Mahmoud Charr


Mahmoud Charr, previously known as Manuel Charr, is a Syrian-German professional boxer. He held the World Boxing Association heavyweight title twice between 2017 and 2024.
WWW Official Site

Early life

Charr, son of a Syrian father and a Lebanese mother grew up in Beirut. In 1989, his mother fled to Germany with six of her eight children. His father had died in the Lebanese civil war. Mahmoud started his martial arts career with Thai boxing at the age of 17. Two years later he became the youngest ever German Champion in Muay Thai. In 2005 he became the German Champion and the European Champion in Thai-Boxing at the age of 19. Due to his track record in Thai-Boxing, in 2000 Mahmoud was invited to a training camp for professional boxers at the famous Max Schmeling Gym in Berlin. Here his professional boxing career started under the supervision of the famous German boxing coach Ulli Wegner.

Amateur career

  • 2002 TeutoCup Champion
  • 2003 District Champion
  • 2004 Westfahlen Champion
  • 2004 Western German Champion

Professional career

After compiling a perfect record of 21–0, Charr fought WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko on September 8, 2012 in Moscow, Russia. Charr was knocked down in the second round with a right hook, and he lost the bout by fourth-round technical knockout when it was stopped due to a cut received as a result of Klitschko's punches. Charr strongly protested the stoppage but the decision remained the same, giving Charr the first defeat of his professional career.
Charr defended his WBC International Silver heavyweight title against Yakup Saglam in Galaţi, Romania on February 22, 2013.
He turned up to the post-fight press conference of the David Haye vs. Derek Chisora fight on 14 July 2012 in order to challenge the victorious Haye. Charr and Haye agreed to fight at Manchester Arena on 29 June 2013, but on 14 May, Haye pulled out due to a hand injury sustained in training. Haye went on to agree to fight undefeated Tyson Fury instead on 28 September, but that bout was also cancelled.
Charr improved his record to 26–1 with wins over Oleksiy Mazikin, Dennis Bakhtov and Kevin Johnson, before challenging highly-ranked Alexander Povetkin on 30 May 2014 for the vacant WBC International title in Moscow, Russia. Charr lost the bout by seventh-round knockout, suffering his second career loss.
Charr's fight against Povetkin was the first of five consecutive bouts that subsequently took place in Russia, the last of which was a brutal one-punch fifth-round knockout defeat to Mairis Breidis on 22 August 2015 in Grozny, Chechnya.
After improving to 30–4, Charr faced Alexander Ustinov for the vacant WBA (Regular) title in Oberhausen, Germany on 25 November 2017, and won by unanimous decision. Despite the "Regular" title being secondary to the WBA's "Super" title which at the time was held by Anthony Joshua, the victory nonetheless meant that Charr was the first German heavyweight world champion in 85 years.
A few days before Charr was scheduled to defend his WBA title against Fres Oquendo in September 2018, Charr tested positive for drostanolone and trenbolone, and as a result the fight was cancelled.
In January 2021, Charr was stripped of his WBA title due to inactivity. More than 3 years since he last fought, Charr returned to the ring on 15 May 2021 and recorded his 32nd career victory, with a second-round knockout of undefeated Christopher Lovejoy. Following extensive litigation with the WBA, Charr's title was restored on 31 August 2023 as part of a court settlement, and he was ordered to defend against Jarrell Miller by 14 October of that year, with the winner to face the next highest contender. This came just five days after the WBA eliminated the "regular" title in a consolidation bout that was part of the organization's efforts to reduce the number of champions per division. The 14 October deadline came and went, the fight with Miller failing to materialize due to reported financial issues. As a result, the WBA granted Charr a 60-day extension to find a new opponent.
Eventually, Charr was scheduled to fight Kubrat Pulev in Bulgaria on March 30, 2024. Charr tore his bicep in training and fight was postponed until September. The fight eventually took place on 7 December 2024 in Sofia, Bulgaria, with Pulev winning a unanimous points decision and the WBA title.

Personal life

In 2015, an altercation at a kebab shop in Essen, Germany led to a drive-by shooting which left Charr shot four times in the abdomen and forced to undergo emergency surgery that night to save his life. Charr was dining with rapper Kay One at the time of the incident, which occurred following an argument with an online troll who had been abusing the boxer for some weeks. The perpetrator, whom Charr identified to police, turned himself in to the police. Charr underwent double-hip replacement surgery in May 2017.
Charr announced on social media that on April 24, 2024 his first son was born in the Kings College Hospital of Dubai.

