Ștefan Lătescu (Japanese: ステファン・ラテスク; born 25 December 2001) is a Romanian professional kickboxer and boxer, and former Muay Thai and kempo practitioner, currently signed to GLORY. A former amateur in two sports, Lătescu notched over 150 wins in amateur kickboxing,[1] and is the youngest senior heavyweight champion in the amateur boxing history of Romania. He is still undefeated nationally in boxing.[2]

Ștefan Lătescu
Lătescu in 2023
Born (2001-12-25) December 25, 2001 (age 22)
Iași, Romania
Other namesGolden Boy
NationalityRomanian
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight94.1 kg (207 lb; 14.82 st)
DivisionCruiserweight (2022–present)
Heavyweight (2020–2022)
Fighting out ofIași, Romania
TeamScorpions Iași
TrainerMihai Constantin
Years active2020–present
Kickboxing record
Total21
Wins17
By knockout8
Losses4
By knockout3
Draws0
Instagram information
Page
Years active2016 – present
Followers21 thousand
Contents are inEnglish, Romanian

Updated: September 8, 2024

As of 17 October 2024, Lătescu is ranked the #5 light-heavyweight in the world by GLORY.[3]

Professional kickboxing career

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Lătescu made his professional debut against Eugen Mailat at DFS 7 on March 5, 2020.[4] He won the fight by a first-round technical knockout.[5] Lătescu was placed in the Dynamite Fighting Show Heavyweight tournament immediately afterwards, as he was booked to face Ionuț Iancu in the quarterfinals of the one-day tournament, which took place at DFS 8 on August 20, 2020. He lost the fight by split decision.[6]

Lătescu bounced back from his first professional loss with a unanimous decision win over Florin Ivănoaie at DFS 9 on December 4, 2020.[7] Lătescu next faced Marius Munteanu at DFS 10 on March 10, 2021.[8] He won the fight by unanimous decision. Lătescu would go on to notch two more victories prior to fighting for his first professional title, as he overcame Dževad Poturak by unanimous decision at DFS 11 on June 4, 2021,[9] and Konstantin Gluhov by unanimous decision at DFS 12 on September 22, 2021. His four fight win streak earned Lătescu the chance to face Ionuț Iancu for the vacant DFS Heavyweight Championship at DFS 13 on December 15, 2021. He lost the rematch by a second-round technical knockout, as he was knocked down three times by the two minute mark of the round.[10]

Lătescu made his Senshi debut against Olivier Langlois-Ross at Senshi 12 on July 9, 2022. He won the fight by a third-round knockout.[11] Lătescu next faced Jakob Styben at Senshi 13 in September 2022.[12] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[13] Lătescu returned to Dynamite Fighting Show in order to face Sam Tevette at DFS 14 on October 19, 2022. He won the fight by a first-round knockout.[14]

Lătescu made his K-1 debut against the 2022 K-1 World GP Japan Openweight Tournament winner Mahmoud Sattari at K-1 World GP 2022 in Osaka on December 3, 2022.[15] He won the fight by a second-round technical knockout.[16] Following this victory, Lătescu was ranked as the eighth-best light heavyweight kickboxer in the world by Beyond Kickboxing.[17]

Lătescu faced the 2022 K-1 Japan Openweight Grand Prix finalist Seiya Tanigawa at K-1 World GP 2023: K'Festa 6 on March 12, 2023.[18] He won the fight via KO in the second round.[19]

Lătescu faced Adam Kosut at DFS 19 on May 13, 2023. He won the fight by a second-round knockout.[20]

Lătescu faced the former Krush and K-1 cruiserweight champion K-Jee at K-1 World GP 2023 on July 17, 2023.[21] He won the fight by a first-round knockout.[22]

GLORY

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Lătescu made his promotional Glory debut against Pascal Touré at Glory 88 on September 9, 2023.[23] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[24]

Lătescu faced Ibrahim El Bouni in a light heavyweight title eliminator at Glory: Collision 6 on November 4, 2023.[25] He won the fight by a second-round technical knockout.[26]

