , SUPERKOMBAT Fight Club, semi-finals , ,

Oradea Oradea (, , ; ; ) is a city in Romania, located in the Crișana region. It serves as the administrative county seat, seat of Bihor County and an economic, social, and cultural hub in northwestern Romania. The city lies between rolling hills on ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

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, , Ext. R decision (split) , , 4 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2011-10-01 , , Loss , , align=left, Sebastien van Thielen , , SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix III 2011, semi-finals , ,

Brăila Brăila (, also , ) is a city in Muntenia, eastern Romania, a port on the Danube and the capital of Brăila County. The Sud-Est (development region), ''Sud-Est'' Regional Development Agency is located in Brăila. According to the 2021 Romanian ...

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Constanța Constanța (, , ) is a city in the Dobruja Historical regions of Romania, historical region of Romania. A port city, it is the capital of Constanța County and the country's Cities in Romania, fourth largest city and principal port on the Black ...

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Jérôme Le Banner Jérôme Philippe Le Banner (; born December 26, 1972) is a French kickboxer, mixed martial artist, and professional wrestler. Le Banner fought for most of his career in K-1 and became known for his aggressive fighting style and knockout power. ...

, , 8ème Nuit des Sports de Combat , ,

Geneva, Switzerland Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the capital of the Republic and Ca ...

, , Decision (unanimous) , , 5 , , 2:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2010-11-27 , , Loss , , align=left, Frédéric Sinistra , , La Nuit du Kick-Boxing 2010 , ,

Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, , TKO (doctor stoppage) , , N/A , , N/A , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2010-10-16 , , Loss , , align=left, Wendell Roche , , United Glory 12: 2010-2011 World Series Quarter-finals , ,

Amsterdam, Netherlands Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the urban area and 2,480,394 in the metropolitan area. Located in the D ...

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, , Decision , , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2010-05-01 , , Win , , align=left, Nikolaj Falin , , Cologne Fight Night 2010 , ,

Cologne, Germany Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and over 3.1 million people in the Cologne Bonn urba ...

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Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

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Anderson Silva Anderson da Silva (; born 14 April 1975) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and professional boxer. He is a former UFC Middleweight Champion and holds the record for the longest title reign in UFC history at 2,457 days. This started in 2006 ...

, , Ultimate Glory 11: A Decade of Fights , ,

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Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

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Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

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Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

, , KO (left body shot), , 2 , , 0:40 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2007-10-14 , , Win , , align=left, Bahadir Sari , , Kickboks Gala Istanbul , ,

Istanbul, Turkey Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With a population over , it is home to 18% of the population of Turkey. Istanbul is among the largest cities in Europe and in th ...

, , Decision (unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2007-09-27 , , Loss , , align=left, Remy Bonjasky , , K-1 World GP 2007 in Seoul Final 16 , ,

Seoul, Korea Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, , TKO (referee stoppage), , 1 , , 2:50 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2007-08-11 , , Win , , align=left, Mighty Mo , , K-1 World Grand Prix 2007 in Las Vegas , ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, , Decision (unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2007-05-04 , , Win , , align=left, Cătălin Moroşanu , , K-1 Fighting Network Romania 2007 , ,

Bucharest, Romania Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

, , Decision (unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2007-03-10 , , Loss , , align=left, Magomed Magomedov , , K-1 Fighting Network Croatia 2007 , ,

, , Ext. R decision (unanimous) , , 4 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2006-12-02 , , Loss , , align=left, Remy Bonjasky , , K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 , ,

Tokyo, Japan Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, , Decision (unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2006-09-30 , , Win , , align=left, Ray Sefo , , K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 in Osaka opening round , ,

Osaka, Japan is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third-most populous city in Japan, following the special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a populatio ...

, , Ext. R decision (unanimous) , , 4 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2006-08-12 , , Win , , align=left, Michael McDonald , , K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 in Las Vegas II , ,

, , TKO (referee stoppage) , , 2 , , 2:28 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2006-08-12 , , Win , , align=left, Carter Williams , , K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 in Las Vegas II , ,

, , KO (right spinning liver kick) , , 1 , , 2:40 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2006-08-12 , , Win , , align=left, Scott Lighty , , K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 in Las Vegas II , ,

, , TKO (referee stoppage) , , 3 , , 0:58 , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2006-04-29 , , Loss , , align=left, Ruslan Karaev , , K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 in Las Vegas , ,

, , Decision (unanimous), , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2005-11-19 , , Loss , , align=left, Badr Hari , , K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 , ,

, , KO (spinning back left high kick) , , 2 , , 1:30 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2005-06-12 , , Win , , align=left, Badr Hari , , It's Showtime 2005 Amsterdam , ,

, , KO (spinning back mid kick) , , 1 , , 1:44 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2005-05-14 , , Win , , align=left, Florian Ogunade , , Local Kombat 14 "Lupta capitală" , ,

, , TKO (referee stoppage) , , 3 , , N/A , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2003-12-31 , , Win , , align=left, Kazunari Murakami , , Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2003 , ,

Kobe, Japan Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's List of Japanese cities by population, seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Port of Toky ...

