Arnold Gjergjaj

Arnold Gjergjaj
Statistics
Real name Arnold Gjergjaj
Nickname(s) The Cobra
Rated at Heavyweight
Height 6 ft 5 in (196 cm)
Reach in
Nationality Swiss
Born (1984-10-08) 8 October 1984
Gjakova, Kosovo
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights 29
Wins 29
Wins by KO 21
Losses 0

Arnold Gjergjaj (born 8 October 1984) is a Kosovo-Albanian born Swiss professional boxer.[1] In October 2014, he won the EBU-EE version of the European heavyweight championship, the first boxer fighting under a Swiss license to do so.[2]

Boxing career

Gjergjaj began as a wrestler from a young age and later moved to kickboxing before taking up boxing. A three time Swiss amateur champion,[3] he turned professional at the age of 25 and made his debut in 2009. For the majority of his career he has fought low level opposition in Switzerland, building up an undefeated record of 29-0 with 21 knockouts.

Gjergjaj is trained by Angelo Gallina, who is also his manager.[3] He has trained with world champions such as Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko, Tyson Fury and other top fighters as a sparring partner. He also learned in training sessions under the now deceased legendary German boxing coach Fritz Sdunek. He cites British former undisputed heavyweight world champion Lennox Lewis as his boxing idol.

Gjergjaj won the EBU-EE European heavyweight title in October 2014, beating Adnan Redzovic by a knockout in the 9th round.[4] He defended his title against Denis Bakhtov in June 2015, winning on points despite suffering a broken hand and burst eardrum, and being knocked down in the fifth round for the first time in his career.[5]

On 30 March 2016, it was announced that Gjergjaj would be the second opponent of former champion David Haye since Haye made his return to boxing after a three-year lay off. The fight, which is the biggest of Gjergjaj career to date, is set to take place at The O2 Arena in London on 21 May 2016.[6] Haye received criticism from some fans for picking a second relatively unknown and moderately ranked opponent.[7] However, Gjergjaj was ranked 24th in the world on the independent platform Boxrec before the match with Haye, and at no. 8 in Europe by the EBU.[8]

Personal life

Gjergjaj was born in Gjakova, and he moved to Pratteln, Basel in Switzerland with his family when he was 14 years old.[9] After graduating from school he trained as a heating engineer.[9] Gjergjaj married his wife Marta in August 2014 in Pratteln.[10] He has been involved in fields such as developmental aid organization Terre des Hommes Switzerland and has shown commitment to helping the youth in his hometown, where he opened his own boxing club "Arnold Boxfit" on 23 January 2016.[11][12]