Lătescu faced Donegi Abena in the quarterfinals of the Glory Light Heavyweight Grand Prix, held on June 8, 2024, in Rotterdam, Netherlands.[27] [28] He lost the fight due to leg kicks in the third round.[29]

Lătescu will face Bahram Rajabzadeh at Glory 94 on August 31, 2024.[30]

Championships and accomplishments

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Olympic-style boxing

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  • Romania Senior National Championship (2020, 2021, 2022)[2][31]
  • Romania Youth National Championship (2018, 2019)[2]
  • Romania Junior National Championship (2016, 2017)[2]
  • Romania Cadet National Championship (2015)[2]
  • Romanian Youth Cup (2018, 2019)[32][1]

Kempo

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  • Romanian Kempo Federation
    • Romania Youth National Championship (2017)

Kickboxing

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  • Glory
    • 2023 Newcomer of the Year
  • Dynamite Fighting Show
    • 2023 Best Global Performance[33]
    • 2023 Knockout of the Year vs. Adam Kosut[34]
    • 2022 Fighter of the Year[35]
    • 2022 Knockout of the Year vs. Sam Tevette[35]
    • 2021 Rising Star of the Year[36]
    • Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Ionuț Iancu
    • 2019 Tellur Cup Winner
  • K-1
  • Senshi
    • Knockout of the Night (One time) vs. Olivier Langlois-Ross[37]
  • FRFK/FRAMC
    • Romania Junior National Championships (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)[38]
  • ISKA
    • 2019 ISKA Amateur Members Association World Championships Junior Gold Medalist[2][39]
  • Whowillwinfighting
    • 2023 Fighter of the Year
  • Kickboxing Romania Awards

Muay Thai

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  • World Muay Federation
    • 2017 WMF World Muaythai Championships Junior Silver Medalist[1]
  • European Muay Confederation
    • 2017 EMC European Muaythai Championships Junior Gold Medalist[38]
    • 2016 EMC European Muaythai Championships Junior Gold Medalist[38]
    • 2015 EMC European Muaythai Championships Junior Gold Medalist[38]

Professional kickboxing record

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Professional kickboxing record
17 Wins (8 (T)KOs), 4 Losses (2 (T)KO), 0 Draws
Date Result Opponent Event Location Method Round Time Record
2024-12-07   Sergej Maslobojev Glory Collision 7 Arnhem, Netherlands
2024-08-31 Loss   Cem Cáceres Glory 94 Antwerp, Belgium KO (Left hook to the body) 1 2:08 15–4
2024-06-08 Loss   Donegi Abena Glory Light Heavyweight Grand Prix, Quarterfinals Rotterdam, Netherlands TKO (Low kicks) 3 0:59 15–3
2023-11-04 Win   Ibrahim El Bouni Glory: Collision 6 Arnhem, Netherlands TKO (three knockdowns) 2 1:00 15–2
Glory Light Heavyweight Title Eliminator[41]
2023-09-09 Win   Pascal Touré Glory 88 Paris, France Decision (unanimous) 3 3:00 14–2
2023-07-17 Win   K-Jee K-1 World GP 2023 Tokyo, Japan KO (left hook to the body) 1 1:53 13–2
2023-05-13 Win   Adam Kosut DFS 19 Buzău, Romania KO (right hook) 1 1:37 12–2
2023-03-12 Win   Seiya Tanigawa K-1 World GP 2023: K'Festa 6 Tokyo, Japan KO (punches) 2 2:49 11–2
2022-12-03 Win   Mahmoud Sattari K-1 World GP 2022 in Osaka Osaka, Japan TKO (punches) 2 1:37 10–2
2022-10-19 Win   Sam Tevette DFS 16 Iași, Romania KO (punches) 1 2:51 9–2
2022-09-10 Win   Jakob Styben Senshi 13 Varna, Bulgaria Decision (unanimous) 3 3:00 8–2
2022-07-09 Win   Olivier Langlois-Ross Senshi 12 Varna, Bulgaria KO (left hook) 3 0:55 7–2
2022-05-06 Win   Frangis Front Goma DFS 14 Bucharest, Romania Decision (unanimous) 3 3:00 6–2
2021-12-15 Loss   Ionuț Iancu DFS 13 Bucharest, Romania TKO (three knockdowns) 2 2:01 5–2
For the DFS Heavyweight Championship.
2021-09-22 Win   Konstantin Gluhov DFS 12 Baia Mare, Romania Decision (unanimous) 3 3:00 5–1
2021-06-04 Win   Dževad Poturak DFS 11 Bucharest, Romania Decision (unanimous) 3 3:00 4–1
2021-03-10 Win   Marius Munteanu DFS 10 Bucharest, Romania Decision (unanimous) 3 3:00 3–1
2020-12-04 Win   Florin Ivănoaie DFS 9 Cluj-Napoca, Romania Decision (unanimous) 3 3:00 2–1
2020-08-20 Loss   Ionuț Iancu DFS 8, Quarter Finals Bucharest, Romania Decision (split) 3 2:00 1–1
2020-03-05 Win   Eugen Mailat DFS 7 Arad, Romania TKO (referee stoppage) 1 1:36 1–0
Legend:   Win   Loss   Draw/No contest   Notes

