HomicideHenry wrote: ↑09 May 2018, 12:23
Again, Kalan, he had a muscle wasting disease. He was unaware he even had it until the Lewis fight was over. He had it for years, and didn't understand what was happening.
I'll tell you about one muscle wasting disease.... It's known as aging... I could do 30 chin-ups from a dead hang in my 20's 30's and 40's... That is from a dead hang, fast, with good form, and smoothly... Now I can do 12 comfortably.. I can still do a lot of pushups and have a little spring, so it doesn't effect everything equally.. Guys have told me about low T treatments and I refuse to do any of that.. You can't stop aging no matter how much money you spend.. You're gonna die some day.
It's natural.. It happens to everybody.. It still hurts.
Here are some interesting"tidbits" I came across about him.
His amateur record was 124-16 (including 2 Olympic Games)
He adapted his Mohawk Indian hair style in 1994 just after the Olympic Games in Barcelona Spain because he admired the Mohawk Indians.
he won the EBU(European Heavyweight title in April 1995 and defended it 6 times.
Some boxers who he was scheduled to fight during his reign as European HW Champion
however pulled out of his scheduled defenses) namely
Scott Welch
Brian Nielsen
Henry Akinwande
and Herbie Hide (pulled out twice including a title fight scheduled for September.16. 1995 in Norwich England)
Mavrovic did have some good talent and I think the world-ranked Brits hovering around the WBO crown you've mentioned did give him a wide berth because he had made short work of some of their domestic rivals.
I think Hide was probably very wise to avoid Zeljko although with Herbie the reasons for cancelling could have been completely non-boxing related
HomicideHenry wrote: ↑05 May 2018, 16:52
He retired because he had some sort of rare muscular wasting disease. I did hear rumors that he wanted to make a comeback, but never heard he actually mounted one as a cruiserweight. If he did they had to of been purely exhibitions or unlicensed bouts.
Thanks Henry. I never understood what exactly happened to him.
Caractacus wrote: ↑14 May 2018, 18:24
I had read (somewhere) that Lennox Lewis had collapsed in his dressing room shortly after his fight with Mavrovic.
Anyone know more about this ?
Collapse wouldn't be the right word.
Lewis was up on his toes in the last 3 rounds bouncing, dancing, and throwing a lot of punches... He won in lopsided fashion and was a lot more active than Mavrovic... If he laid down to recover for a bit in his dressing room, who would blame him? Mavrovic had a Hell of a chin... Lewis knew after 6 or 7 rounds he wasn't going to crack it... You still need to win... 84 punches at the same connect % as Mavrovic is a very comfortable margin for anybody but Harold and Julie Lederman.
Last edited by Kalan on 14 May 2018, 20:03, edited 1 time in total.
Caractacus wrote: ↑14 May 2018, 18:24
I had read (somewhere) that Lennox Lewis had collapsed in his dressing room shortly after his fight with Mavrovic.
Anyone know more about this ?
I don't, but I fell upon this column at the time of the fight:
I remember having a good old chinwag with Mavrovic's trainer Darkie Smith when I lived on his street. We were talking about some seriously obscure Zeljko stuff - his fights with David Bey, Mark Wills et al. In the build up the Lennox Lewis fight the commission kept checking in on Zeljko and weighing him because they were so alarmed by that low figure on the scales. Zeljko himself one day walked right by my house! He was visiting Darkie who was recovering from a heart operation. Great guy, hope he's doing well.
Little known fact: the famous fight where Oleg Maskaev knocked Rahman out the ring - the Big O was a late sub for Mavrovic.
it would be interesting to compare Mavrovics weights for each one of his professional fights leading up to his fight with Lennox Lewis.
Lewis almost out-weighed him by 30 lbs for their fight.
Caractacus wrote: ↑09 May 2018, 16:56
check this out-looks like there is some footage of additional fights of his somewhere-
The dude in the blue trunks and the dude in the green trunks.I think one may be James Pritchard(?)
Zelijko Mavrovic is currently the director of boxing for the Croatian national team, he's looking in good health as well. Here he is talking to Filip Hrgovic, there's been an issue as Hrgovic wants to go to the Olympics, but Mavrovic is against it because it would mean Hrgovic in a box off against the vastly less experienced leading Croatian amateur. Quite rightly Mavrovic is saying that it's unfair and won't happen.
Old bones Ian wrote: ↑01 Dec 2019, 02:18
Zelijko Mavrovic is currently the director of boxing for the Croatian national team, he's looking in good health as well. Here he is talking to Filip Hrgovic, there's been an issue as Hrgovic wants to go to the Olympics, but Mavrovic is against it because it would mean Hrgovic in a box off against the vastly less experienced leading Croatian amateur. Quite rightly Mavrovic is saying that it's unfair and won't happen.
Why not just send Hrgovic without a fight and let the other guy develop???
Old bones Ian wrote: ↑01 Dec 2019, 02:18
Zelijko Mavrovic is currently the director of boxing for the Croatian national team, he's looking in good health as well. Here he is talking to Filip Hrgovic, there's been an issue as Hrgovic wants to go to the Olympics, but Mavrovic is against it because it would mean Hrgovic in a box off against the vastly less experienced leading Croatian amateur. Quite rightly Mavrovic is saying that it's unfair and won't happen.
Why not just send Hrgovic without a fight and let the other guy develop???
I think Mavrovic says that Hrgovic is a pro and he shouldn't go to Olympics anyway, but if it's ordered above him, then there has to be a box off as the Croatian amateur would of earned his chance to represent his country.
Why not just send Hrgovic without a fight and let the other guy develop???
I think Mavrovic says that Hrgovic is a pro and he shouldn't go to Olympics anyway, but if it's ordered above him, then there has to be a box off as the Croatian amateur would of earned his chance to represent his country.
Well if he's a pro then no, but.....is he? (Ive never heard of him before personally)
Mavrovic looks a bit like Ben Kingsly in profile huh ?
BTW did Zeljko Mavrovic ever say how he would have fought Lennox Lewis differently ?
He was taking a lot of hard shots in the fight for sure.
Former European amateur champion and 2016 Olympic bronze medalist.
They need to have the balls to tell him "no matter how many times you try to convince us, it's gonna happen, buddy"
I imagine Teddy Atlas if they let such a fiasco take place: "they need to arrest Hvervic (or whatwever his last name is) and charge him with using blunt force with intent to harm! (or whateever the charge's called)
gonna happen, buddy"