| Željko Mavrović | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Željko Mavrović |
| Nickname(s) | Zed, Šaka sa Srednjaka |
| Rated at | Heavyweight |
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) |
| Nationality | Croatia |
| Born | February 17, 1969 Zagreb, Croatia |
| Stance | Orthodox, right-handed |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 28 |
| Wins | 27 |
| Wins by KO | 22 |
| Losses | 1 |
Željko Mavrović (born February 17, 1969) is a retired male boxer from Croatia turned enterpreneur.
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Mavrović was born in Zagreb, in the neighbourhood Srednjaci (which is the source of his nickname Šaka sa Srednjaka or "Fist from Srednjaci").
As an amateur boxer, Mavrović was the Mediterranean champion in 1991 and Croatian champion in 1991 and 1992. Other Amateur accomplishments were:
When he turned professional, he became the boxing champion of Europe (EBU) in 1995 and kept his title in 1996 and 1997 against seven opponents.
In 1998, he went up against Lennox Lewis for the world heavyweight champion title, but lost after twelve rounds on points. Although he was outclassed by Lewis in the fight, his daring performance pulled appreciative comments from boxing insiders. Lewis' manager Frank Maloney said that "Mavrovic must have 240lb of steel in his chin" after the fight.[1] Lewis described the fight as the most awkward win of his career, citing sauna-like conditions in the ring, as well as Mavrović's agility, motivation and preparedness.[2]
Mavrovic never fought again after this bout. In the next years he was a few times scheduled against quality opposition (like for example against Hasim Rahman in 1999 where his late replacement Oleg Maskaev then knocked Rahman out of the ring in a well remembered fight), but he always had to pull out due to injuries and he ultimately had to finish his career due to an undisclosed illness.
His Golden Glove remains the biggest trophy in the history of Croatian heavyweight boxing, and he was named the Croatian sportsperson of the year twice. He was also distinctive for his Mohawk hairstyle, which led to a later nickname Irokez (Croatian for Iroquois).
After retirement he went into agricultural business. He opened "Eko-centar Mavrović" in Sloboština near Požega where he produces his own line of eco-friendly food.[3]