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
39Loss34–5Kubrat PulevUD127 Dec 2024Arena Armeec, Sofia, BulgariaLost WBA heavyweight title
38Win34–4Nuri SeferiTKO2, 2:5621 Dec 2022ECB Boxgym, Hamburg, Germany
37Win33–4Nikola MilačićKO3, 1:2128 May 2022Die Bucht, Hamburg, Germany
36Win32–4Christopher LovejoyKO2, 1:0915 May 2021Box Gym, Cologne, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
35Win31–4Alexander UstinovUD1225 Nov 2017König Pilsener Arena, Oberhausen, GermanyWon vacant WBA (Regular) heavyweight title
34Win30–4Sefer SeferiUD1017 Sep 2016EWS Arena, Göppingen, GermanyWon vacant WBA International heavyweight title
33Win29–4Andrei MazanikTKO7, 2:084 Jun 2016Autohaus Duerkop, Kassel, Germany
32Loss28–4Mairis BriedisKO5, 2:5522 Aug 2015Akhmat-Arena, Grozny, Russia
31Win28–3Alex LeapaiUD1022 May 2015Olympic Indoor Arena, Moscow, Russia
30Loss27–3Johann DuhaupasMD1010 Apr 2015Olympic Indoor Arena, Moscow, Russia
29Win27–2Michael GrantRTD5, 3:0024 Oct 2014Olympic Indoor Arena, Moscow, Russia
28Loss26–2Alexander PovetkinKO7, 1:0930 May 2014Luzhniki, Moscow, RussiaFor vacant WBC International heavyweight title
27Win26–1Kevin JohnsonUD1012 Apr 2014Telekom Dome, Bonn, Germany
26Win25–1Dennis BakhtovRTD5, 3:0019 Oct 2013Messehalle, Leipzig, GermanyRetained WBC International Silver and WBC Mediterranean heavyweight titles;
Won vacant WBC CIS and Slovac Boxing Bureau heavyweight titles
25Win24–1Oleksiy MazikinKO3, 2:1015 Jun 2013Karl Eckel Halle, Hattersheim am Main, GermanyRetained WBC Mediterranean heavyweight title
24Win23–1Yakup SaglamRTD2, 3:0022 Feb 2013Galaţi Skating Rink, Galaţi, RomaniaRetained WBC International Silver heavyweight title
23Win22–1Konstantin AirichKO1, 0:4422 Dec 2012Maritim Hotel, Cologne, GermanyWon vacant WBC Mediterranean heavyweight title
22Loss21–1Vitali KlitschkoTKO4, 2:048 Sep 2012Olympic Indoor Arena, Moscow, RussiaFor WBC heavyweight title
21Win21–0Taras BidenkoUD1230 Mar 2012Maritim Hotel, Cologne, GermanyRetained WBC International Silver heavyweight title
20Win20–0Marcelo NascimentoRTD8, 3:0018 Nov 2011Kugelbake-Halle, Cuxhaven, GermanyWon vacant WBC International Silver heavyweight title
19Win19–0Serdar Uysal1, 1:283 Sep 2011Kugelbake-Halle, Cuxhaven, Germany
18Win18–0Danny WilliamsTKO7, 1:1625 Jun 2011Lanxess-Arena, Cologne, Germany
17Win17–0Jonathan PasiTKO5, 2:5819 Feb 2011Porsche Arena, Stuttgart, Germany
16Win16–0Zack PageMD84 Dec 2010Sport Center, Schwerin, Germany
15Win15–0Robert Hawkins5, 3:0019 Nov 2010Universum Gym, Hamburg, Germany
14Win14–0Owen BeckTKO10, 2:449 Jan 2010Bordelandhalle, Magdeburg, Germany
13Win13–0Sherman WilliamsUD1010 Oct 2009Stadthalle, Rostock, Germany
12Win12–0Ramon HayesTKO3, 0:426 Jun 2009Koenig Arena, Oberhausen, Germany
11Win11–0Gbenga OloukunKO7, 1:2925 Apr 2009König Palast, Krefeld, Germany
10Win10–0Adnan SerinUD631 May 2008Burg-Waechter, Düsseldorf, Germany
9Win9–0Edgars KalnārsUD419 Apr 2008Bordelandhalle, Magdeburg, Germany
8Win8–0Aleksandrs SelezensUD45 Apr 2008Burg-Waechter, Düsseldorf, Germany
7Win7–0Pedro Carrion813 May 2006Stadthalle, Zwickau, Germany
6Win6–0Radovan KucaKO1, 1:358 Apr 2006Saaltheater Geulen, Aachen, Germany
5Win5–0Stefan BaumannTKO1, 0:3828 Jan 2006Tempodrom, Berlin, Germany
4Win4–0Valentin Marinel2, 0:4016 Jul 2005Arena Nürnberger Versicherung, Nuremberg, Germany
3Win3–0Özcan CetinkayaUD411 Jun 2005Big Box, Kempten, Germany
2Win2–0Nandor Kovacs2 28 May 2005Lugner City, Vienna, Austria
1Win1–0David Vicena414 May 2005Oberfrankenhalle, Bayreuth, Germany