Eduard Gafencu

Eduard Gafencu (born February 9, 1993) is a Romanian professional kickboxer and boxer. He currently competes in the Colosseum Tournament, in which he is the reigning champion of the welterweight and super welterweight divisions.

Eduard Gafencu
Born (1993-02-09) February 9, 1993
Arad, Romania
Other namesThe Blitz
NationalityRomanian
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight77 kg (170 lb; 12.1 st)
DivisionSuper middleweight
Light heavyweight
Fighting out ofArad, Romania
TeamBoxing Club Ruben Stoia (2017–2020)[1]
Pantera Boxing Academy (2020-2021)[1]
Blitz Team (2021-present)[2]
TrainerValentin Petruț
Years active2017 - present
Professional boxing record
Total3
Wins3
By knockout2
Losses0
Draws0
Kickboxing record
Total17
Wins15
By knockout9
Losses2
By knockout0
Draws0
Other information
Boxing record from BoxRec
last updated on: April 8, 2022

In February 2021, Gafencu signed with Glory.[3][4]

Early life

Gafencu played soccer from 7 to 14 years old, but quit after an injury. He also practiced swimming. Gafencu then started boxing at the age of 15, but after a short while he switched to kickboxing. At the age of 16 and a half, he had his first fight and practiced kickboxing until the age of 21, culminating in a three-year hiatus.[5]

Professional kickboxing career

Gafencu entered the professional circuit in 2017, after being initiated by the coach Gabriel Moț from Top Fighters Club and taken over from Arnold Nagy (Metalbox) by the Ruben Stoia Boxing Club.[6]

Colosseum Tournament

Gafencu competed for various regional Romanian promotions, in the process amassing a record of 6–0.

In 2018, Gafencu had signed a contract with the Colosseum Tournament. He took part in a four-man super welterweight tournament to determine the Colosseum Tournament's first Colosseum Tournament World Super Welterweight Champion.

Gafencu faced Adrian Cibu on September 17, 2018, in the semi-final of the Super Welterweight Tournament. He won the fight in emphatic fashion via knockout in round one to progress to the final round of the tournament. Gafencu faced Leonard Dorin's student Adelin Mihăilă at Colosseum Tournament 8 in the finals. Gafencu won the match via knockout in the third round. The triumph also earned Gafencu his first Performance of the Night award.[7]

Gafencu faced Flavius Boiciuc on December 14, 2018 at Colosseum Tournament 10. He won the fight via unanimous decision.[8]

Gafencu faced the Fight Institute by Peter Aerts's Thomas Doeve on March 29, 2019 at Colosseum Tournament 11. He won the fight via knockout in round one.[9][10][11] This win earned him his second Performance of the Night award.[12] The tornado kick knockout has been also acknowledged by sites like Sherdog, MMA Fighting, MMAjunkie.com and others as the potential Knockout of the Year for 2019.[13][14][15][16]

Gafencu moved down to the welterweight division. He faced the Bonjasky Academy's Ekrem Doruk for the inaugural Colosseum Tournament World Welterweight Championship on May 9, 2019, in the main event of Colosseum Tournament 12. He won the fight via knockout in the second round, becoming the first Colosseum Tournament fighter to win titles in two weight classes. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award for a third time.[17][18]

Dynamite Fighting Show

On January 23, 2020, it was announced that Gafencu had signed a deal with Dynamite Fighting Show.[19]

In his debut fight for the promotion, Gafencu faced the Hemmers Gym's Benjamin Masudi on March 5, 2020 at Dynamite Fighting Show 7. Eduard Gafencu knocked down Masudi twice in the fight. He won the fight via unanimous decision.[20]

Return to Colosseum Tournament

In September 2020, it was announced that Gafencu signed a deal to return to the Colosseum Tournament.[21]

In his return bout, Gafencu was expected to face Adelin Mihăilă in rematch on October 23, 2020 at Colosseum Tournament 20. However on October 6, it was announced that Mihăilă pulled out due to his COVID-19 recovery, and he was replaced by Alexandru Ianţoc. Gafencu won the fight via knockout in the second round.[22][23]

Gafencu faced Anghel Cardoş in a 3-round non-title on February 26, 2021 at Colosseum Tournament 23.[24] He lost the fight via decision.[25]

Fighting style

Gafencu is regarded as one of Romania's best of the new generation of Romanian kickboxers. He earned public praise from Romanian legend Daniel Ghiță for his ring performances.[16] Gafencu was described by Ghiță as "the most talented kickboxer, at present, in the country".[26]

