Luan Krasniqi
Luan Krasniqi ( born May 10, 1971 in Janik, Yugoslavia, now Kosovo ) is a retired German boxer of Kosovo Albanian origin. In 1987 he came with his family to Germany and lives in Rottweil and Hamburg since the beginning of his professional career.
Amateur time
Krasniqi was a respected amateur in the 91 kg class ( heavyweight) and won the 1994 German Championship and the 23 chemical Cup 1995. One of his first missions for the German national team, he had in 1994 at an international match against England.
At the World Championships in Berlin in 1995 he beat in the quarterfinals of the later Olympic champion Wladimir Klitschko, Ukraine ( 6:2 ), and in the semifinals Sinan Samil Sam, Turkey ( 7:3), was defeated in the final battle, however, Félix Savón, Cuba (RSC 2 ). When held in the same year Military World Championships in Rome, he lost the final narrowly to Wladimir Klitschko, Ukraine ( 2:2 ).
In 1996, Krasniqi won the silver medal at the 24th Chemistry Cup, where he lost in the final against Savón (AB 3 ); in Vejle, he won the European title with a final win over Christophe Mendy, France ( 8:7 ). At the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta ( USA), he reached after beating Ruslan Tschagajew, Uzbekistan ( 12:4 ), in the second round over Igor Kshinin, Russia ( 10:2 ), and in the quarterfinals on Sergey Dychkov, Belarus the semifinals. His opponent should be Savón there again, but he could not compete due to a hand injury to this fight. Krasniqi thus finished the tournament with an Olympic bronze medal.
Professional career
1997 Luan Krasniqi began his professional career. In 2002, he won the European title in the heavyweight division by a narrow points victory over the German southpaw René Monse.
However Krasniqi lost the title in his first defense in July 2002, surprising about the Poland Przemysław Saleta. He gave up the fight after the eighth round, although he had performed convincingly on points until then. His inexplicable refusal weiterzuboxen, then brought him massive criticism and ridicule. The universe head coach Fritz Sdunek told him then to reconsider the continuation of his career. He later founded his task of struggle with the fact that he was poorly trained and had threatened him a knockout loss.
He then moved from trainer Michael Timm to Torsten Schmitz. After two construction victories came the rematch against Przemysław Saleta. However, it was not a title fight because Saleta had lost the European title at Sinan Samil Sam in the first defense of the title. In the first round Przemysław Saleta had been 3 times to the floor. So Krasniqi won the rematch by TKO in round 1 he was on 14 February 2004 after a points victory against Sinan Samil Sam, he had already twice defeated as an amateur, European champion again. He defended the title by a premature victory over Monse and a draw against Timo Hoffmann to 2004 and then put him down, because this was prerequisite to fight a match for the WBO world title may.
He was the mandatory challenger WBO titlist Lamon Brewster By knockout win in an elimination bout against Lance Whitaker in May 2005.
For marketing reasons, it was chosen as the date for this title fight September 28, 2005, the 100th birthday of Max Schmeling. Krasniqi had thus the opportunity to bring in second after Schmeling a world title in the heavyweight division to Germany. Krasniqi made a good impression on critics and audiences and was on all three leaflets in the lead before he went down with a left hook in the eighth round. Krasniqi was, after this precipitation actually have to be counted, but was held by the delayed stall count of the referee's controversial in combat. In the ninth round, however, Brewster took a further precipitation, the fight finally gave up after Krasniqi. While he very quickly recovered and Brewster smiling congratulated on his victory, he had more and more to deal with the consequences of the strike, had to be supported and eventually carried into the cabin.
In the aftermath Krasniqi get two point victories against David Bostice and Brian Minto. This after losing to Brewster planned as building struggles successes were won with difficulty and indicated already points to a performance decline. Nevertheless, his promoter Klaus- Peter Kohl then allowed him to re- attend an eliminator against Tony Thompson to again qualify for a WBO title fight.
On July 14, 2007 in the Color Line Arena in Hamburg Luan Krasniqi but lost against Thompson canceled by the American referee Mark Nelson in the fifth round technical knockout After Krasniqi Thompson was constantly pushing from the second round to the ropes and endure numerous Flurry without apparent opposition on to him, the referee had already called in the ring interval between the fourth and fifth round to end its passivity in the ring and to defend. When he showed no desire to fight in the fifth round, the referee finally stopped the unequal struggle regulatory requirements. Krasniqi declared after the fight its disastrous performance by saying that he simply did not find in the fight and the opponents have not located him. In addition, it is a painful rib injury had hindered by a blow Thompson in the second round from then on.
On 15 November 2008 Krasniqi lost in Dusseldorf against his unbeaten stablemates Dimitrenko, with whom he has completed in the past already sparring rounds by knockout (liver hooks) in the third round. This WBO Intercontinental championship fight should serve as qualification for another world title fight, but the moved into the distance after this defeat. The for the November 28, 2009 scheduled in Oberhausen rematch against Alexander Dimitrenko was conditionally suspended by a ligament Krasniqi in his right foot, which he had suffered in training, indefinitely.
For the February 26, 2011 Krasniqi was planning his comeback fight against Johnathon Banks in the USA. This fight, however, was canceled by Krasniqi due to a severe viral infection. Krasniqi suffered a week before the battle of paranasal and frontal sinus suppuration. In victory Krasniqi prospect of a challenge one of the Klitschko brothers would have had.
On December 29, 2011 Krasniqi said on its website and in a press release his retirement from boxing.