Azem Maksutaj

Azem Maksutaj (born 8 July 1975) is a Swiss former kickboxer of Kosovar Albanian origin. He competed in lightweight, welterweight, middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight, cruiserweight, and heavyweight divisions. Originally from Kosovo (then part of SFR Yugoslavia), he relocated to Switzerland and began training in Muay Thai at fifteen. After winning the Swiss national title as a lightweight in his first year of competitions in 1992, he won the European and world honors in 1994 while fighting around the super middleweight mark. In the late 1990s, he moved between light heavyweight and cruiserweight divisions, taking five world titles. He eventually moved to heavyweight in 2001, where he spent the remainder of his career, acting as a journeyman in the K-1 promotion and winning four other world titles. He won fourteen world titles in various weight divisions before retiring in 2010 with a hundred professional contests.

Early life Maksutaj, a Kosovar Albanian, was born in 1975 in Deçan, SFR Yugoslavia (now Kosovo), as the second of four children. His father moved to Switzerland as a guest worker in the late 1970s, so Maksutaj saw him only sparingly while growing up. In 1990, at fifteen, Maksutaj and the rest of his family reunited with his father in Winterthur, Switzerland, during the wave of Yugoslav immigration to the country. Unable to speak the language and struggling to integrate, he soon began training in Muay Thai at the Wing Thai Gym to escape his troubles.

Career

Career beginnings (1992–1997) After twelve months of training and his first year of competition, Maksutaj won the Swiss national Muay Thai - title in 1992 by beating Jesus Perez, who was eleven years his senior by knockout in the second round.

On 10 June 1995, Maksutaj was invited to fight at Japan's K-1 Fight Night, the first event held by the K-1 promotion outside Japan, in Zurich, Switzerland. There, he lost to Surinamese veteran Orlando Wiet via a second-round knockout. Returning to K-1 a year later at K-1 Fight Night II on 2 June 1996, he lost against Seido karate stylist Taiei Kin. He was knocked down in round two and lost by a unanimous decision after a five-round tussle. He fared no better in his next match when he took on Jörgen Kruth at the K-1 World MAX North European Qualification 2007 in Stockholm on 24 November 2006, as he lost by KO from a knee midway through the opening round. In his next outing on May 19, 2007, he lost by technical knockout against Nathan Corbett, the eventual tournament champion, in the quarter-finals of the K-1 Fighting Network Scandinavian Qualification 2007 in Stockholm.

Maksutaj returned to the local circuit to stop his losing streak and took several wins including a points victory over Erhan Deniz in Bratislava, Slovakia on 7 September 2007, before returning to K-1 at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Amsterdam on 26 April 2008, to face an up-and-coming Tyrone Spong. He got dropped from a knee to the body early in the opening stanza and was knocked down again with punches at the end of the round. The second knockdown did not count as he was saved by the bell, but Spong soon finished him with another knee strike to the body in the second, bringing Maksutaj's losing streak in K-1 to five. In one of his last fights before retiring, he was awarded a disqualification win over Domagoj Ostojić after his Croatian opponent continued to punch and kick him after knocking him to the canvas in round one of their contest in Zadar, Croatia on 11 May 2008.

Maksutaj made a brief comeback on 29 January 2010, knocking out Jean-Luc Ajinca in three rounds at Bern's Wankdorfhalle.

Personal life Maksutaj got married in Winterthur, Switzerland on 1 June 2007. His son was born a few weeks later. A documentary of his life and career entitled Being Azem was released in 2010.

Championships and awards

Kickboxing

European Muay Thai Association EMTA European Middleweight (-72.5 kg/159 lb) Championship

International Sport Karate Association ISKA World Super Middleweight (78.1 kg/172 lb) Championship ISKA World Heavyweight (-96.4 kg/212 lb) Championship

K-1 K-1 World Grand Prix 2002 Preliminary Marseilles Runner-up K-1 World Grand Prix 2003 Preliminary France Runner-up

Schweizerische Muay Thai Verbände SMTV Swiss Lightweight (-63.5 kg/140 lb) Championship

World Association of Kickboxing Organizations WAKO Pro World Light Heavyweight (81.4 kg/179 lb) Championship

World Kickboxing Association WKA World Super Middleweight (-76 kg/167 lb) Championship WKA World Super Light Heavyweight (83.2 kg/183 lb) Championship WKA World Cruiserweight (85.9 kg/189 lb) Championship

World Muay Thai Association WMTA World Middleweight (-76.2 kg/168 lb) Championship WMTA World Super Heavyweight Championship

World Muaythai Council WMC World Heavyweight (-95 kg/209 lb) Championship

World Professional Kickboxing Council WPKC World Light Heavyweight (-79 kg/174 lb) Championship WPKC World Cruiserweight (-86 kg/189 lb) Championship WPKC World Super Heavyweight (+95 kg/209 lb) K-1 Championship WPKC World Super Heavyweight (+95 kg/209 lb) Muay Thai Championship

World Professional Kickboxing League WPKL World Light Heavyweight (-79 kg/174 lb) Championship

Kickboxing record