Who was Mihai Leu, the former world champion in boxing and rallies that died at the age of 56

Mihai Leu, a former world boxing champion and rally champion, died on Tuesday evening, at the age of 56, after a long fight.

The announcement was posted on the Facebook page of the former athlete. “With deep pain, we announce Mihai's non -ending, a real champion, both in the boxing ring and on the motorsport circuits, Mihai was much more than an exceptional athlete, it was a symbol of will, courage and passion,” writes in the statement published on the Facebook page of the great champion.

“For fans, Mihai was and will remain a model. A man who inspired through every fight, every race and the dignity with which he lived his life. For us, for the family, a friend and a wonderful father. His inheritance goes on through all those who loved him, I have not suited him.

The former world boxing champion was suffering from several health problems, being admitted several times in the hospital in serious condition.

In fact, Mihai Leu was hospitalized in serious condition at the Intensive Care of the Fundeni Clinical Institute in the Capital for more than a week.

“The patient Mihai Leu is still admitted to the Intensive Care section. The general general condition, stationary evolution is maintained,” Fundeni Clinical Institute, in a press release, transmitted.

According to medical sources, quoted by Agerpres, Leo was in an induced coma, being constantly monitored.

The former great champion had arrived on June 21 at the Fundeni Clinical Institute with a helicopter, after he had bleeding again. He had pulmonary insufficiency and pulmonary metastases.

He had recently been admitted to Fundeni Hospital, from April 28 to May 15, due to complications, in the context of struggling for ten years with cancer.

Increasing problems in the last year

A month ago he had been operated on and had a message full of optimism on the hospital bed.

“” My dear, I read as much as I could from the hundreds of messages, comments and posts showing me that you were with me. Even though I did not always have access to the phone, to know that your support has come to me, and it gave me power. I went well over the hard period after the operation. Good thoughts, every encouragement mattered.

Leo had been admitted to December last year in serious condition, at the same hospital.

Suffering from colon cancer

Mihai Leu was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2014. The disease relapsed in December 2024, when he needed a kidney stent, according to Digisport. His complicated operation, and Leo had at that time very low chances of survival. In total, over the years, it has undergone four operations.

Born on February 13, 1969 in Hunedoara, Mihai Leu became a world champion in the semi -middle category in 1997 and withdrew from the professional boxing following an injury. He later began to compete as a rally pilot and became a national champion in 2003.

Leo had won the World Junior Championship in the Semigrea category, in Havana, in 1987, according to the Wikipedia biography. In the same year, he remained after a competition in Greece, and then fled to France, and from here to Western Germany in 1990 he became the national champion of Germany, and then became a professional boxer. In Germany, it was known as Michael Löwe.

The terminals of the impressive career as a sportsman

Mihai Leu was born on February 13, 1968, in Hunedoara.

He started boxing in 1977 at the Hunedoara Builder club, being trained by Ion Turic. In 1981 he went to the Metalul Hunedoara Club, being trained by Alexandra Pescar, so that in 1982 he would sign with Dinamo, where he was preparing with coach Ion Monea, writes Agerpres.

Since 1986 he has passed the Steaua club, being part of the national boxing group of Romania, where he was trained by Dumitru Ion and Alec Năstase.

He conquered the title what national champion of Romania (1983, 1984, 1985, 1986). He was a world champion in the junior in 1987. In the competitive amateur circuit he boxed in 200 matches, of which he won 190, according to www.lead.ro.

In 1991, Mihai Leu went to professionals. In 1995, he conquered the title of intercontinental champion WBO, which he did not defend it later.

He became a world champion in Hamburg, in 1997, in the match played on February 22 against Santiago Samaniego, becoming the first world champion in Romanian professionals, according to www.lead.ro. At the professionals he boxed in 28 parties, winning all the confrontations. On September 20, 1997, in Aachen, in Germany, he defended his WBO title in the semi-middle in the match against Irish boxer Michael Carruth, according to www.eurosport.ro.

He retired in 1998 with a 28-0 crushing record, of which 10 victories were through KO. The injury to the left arm that caused him to put the gloves in the nail and withdraw from the professional box suffered in the match with Santiago Samaniego, from February 1997. It was operated on the left arm, a long period of recovery followed, but the problems on the arm remained and faced them in September, in September. Another operation followed, but also without success, according to www.retiredboxers.com. The first Romanian world champion at the professional boxing has withdrawn from the boxing ring due to the injury from the arm, without knowing the defeat in the professional competition ring.

He made his debut in 1994 in the sports car, on the occasion of the Banat Rally, at the wheel of a Volkswagen Golf GTI, occupying fifth place in the ranking of the respective competition class. He continued to fly at the wheel of several Ford models and then aboard a Hyundai Accent model. In 2001, at the end of the championship he finished in second place, becoming a national vice -champion.

In 2003, he obtained the title of national champion. He constantly piloted until 2008, when he decided to focus on the management of the rally teams and the development of the National Rally championship, being an important promoter of the rally of Arad and the rally of Sibiu, according to the portal mvmrallymotorsport.ro.

In 2003 he graduated from the Institute of Physical Education and Sport in Timisoara, working as a university assistant at the “Tibiscus” University.

He applied for the 2007 MEPs and the 2008 local elections for the position of mayor at the Hunedoara City Hall from the Conservative Party, but without success.

He was, since 2008, a local councilor at the Local Council of Hunedoara until March 2011, when he submitted his resignation. Mihai Leu was, in 2008, a counselor of the Minister of Information Communications and Technology, Karoly Borbely, having as a field of activity the relations with the town halls and the prefects.

On December 17, 2012, he made his debut as a professional referee in Nurnberg, in the match for the World WBO title at the super-middle, played between Arthur Abraham and Mehdi Bouadla.

In 2014, he was diagnosed with an oncological condition in the colon, and has since been undergoing several surgery.

In 2018, he decided to return to the position of pilot in the National Coast Speed ​​Championship, at the wheel of a Ferrari 458 Challenge model, and in the 2019 edition was a national champion in category 1, also equal in 2021.