, , KO (right high kick) , , 1 , , 1:08 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2003-10-31 , , Win , , align=left, Sebastiaan van de Muysenberg , , K-1 Final Fight Stars War in Zagreb , , Zagreb, Croatia , , KO (punches) , , 2 , , N/A , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2003-10-11 , , Win , , align=left, Francisco Filho , , K-1 World Grand Prix 2003 final elimination , ,

, , Decision (unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2003-05-30 , , Win , , align=left,

, , K-1 World Grand Prix 2003 in Basel , ,

Basel, Switzerland Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's third-most-populous city (after Zurich and Geneva), with ...

, , Decision (unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2003-05-02 , , Win , , align=left, Great Kusatsu , , K-1 World Grand Prix 2003 in Las Vegas , ,

, United States , , TKO , , 2 , , 2:24 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2003-03-30 , , Win , , align=left, Peter Aerts , , K-1 World Grand Prix 2003 in Saitama , ,

Saitama, Japan is the capital and largest city of Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance. , the city had an estimated population of 1,324,854 ...

, , TKO (doctor stoppage) , , 3 , , 1:44 , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2002-12-07 , , Loss , , align=left, Mark Hunt , , K-1 World Grand Prix 2002 Final , ,

, , KO (left hook) , , 3 , , 1:16 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2002-10-05 , , Win , , align=left, Alexey Ignashov , , K-1 World Grand Prix 2002 final elimination , ,

, , Ext. R decision (unanimous) , , 4 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2002-08-17 , , Win , , align=left, Remy Bonjasky , ,

K-1 World Grand Prix 2002 in Las Vegas This is a list of events held and scheduled by the K-1, a Japanese kickboxing promotion. The first event, K-1 Sanctuary I, took place on March 30, 1993, at Kōrakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. Since its inception, K-1 events were organized by the F ...

, ,

, , Decision (unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2002-05-25 , , Loss , , align=left, Ernesto Hoost , , K-1 World Grand Prix 2002 in Paris , ,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France , , KO (punches) , , 1 , , 1:48 , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2001-12-08 , , Loss , , align=left, Mark Hunt , , K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 Final , ,

, , Decision (unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2001-12-08 , , Loss , , align=left, Ernesto Hoost , , K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 Final , ,

, , Decision (unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2001-08-11 , , Win , , align=left, Peter Aerts , , K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 in Las Vegas , ,

, , KO (right cross) , , 3 , , 2:05 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2001-08-11 , , Win , , align=left, Sergei Ivanovich , , K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 in Las Vegas , ,

, , TKO (corner stoppage) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2001-08-11 , , Win , , align=left, Jeff Roufus , , K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 in Las Vegas , ,

, , TKO , , 2 , , 2:34 , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2001-06-24 , , Loss , , align=left,

, , K-1 Survival 2001 , ,

Sendai is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture and the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,098,335 in 539,698 households, making it the List of cities in Japan, twelfth most populated city in Japan. ...

, Japan , , Decision (unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#c5d2ea" , 2001-05-20 , , NC , , align=left, Marc de Wit , , K-1 Germany Grand Prix 2001 , ,

Oberhausen Oberhausen (, ) is a city on the river Emscher in the Ruhr Area, Germany, located between Duisburg and Essen ( ). The city hosts the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and its Gasometer Oberhausen is an anchor point of the European Rout ...

, Germany , , NC (de Wit suffers leg injury) , , 1 , , N/A , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2001-03-17 , , Loss , , align=left, Jörgen Kruth , ,

K-1 Gladiators 2001 This is a list of events held and scheduled by the K-1, a Japanese kickboxing promotion. The first event, K-1 Sanctuary I, took place on March 30, 1993, at Kōrakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. Since its inception, K-1 events were organized by the Fi ...

, ,

Yokohama, Japan is the second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a population of 3.7 million in 2023. It lies on Tokyo B ...

, , KO (right hook) , , 2 , , 2:19 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2001-02-04 , , Win , , align=left, Alexey Ignashov , , K-1 Holland GP 2001 in Arnhem , , Arnhem, Netherlands , , DQ , , 5 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2000-12-10 , , Loss , , align=left, Francisco Filho , ,

K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 ''K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 Final'' was a kickboxing event promoted by the K-1 organization. It was the eighth K-1 Grand Prix final, involving eight of the world's top fighters, with all bouts fought under K-1 Rules (100 kg/156-220 lbs) ...

