Jean-Claude Leuyer is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 former kickboxer

Kickboxing

Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....

 who competed in the super heavyweight

Super heavyweight

In amateur boxing, the super heavyweight division is a weight class division for fighters weighing in excess of 91 kilograms . Introduced for the 1984 Summer Olympics, the division, despite its grandiose name, is merely the amateur equivalent of the professional heavyweight division...

 division.

Biography and career

Leuyer won a number of Muay Thai

Muay Thai

Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...

 titles in North America before making his debut in the K-1

K-1

K-1 is a defunct world-wide kickboxing promotion based in Tokyo, Japan founded by Kazuyoshi Ishii, a formerKyokushin karate practitioner. K-1 combines stand up techniques from Muay Thai, Karate, Taekwondo, Savate, San Shou, kickboxing, western-style boxing, and other martial arts...

 promotion in March 1996 at the K-1 Grand Prix '96 Opening Battle, where he was violently knocked out at the hands of future superstar Peter Aerts

Peter Aerts

Peter "The Dutch Lumberjack" Aerts is a Dutch super heavyweight kickboxer. He is a three-time K-1 World Grand Prix and Muay Thai World Champion. Aerts is best known for his powerful strikes and high kicks.- Biography :...

. He later defeated legendary fighter Rob Kaman

Rob Kaman

Rob "The Dutchman" Kaman is a Dutch retired 9 time kickboxing and Muay Thai world champion considered by many as the greatest kickboxer of all time. Often called "Mr. Low Kick" because of his feared low kicks which he used to set up his devastating offensive attacks.- Biography :In his early days...

 via technical knockout due to a shin injury at K-1 Hercules '96 in December of the same year.

In July 1997, he faced Ray Sefo

Ray Sefo

"Sugar" Ray Sefo is a New Zealand kickboxer, boxer and mixed martial artist. He is five time Muay Thai World champion and eight time K-1 World Grand Prix Finals tournament participant, currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada and training with Xtreme Couture.He holds notable wins in the K-1 over...

 for the W.K.B.A. World Super Heavyweight Championship at K-1 Dream '97, and lost via unanimous decision after seven rounds. He met Sefo once again that year, only to suffer the same fate once more. He also fought Maurice Smith for the Draka World Super Heavyweight Championship in May 1998, but the bout was ruled a draw.

Since his retirement from fighting, Leuyer has appeared in a number of films including Jet Li

Jet Li

The fame gained by his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Li acquired his screen name in 1982 in the Philippines when a publicity company thought his real name was too hard to pronounce...

's Fearless

Fearless (2006 film)

Fearless, known in Chinese as Huo Yuanjia and Jet Li's Fearless in the United Kingdom and the United States, is a 2006 film directed by Ronny Yu and starring Jet Li...

.

Titles

• IFCA Muay Thai World Champion
• USHE Heavyweight Champion
• ISKA
  Iska
  Iska is a village in Koonga Parish, Pärnu County in southwestern Estonia....
  
   Freestyle World Super Heavyweight Champion
• ISKA
  Iska
  Iska is a village in Koonga Parish, Pärnu County in southwestern Estonia....
  
   Muay Thai World Super Heavyweight Champion
• USMTA Muay Thai Heavyweight Champion

Kickboxing record

Kickboxing record
Legend:

External links

• Fighters Profile