George Longinidis
| George Longinidis | |
|---|---|
| Born |
5 September 1975 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Other names | The Iron Lion |
| Nationality |
 Australian |
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) |
| Weight | 100–110 kg (220–240 lb; 16–17 st) |
| Division | Super Heavyweight |
| Style | Kickboxing |
| Years active | 1998–2011 |
| Kickboxing record | |
| Total | 15 |
| Wins | 15 |
| By knockout | 10 |
| Losses | 0 |
| Draws | 0 |
| Other information | |
| Notable relatives | Stan Longinidis, brother |
George "The Iron Lion" Longinidis (born 5 September 1975) Australian kickboxer of Greek descent. His brother, Stan, is also a well-known kickboxer.
Biography and career
Longinidis was born in Melbourne, Victoria to Greek parents Steve and Suzie. He has a brother, Stan "The Man" Longinidis, who is 10 years older, and a sister Lana who is 9 years older. George was married in 2003 to wife Desi and they have two children Susannah and Isaac.
George started his martial arts career at the age of 8 and went on to claim a black belt in the art of bushidokai at the age of 15.
His professional kickboxing career started in 1998 and since then he has had 15 fights for 15 wins 10 wins by k.o. George was struck down with serious injuries during his fight career and was setback for a lengthy period of time. George has had a total of 14 operations to repair ruptures and tears including re-constructions to his knee and shoulders. His biggest win was on the 23rd of September 2005 at the Osaka Dome in Japan where he faced Japanese legendary champion Nobuaki Kakuda in front of 50,000 fans on the prestigious K1 circuit. George defeated his Japanese opponent by unanimous decision 3-0.[1]
George created history on July 24, 2009 by winning the W.O.K.A World heavyweight kickboxing championship against Thai Asian champion Ramba Sithsianpo,[2] and thereby with Stan becoming the only two brothers of Greek/Australian heritage to ever win World titles in any sport and the only two brothers to both be world 'Heavyweight' champion kickboxers.[3]
George Longinidis has officially retired from professional kickboxing and is now the co CEO of Stan The Man Fitness Academy which was opened on Saturday December 13, 2014 in Melbourne's eastern suburb of Blackburn in Victoria, Australia. For more info log onto www.stanthemanfa.com.au
Titles
- I.S.K.A South Pacific Super Heavyweight Champion 1 April 2007.
- W.O.K.A Commonwealth Super Heavyweight Champion 6 October 2007.
- W.O.K.A World Heavyweight Champion 24 July 2009.