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Golden Boy, Ștefan Lătescu, este revelația sportului de contact din Iași. A fost inspirat de Cătălin Moroșanu și face naveta de la 11 ani, ca să-și împlinească visul – FOTO" (in Romanian). BZI. 6 February 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Tyson al României! Ștefan Lătescu a devenit campion al greilor la box la numai 18 ani și se pregătește de debut sub comanda lui Moroșanu" (in Romanian). Gazeta Sporturilor. 18 February 2020.
  3. ^ "Rankings". glorykickboxing.com. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  4. ^ Hunedorean, Mesagerul (19 February 2020). "Eugen Mailat va lupta la Dynamite Fighting Show". mesagerulhunedorean.ro. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  5. ^ GSP (13 March 2020). "VIDEO și FOTO Tyson de România, debut de senzație: "O să mai auziți de mine, nu mă opresc până nu ies campion mondial!"". gsp.ro. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  6. ^ "DFS 8: Iancu Captures Tournament Title". kickboxingz.com. 21 August 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  7. ^ "ISKA Romania: DFS 9 Results". iskaworldhq.com. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  8. ^ Informatia Zilei Satu Mare (9 March 2021). "Satmareanul Marius Munteanu lupta miercuri cu Stefan Latescu! Meciul a inceput la cantarul oficial (Video)". ziare.com. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  9. ^ D.B. (5 June 2021). "Dževad Poturak poražen na bodove od Stefana Latescua". klix.ba. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  10. ^ "Video: Ionuț Iancu, În Continuare Campion La Categoria Grea". dynamitefighting.com. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  11. ^ "SENSHI 12 full fight: Stefan Latescu's crazy KO against Olivie Langlois-Ross". boec.com. 19 July 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  12. ^ "Jakob Styben nimmt einen Umweg in Kauf". saarbruecker-zeitung.de. 26 October 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  13. ^ "SENSHI 13 full fight: Jacob Stiben – Stefan Latescu (VIDEO)". boec.com. 28 September 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  14. ^ Andreea, Bratu (20 October 2022). "Luptătorul Sam Tevette a fost băgat în spital de către ieşeanul Ştefan Lătescu". infoiasionline.ro. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  15. ^ Ziarul de Iasi (26 October 2022). "Veste mare pentru ieseanul Stefan Latescu. Se va bate intr-o gala K 1 din Japonia!". ziare.com. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  16. ^ Găman, Ionuț (3 December 2022). "Victorie uriașă prin KO pentru Ștefan Lătescu (Video)". spotmedia.ro. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  17. ^ Strobel, Kevin (1 January 2023). "Kickboxing Rankings January 2023 — Toma Kuroda Wins Stacked K-1 Grand Prix To Become The Inaugural K-1 Bantamweight Champion". beyondkick.com.
  18. ^ "【K-1】サッタリをKOしたラテスクを迎え撃つ谷川聖哉「いろいろ穴は見つかってきている」と攻略に自信、AKIRA Jr vs.星龍之介も決定". gonkaku.jp. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  19. ^ "O nouă victorie spectaculoasă pentru Ștefan Lătescu în K-1! Românul și-a făcut KO adversarul în runda a doua". as.ro (in Romanian). 12 March 2023.