, ,

, , Ext. R decision (unanimous) , , 4 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2000-10-09 , , Win , , align=left, Andrew Thomson , , K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 in Fukuoka , , Fukuoka, Japan , , KO (right low kick) , , 2 , , 1:50 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2000-09-03 , , Win , , align=left, Andrei Zuravkov , , Battle of Arnhem II , , Arnhem, Netherlands , , KO , , 2 , , N/A , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2000-06-03 , , Win , , align=left, Ricky Nicholson , , K-1 Fight Night 2000 , , Zurich, Switzerland , , Decision (unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2000-04-23 , , Win , , align=left, Xhavit Bajrami , , K-1 The Millennium , ,

, , Decision (majority) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1999-12-05 , , Win , , align=left, Harry Hooft , , K-1 World Grand Prix 1999 , ,

, , KO (right back kick) , , 1 , , 2:37 , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 1999-10-05 , , Loss , , align=left, Sam Greco , , K-1 World Grand Prix '99 opening round , ,

, , Decision (majority) , , 3 , , 2:35 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1999-07-18 , , Win , , align=left, Samir Benazzouz , , K-1 Dream '99 Final , ,

Nagoya, Japan is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...

, , KO (right low kick) , , 1 , , 2:45 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1999-07-18 , , Win , , align=left, Cyril Abidi , , K-1 Dream '99 semi-finals , ,

, , Decision (unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1999-07-18 , , Win , , align=left, Philippe Gomis , , K-1 Dream '99 quarter-finals , ,

, , KO (right cross) , , 1 , , 2:56 , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 1999-06-05 , , Loss , , align=left, Andy Hug , , K-1 Fight Night '99 , , Zurich, Switzerland , , Decision (unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 1998-09-27 , , Loss , , align=left, Ray Sefo , , K-1 World Grand Prix '98 opening round , ,

, , Decision (unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1998-07-18 , , Win , , align=left, Nicholas Pettas , , K-1 Dream '98 , ,

, , KO (punch) , , 2 , , 1:09 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1998-06-06 , , Win , , align=left, Rob Van Esdonk , , K-1 Fight Night '98 Final , , Zurich, Switzerland , , KO (punch) , , 3 , , 1:57 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1998-06-06 , , Win , , align=left, Ray Hoffman , , K-1 Fight Night '98 semi-finals , , Zurich, Switzerland , , KO (punch) , , 2 , , 2:07 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1998-06-06 , , Win , , align=left, Petar Majstorovic , , K-1 Fight Night '98 quarter-finals , , Zurich, Switzerland , , Ext. R decision (unanimous) , , 4 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1998-03-08 , , Win , , align=left, Cengiz Koc , , Night of the Masters , ,

, Germany , , TKO (corner stoppage) , , 4 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 1997-09-07 , , Loss , , align=left, Ernesto Hoost , , K-1 Grand Prix '97 1st round , ,

, , KO (right cross) , , 2 , , 0:34 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1997-04-29 , , Win , , align=left, Sadau Kiatsongrit , , K-1 Braves '97 , , Fukuoka, Japan , , Decision (unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 1996-03-16 , , Loss , , align=left, Jan Lomulder , , Thai/Kickboxing Nijmegen , , Nijmegen, Netherlands , , Decision , , 5 , , 3:00 , - , colspan=9 , ''Legend'':

Mixed martial arts record

, Loss , align=center, 0–3 , Kazuhiro Nakamura , Pride 29 , TKO (punches) , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:54 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–2 ,

Ikuhisa Minowa is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler currently competing in IGF as . A professional MMA competitor since 1996, he was a longtime veteran of PRIDE and Pancrase and has also competed in other mixed martial arts promotion ...

, Pride Shockwave 2004 , Submission (heel hook) , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:27 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 ,

Naoya Ogawa (born 31 March 1968) is a Japanese world champion judoka, retired professional wrestler, and mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He won a total of seven medals at the All-Japan Judo Championships (second only behind Yasuhiro Yamashita), an ...

, Pride Total Elimination 2004 , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:34 , Saitama, Japan ,

References

External links

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Profile
at

Golden Glory Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leko, Stefan 1974 births Living people German male kickboxers Croatian male kickboxers Heavyweight kickboxers SUPERKOMBAT kickboxers Doping cases in kickboxing German male mixed martial artists Croatian male mixed martial artists Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing Kyokushin kaikan German male Muay Thai practitioners Croatian male Muay Thai practitioners German male karateka Croatian male karateka Sportspeople from Duisburg Sportspeople from Mostar German people of Croatian descent Croatian emigrants to Germany