Championships and accomplishments

Kickboxing

Kickboxing record
Kickboxing record
15 wins (9 KOs), 2 losses, 0 draws
Date Result OpponentEventLocation MethodRoundTimeRecord
2022-04-08Loss Joakim HäggColosseum Tournament 30Malmö, SwedenDecision (unanimous)33:0015-2
2021-09-20Win Anghel CardoşColosseum Tournament 27Oradea, RomaniaDecision (unanimous)53:0015-1
Defended the Colosseum Tournament World Welterweight Championship. Performance of the Night.
2021-05-31Win Flavius BoiciucColosseum Tournament 25Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaDecision (unanimous)33:0014-1
2021-02-26Loss Anghel CardoşColosseum Tournament 23Bucharest, RomaniaDecision (majority)33:0013-1
2020-10-23Win Alexandru IanţocColosseum Tournament 20Arad, RomaniaKO (jumping knee)22:2513-0
2020-03-05Win Benjamin MasudiDynamite Fighting Show 7Arad, RomaniaDecision (unanimous)33:0012-0
2019-05-09Win Ekrem DorukColosseum Tournament 12Arad, RomaniaKO (jumping knee and punches)22:1311-0
Won the inaugural Colosseum Tournament World Welterweight Championship. Performance of the Night.
2019-03-29Win Thomas DoeveColosseum Tournament 11Bucharest, RomaniaKO (tornado kick)12:1910-0
Performance of the Night.
2018-12-14Win Flavius BoiciucColosseum Tournament 10Timișoara, RomaniaDecision (unanimous)33:009-0
2018-09-17Win Adelin MihăilăColosseum Tournament 8, FinalBucharest, RomaniaKO (right hook & double left hook)30:228-0
Won the inaugural Colosseum Tournament World Super Welterweight Championship. Performance of the Night.
2018-09-17Win Adrian CibuColosseum Tournament 8, Semi-finalBucharest, RomaniaKO (flurry of punches)12:577-0
Performance of the Night.
2018-01-28Win Paul CrețiuFighters League 2Reșița, RomaniaDecision (unanimous)33:006-0
Legend:   Win   Loss   Draw/No contest   Notes

Professional boxing record
Professional record summary
3 fights 3 wins 0 losses
By knockout 3 0
By decision 0 0
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
2 Win 2–0 Corneliu Lisii TKO 4 (4) 28 June 2019 Sala Olimpia, Timișoara, Romania
1 Win 1–0 Titusz Szabó KO 1 (4), 2:18 17 November 2018 Sala Polivalentă, Arad, Romania

See also

References
  1. "Eduard Gafencu a inceput la Pantera Boxing Academy stagiu de pregatire" (in Romanian). Jurnal de Craiova. 2020-07-06.
  2. "Edi Gafencu a pierdut al doilea meci al carierei" (in Romanian). Sport Arad. 2022-04-08.
  3. "Glory Kickboxing haalt Roemeense topvechter binnen (video)" (in Dutch). vechtsportinfo.nl. 2021-02-18.
  4. "Gafencu Working Hard for Friday Bout". kickboxingz.com. 2021-02-20.
  5. "Povestea sportivului Eduard Gafencu. Arădeanul a ajuns și în presa din Vietnam datorită luptelor din ring" (in Romanian). ziardearad.ro. 2019-04-05.
  6. "Cu Ruben Stoia și Eduard Gafencu în sala-simbol a BOXULUI ARĂDEAN" (in Romanian). Critic Arad. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  7. "Video KO spectaculos la Colosseum Tournament. Victorie românească în main event" (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 17 September 2018.
  8. "Results for Colosseum Tournament Kickboxing from Timisoara, Romania 14.12.2018". FightBox. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  9. "Results for Colosseum Tournament Kickboxing XI 29.03.2019 from Bucharest, Romania". FightBox. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  10. "Colosseum Tournament XI: Ghita Demolishes Vondracek". Kickboxing Z. 2019-03-29.
  11. "BRUTAL: Tornado Kick KO". Kickboxing Z. 2019-03-31.
  12. "Arădeanul Eduard Gafencu a semnat un acord cu Dynamite Fighting Show" (in Romanian). Ziar de Arad. 24 January 2020.
  13. "Kickboxing Highlight Video: Eduard Gafencu Knocks Thomas Doeve Out Cold with Tornado Kick". Sherdog. 2019-03-29.
  14. "Video: Eduard Gafencu lands spectacular tornado kick knockout". MMA Fighting. 2019-03-29.
  15. "This nasty tornado kick knockout from Colosseum IX may take the weekend". MMAjunkie.com. 2019-03-29.
  16. "Colosseum: "Tornado Kid" Returns in May". kickboxingz.com. 2019-04-07.
  17. "Results: Gafencu, Mincu Win Titles at Colosseum Tournament XII". Kickboxing Z. 2019-05-09.
  18. "Colosseum Tournament XII - LIVE from Arad, Romania 09.05.2019". fightbox.com. Retrieved 2019-06-09.
  19. "Dynamite Announces David vs Goliath 2, Signs Top Romanian Prospect". Kickboxing Z. 2020-01-24.
  20. "DFS 7: David vs Goliath 2 Results". Kickboxing Z. 2020-03-05.
  21. ""Tornado Kid" Gafencu Returning to Colosseum". Kickboxing Z. 2020-10-09.
  22. "Colosseum Tournament: Dey Grand Prix Results". Kickboxing Z. 2020-10-23.
  23. "Results for Colosseum Tournament Kickboxing from Arad, Romania 23.10.2020". FightBox. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
  24. "Cardos Says He'll KO Gafencu at Colosseum XXIII". Kickboxing Z. 2021-02-11.
  25. Colosseum Tournament XXIII: RESULTS
  26. "Daniel Ghiță, unicul campion român de kickbox, le dă în freză lui Moroșanu și Zmărăndescu" (in Romanian). Evenimentul Zilei. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  27. "Video KO spectaculos la Colosseum Tournament. Victorie românească în main event" (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 2018-09-17.
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