  20. ^ Emmerink, Ron (14 May 2023). "🎥 Sensatie! Poolse Reus Kosut gesloopt door Roemeens toptalent Lătescu". vechtsportinfo.nl. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  21. ^ "【K-1】K-Jeeが志願して2連続KO勝利のラテスクと対戦「そういう選手に挑戦していく格闘家の人生を送りたい」". news.yahoo.co.jp. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  22. ^ "ラテスクが前王者K-JeeにKO勝ちで現王者カリミアンへの挑戦アピール「ずっと逃げている。大阪でやろう」【K-1】". tokyoheadline.com. 17 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  23. ^ Angelini, Olivier (6 August 2023). "Pascal Touré at Glory 88: Paris against the solid Stefan Latescu". boxemag.com. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  24. ^ Ceafalău, Florian (9 September 2023). "Victorie spectaculoasă pentru Ștefan Lătescu în Glory, exclusiv în AntenaPLAY. L-a demolat pe francezul Toure". Antena Sport (in Romanian). Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  25. ^ "Ел Буни и Латеску се включиха в основната карта на Glory Collision 6". Boec.BG - онлайн медия за бойни спортове (in Bulgarian). 18 September 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  26. ^ "K.O. spectaculos al lui Ștefan Lătescu în gala Glory! Cum și-a doborât adversarul". Sport.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  27. ^ Narcis, Pohoata (31 May 2024). "Ștefan Lătescu va debuta în Piramida Glory împotriva fostului campion mondial Donegi Abena". Revista 100% Sport Romania - Din pasiune pentru sport (in Romanian). Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  28. ^ Narcis, Pohoata. "Ștefan Lătescu și Bogdan Stoica, învinși în sferturi la Piramida Glory de la Rotterdam. Iancu "Tancul", victorie spectaculoasă la debutul în Glory". Radio Hit (in Romanian). Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  29. ^ Pohoață, Narcis (11 June 2024). "Ștefan Lătescu, prima reacție după înfrângerea în fața campionului mondial din Glory". Prosport (in Romanian). Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  30. ^ Wheaton, Timothy (9 August 2024). "Bahram Rajabzadeh vs. Stefan Latescu Booked for GLORY 94 Main Event". Combat Press. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  31. ^ "Cătălin Moroșanu pregătește un super turneu la București: "Va fi luptă capitală!" Se va desfășura în aer liber" (in Romanian). Prosport. 15 July 2020.
  32. ^ "Două titluri pentru pugiliștii ieșeni la Cupa României pentru tineret" (in Romanian). 100sport.ro. 3 December 2019.
  33. ^ [1]
  34. ^ [2]
  35. ^ a b "PREMIILE DFS 2022: LĂTESCU, LUPTĂTORUL ANULUI. ALTE ȘASE CATEGORII PREMIATE" (in Romanian). dynamitefighting.com. 11 January 2023.
  36. ^ "Tancul Olteniei, declarat cel mai bun kickboxer al sezonului 2021! Stoica și Popa au plecat acasă cu câte două trofee" (in Romanian). Prosport. 6 January 2022.
  37. ^ "CONTESTED FIGHTS, SHOCK KNOCKOUTS AND A SPECTACULAR FIGHTING SPECTACLE SENSHI 12 OFFERED TO THE AUDIENCE". senshi.com. 10 July 2022.
  38. ^ a b c d "Ștefan Lătescu: "Obiectivul meu este să devin Campion Mondial al greilor la profesioniști"". 7iasi.ro (in Romanian). 19 February 2020.
  39. ^ "Acum șapte ani se pozau cu Moroșanu și Ciobanu. Povestea incredibilă a celor doi copii din Iași" (in Romanian). Prosport. 23 October 2019.
  40. ^ a b c "NL Topkickboksers winnaars op Kickboxing Romania Awards 2023: 'Bekijk alle resultaten'" (in Dutch). vechtsportinfo.nl. 3 January 2023.
  41. ^ "Ștefan Lătescu, mare victorie la Glory. Românul va lupta pentru titlul mondial în kickboxing". Adevărul (in Romanian). 5 November 2023.