Mario Preskar (born January 12, 1984) is a former

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

n professional heavyweight boxer. He trained at Leonardo Boxing Gym in

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

with his trainer Leonard Pijetraj.

Amateur career

Preskar was born in

, Croatia. He began boxing at the age of 9 at the urging of his father Željko, a cab driver. Preskar became a seven-time Croatian national champion, his final amateur record was 45-5.

Professional career

Preskar started his professional career in 2003, at only 19, signing a contract with the world-famous boxing manager Don King. King and Preskar parted ways in September 2008, with King reportedly unwilling to accept new contract terms put forward by Preskar and Pijetraj, who demanded more frequent fights. Preskar founded new opportunities with

K2 Promotions K, or k, is the eleventh Letter (alphabet), letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is English alphabet#Le ...

, run by the

Klitschko brothers Vitali Klitschko (born 19 July 1971) and Wladimir Klitschko (born 25 March 1976), known as the Klitschko Brothers, are Ukrainian former professional boxers. During their peak years between 2004 and 2015, they were considered the dominant world h ...

. In his 19th professional fight against Maksym Pedyura on June 27, 2009 in

Lviv Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine ...

, Preskar was ahead throughout most of the match, but was knocked down twice in the last round. After the final bell, he collapsed and was immediately taken to hospital. The fight was declared a draw. Preskar ascribed the incident to extreme exhaustion, due to high temperature and insufficient ventilation in the hall. In August 2009, he announced an indefinite break from boxing, citing lack of motivation. In May 2010 he collapsed while training, and was diagnosed with

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrical ...

. As of 2019, Preskar is working as a boxing coach and a boxing commentator for RTL Televizija.

References

External links

*
Leonardo Boxing Gym
{{DEFAULTSORT:Preskar, Mario 1984 births Living people Sportspeople from Zagreb Croatian male boxers Heavyweight boxers People with epilepsy