Franz Haller (kickboxer)

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Franz Haller (born May 30, 1959 in Partschins , South Tyrol ) is an Italian kickboxer.

life and career

Franz Haller grew up in South Tyrol as the third of seven children. At the age of 14 he started his training in a karate school in Merano and then switched to American kickboxing . In 1979 he won the World Amateur Middleweight Championships in Tampa (Florida) as an underdog . In 1981 he won against the Swiss Alfred Tommei in Milan and won his first professional world title. He defended this one year later against the Texan Ray Mc Callum in Bolzano . In 1983 he became world champion again and won against Alexander Zöttl . In 1984 he was defeated by the French Youssef Zenaf . After this defeat, he built a martial arts center in Merano, which fell victim to a major fire after just under a year and financially ruined the successful athlete and plunged into a crisis of meaning. He commuted between Vienna and the United States for two years, after which he retired to Mendel.

In 1993 he continued his athletic career, where he is also the next to kickboxing Thai boxing had prescribed. In 1993 Haller defeated Bayram Colak from the Netherlands in Bolzano on points and was again world champion in American kickboxing. In May 1993 Haller wins against the French Frank Vanhoeve on points and is again world champion in kickboxing. In 1994 he played his first world championship fight in the super middleweight division against the German Frank Scheuermann and loses. In a revenge match in December of the same year, he wins on points and becomes world champion again.

In 1996 he won his first world title in Thai boxing in the light heavyweight division against Lackhart from Thailand. He defended this against Tsistos Chsistos in 1996. In 1997 Haller lost the title against Andre Mannaart by dropping out in the third round. 1997 in Bozen there was a rematch against Mannaart and Haller becomes world champion again.

1998 in November Haller also played a world championship match in kickboxing against the Brazilian Jorge Ruiz in Bolzano, which he won in the third round by knockout. In November 1999 he lost his last World Cup fight in Bassano against the Englishman Mark Russel. He played his last fight at the age of 41 on April 21, 2001 at the K-1 Grand Prix Italy in Milan against Sergei Gur , after beating Naoufal Benazzouz in the first round . He then ended his active career and founded a kickboxing training hall in Bolzano. He competed actively for a total of 25 years. His nickname, which he received through his many fights, was " The King ". In 2007 he published his autobiography Kickboxing. Life - sports career - views in the Brixen provincial publishing house. He currently trains kickboxers for fights in the Japanese martial arts organization K-1 , but also works with people suffering from multiple sclerosis .

Private life

Franz Haller lives in Bozen with his wife and three daughters. He has another daughter from a previous relationship.

Works

  • Kickboxing. Life - Sports Career - Views . Provincial Publishing House, Brixen 2007, ISBN 978-88-88118-50-5 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Book presentation: Kickboxing. Life - Sports Career - Views. Provincial Publishing, accessed November 5, 2016 .
  2. ↑ Mateo Taibon: The Meek . In: What, When, Where . 2 (February 2011). Südtiroler Sparkasse Foundation, Bozen, S. 48 f . ( yumpu.com ).
  3. ↑ Kickboxing with Franz Haller (TV report). SDF Mediathek , November 7, 2013, accessed November 5, 2016 .
personal data
SURNAME Haller, Franz
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian kickboxer
DATE OF BIRTH May 30, 1959
PLACE OF BIRTH Partschins