Professional boxing record

29 fights, 29 wins (21 knockouts), 0 losses[13]
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
30 N/A N/A United Kingdom David Haye 10 21 May 2016 United Kingdom The O2 Arena, Greenwich, London
29 Win 29-0 Croatia Marino Goles TKO 1 (8), 0:45 05 Dec 2015 Switzerland Umweltarena, Spreitenbach, Switzerland
28 Win 28-0 Russia Denis Bakhtov UD 12 06 Jun 2015 Switzerland St. Jakob Halle, Basel, Switzerland Retained EBU-EE (European External European Union) heavyweight title.
27 Win 27-0 Hungary Zoltan Csala UD 8 27 Feb 2015 Switzerland Grand Casino, Basel, Switzerland
26 Win 26-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina Adnan Redzovic KO 9 (12), 2:50 04 Oct 2014 Switzerland St. Jakob Halle, Basel, Switzerland Won vacant EBU-EE (European External European Union) heavyweight title.
25 Win 25-0 Hungary Tibor Balogh TKO 2 (8), 2:20 09 Jun 2014 Switzerland Seminar Hotel Lueg, Kaltacker, Burgdorf, Switzerland
24 Win 24-0 Argentina Emilio Zarate KO 7 (8) 15 Mar 2014 Switzerland Grand Casino, Basel, Switzerland
23 Win 23-0 Brazil Gilberto Domingos TKO 1 (8), 2:15 26 Dec 2013 Switzerland Kursaal, Berne, Switzerland
22 Win 22-0 Argentina Nelson Dominguez KO 3 (8), 2:19 11 May 2013 Switzerland Grand Casino, Basel, Switzerland
21 Win 21-0 Finland Janne Katajisto KO 3 (8), 0:20 23 Mar 2013 Switzerland Volkshaus, Basel, Switzerland
20 Win 20-0 Belarus Yury Bykhautsou TKO 3 (8), 2:10 26 Dec 2012 Switzerland Kursaal, Berne, Switzerland
19 Win 19-0 Ukraine Maksym Pedyura TKO 2 (8), 2:50 01 Dec 2012 Switzerland Grand Casino, Basel, Switzerland
18 Win 18-0 Poland Mateusz Malujda TKO 1 (8), 2:03 20 Oct 2012 Switzerland Markthalle, Basel, Switzerland
17 Win 17-0 Germany Alexander Kahl KO 1 (6), 1:18 15 Sep 2012 Switzerland Grand Casino, Basel, Switzerland
16 Win 16-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina Adnan Buharalija TKO 3 (8), 1:50 14 Apr 2012 Switzerland Pfaffenholzturnhalle, Basel, Switzerland
15 Win 15-0 Nigeria Prince Anthony Ikeji KO 2 (8), 1:38 17 Dec 2011 Switzerland Kaserne, Basel, Switzerland
14 Win 14-0 Hungary Laszlo Toth KO 3 (8) 12 Nov 2011 Hungary City Sporthall, Szekszard, Hungary
13 Win 13-0 Hungary Gabor Farkas UD 8 01 Oct 2011 Switzerland Turnhalle Landstrasse ,Gebenstorf, Switzerland
12 Win 12-0 Hungary Ferenc Zsalek DQ 6 (8), 1:50 20 Aug 2011 Switzerland Kursaal, Berne, Switzerland
11 Win 11-0 Lithuania Igoris Borucha UD 6 28 May 2011 Switzerland Sporthalle Badbetrieb, Bad Ragaz, Switzerland
10 Win 10-0 Romania Liviu Ungureanu TKO 3 (6), 2:57 7 May 2011 Switzerland Salle Sport, Lausanne, Switzerland
9 Win 9-0 Latvia Pavels Dolgovs UD 6 05 Feb 2011 Switzerland Turnhalle Eg, Frenkendorf, Switzerland
8 Win 8-0 Poland Tomasz Zeprzalka TKO 5 (6), 2:40 18 Dec 2010 Switzerland Kaserne, Basel, Switzerland
7 Win 7-0 Bulgaria Dimitar Stoimenov UD 6 18 Jul 2010 Switzerland Kaserne, Basel, Switzerland
6 Win 6-0 Hungary Gabor Farkas TKO 3 (6) 29 May 2010 Switzerland Kursaal, Berne, Switzerland
5 Win 5-0 Hungary Norbert Sallai TKO 4 (6), 2:25 17 Apr 2010 Switzerland Airporthotel, Basel, Switzerland
4 Win 4-0 Bulgaria Yavor Marinchev UD 6 26 Mar 2010 Switzerland Palestra Nuova, Ascona, Switzerland
3 Win 3-0 Hungary Sandor Balogh TKO 6 (6), 2:30 19 Dec 2009 Switzerland Kaserne, Basel, Switzerland
2 Win 2-0 Hungary Zoltan Huffner KO 1 (6), 2:30 05 Dec 2009 Switzerland Sporthalle, Kirchberg, Switzerland
1 Win 1-0 Poland Dariusz Balla TKO 2 (4), 1:01 29 Aug 2009 Switzerland Römertheater, Augusta Raurica, Augst, Switzerland

References

  1. ↑ "BoxRec - Arnold Gjergjaj". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  2. ↑ "Arnold Gjergjaj, Page 1 - Boxing News". www.boxingscene.com. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
  3. 1 2 Coviello, Michele (27 February 2015). "Grosser Mann, kleine Schritte". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  4. ↑ Gisi, Emanuel (5 October 2014). "Basler "Kobra" ist Europameister!". Blick (in German). Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  5. ↑ Oppliger, Matthias (7 June 2016). "Hand gebrochen, Trommelfell geplatzt: Gjergjaj bleibt trotzdem Europameister". Tages Woche (in German). Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  6. ↑ Robinson, Isaac (30 March 2016). "David Haye to face Arnold 'The Cobra' Gjergjaj on May 21". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
  7. ↑ "David Haye to fight unknown Kosovan Arnold Gjergjaj". BBC Sport. 30 March 2016. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
  8. ↑ "EBU Ratings March 2016", European Boxing Union. Retrieved 23 April 2016
  9. 1 2 Dutler, Alex (1 June 2015). "Arnold «The Cobra» Gjergjaj - Europameister mit 7-Tage-Woche". bz Basel (in German). Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  10. ↑ "Die Kobra ist unter der Haube: Der Prattler Arnold Gjergjaj hat geheiratet". bz Basel (in German). 6 August 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  11. ↑ Halbeisen, Fabio (21 January 2016). "Arnold Gjergjaj: ‹The Cobra› eröffnet Boxclub". Telebasel (in German). Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  12. ↑ Heckel, Alan (25 January 2016). "«Arnold Boxfit»: Die Kobra schlägt im Wohnviertel zu". bz Basel (in German). Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  13. ↑ "Arnold Gjergjaj - Boxer". BoxRec.
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