Mahmoud Charr


Mahmoud Omeirat Charr, also known as Manuel Charr, is a Lebanese-born Syrian-German professional boxer. He has held the WBA heavyweight title since 2017 and challenged for the WBC heavyweight title in 2012. In 2015, he was shot four times in the stomach after confronting an internet troll in a German fast-food restaurant. Charr underwent double-hip replacement surgery in May 2017.

Early life and career

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 boxing

Charr was slated to fight WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko on September 8, 2012 in Moscow, Russia for the WBC Heavyweight Championship.
Charr turned up during the post-fight press conference of the David Haye-Dereck Chisora fight on July 14 in order to challenge Haye, after promising to defeat Klitschko in September.
Klitschko won the fight via TKO when Charr had to be stopped due to a cut received from Vitali's punches. Charr strongly protested the stoppage but the decision stayed giving Charr the first defeat of his professional career.
Mahmoud Charr defended his WBC International Silver heavyweight title against Yakup Saglam in Galaţi, Romania on February 22, 2013.
A few days before a scheduled WBA Title fight against Fres Oquendo in September 2018, Charr tested positive for Drostanolone and Trenbolone, and as a result the fight was cancelled.

Manuel Charr vs David Haye

Charr was due to fight David Haye at Manchester Arena on 29 June 2013. However, Haye pulled out of the fight due to a hand injury and decided to fight Tyson Fury instead on September 28. That bout was also cancelled.

Personal life

Mahmoud Charr was born in Lebanon in 1984 to a Lebanese mother and a Syrian father. His father died in Lebanese Civil War. In 1989 when he was five years old, he and his family fled to Germany where he grew up in Essen. Now Charr lives in Cologne. He has suffered chronic hip pain most of his adult life and has had both hips replaced.

Essen shooting

In 2015, an altercation at a kebab shop in Essen 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 police.

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
35Win31–4 Alexander UstinovUD1225 Nov 2017König Pilsener Arena, Oberhausen, Germany.png" />Won vacant WBA heavyweight title
34Win30–4 Sefer SeferiUD1017 Sep 2016EWS Arena, Göppingen, Germany.png" />Won vacant WBA International heavyweight title
33Win29–4 Andrei MazanikTKO7, 2:084 Jun 2016Kassel, Germany.png" />
32Loss28–4 Mairis BriedisKO5, 2:5522 Aug 2015Akhmat-Arena, Grozny, Russia.png" />
31Win28–3 Alex LeapaiUD1022 May 2015Olympic Indoor Arena, Moscow, Russia.png" />
30 Loss27–3 Johann DuhaupasMD1010 Apr 2015Indoor Arena, Moscow, Russia.png" />
29 Win27–2 Michael GrantRTD5, 3:0024 Oct 2014
28Loss26–2 Alexander PovetkinKO7, 1:0930 May 2014Luzhniki, Moscow, Russia.png" />For vacant WBC International heavyweight title
27 Win26–1 Kevin JohnsonUD1012 Apr 2014Telekom Dome, Bonn, Germany.png" />
26 Win25–1 Dennis BakhtovRTD5, 3:0019 Oct 2013Messehalle, Leipzig, Germany.png" />Retained WBC International Silver, WBC Baltic, and WBC Mediterranean heavyweight titles;
Won vacant WBC CIS, and Slovac Boxing Bureau heavyweight titles
25 Win24–1 Oleksiy MazikinKO3, 2:1015 Jun 2013Hattersheim am Main, Germany.png" />Retained WBC Baltic and WBC Mediterranean heavyweight titles
24 Win23–1 Yakup SaglamRTD2, 3:0022 Feb 2013Galaţi Skating Rink, Galaţi, Romania.png" />Retained WBC International Silver heavyweight title
23 Win22–1 Konstantin AirichKO1, 0:4422 Dec 2012Won vacant WBC Baltic and WBC Mediterranean heavyweight titles
22Loss21–1 Vitali KlitschkoTKO4, 2:048 Sep 2012For WBC heavyweight title
21Win21–0 Taras BidenkoUD1230 Mar 2012Retained WBC International Silver heavyweight title
20Win20–0 Marcelo Luiz NascimentoRTD8, 3:0018 Nov 2011Cuxhaven, Germany.png" />Won vacant WBC International Silver heavyweight title
19Win19–0 Serdar UysalDQ1, 1:283 Sep 2011
18Win18–0 Danny WilliamsTKO7, 1:1625 Jun 2011
17Win17–0 Jonathan PasiTKO5, 2:5819 Feb 2011Porsche Arena, Stuttgart, Germany.png" />
16Win16–0 Zack PageMD84 Dec 2010Schwerin, Germany.png" />
15Win15–0 Robert HawkinsRTD5, 3:0019 Nov 2010Hamburg, Germany.png" />
14Win14–0 Owen BeckTKO10, 2:449 Jan 2010Magdeburg, Germany.png" />
13Win13–0 Sherman WilliamsUD1010 Oct 2009Rostock, Germany.png" />
12Win12–0 Ramon HayesTKO3, 0:426 Jun 2009
11Win11–0 Gbenga OloukunKO7, 1:2925 Apr 2009Krefeld, Germany.png" />
10Win10–0 Adnan SerinUD631 May 2008Düsseldorf, Germany.png" />
9Win9–0 Edgars KalnārsUD419 Apr 2008
8Win8–0 Aleksandrs SelezensUD45 Apr 2008
7Win7–0 Pedro CarrionMD813 May 2006Zwickau, Germany.png" />
6Win6–0 Radovan KucaKO1, 1:358 Apr 2006Aachen, Germany.png" />
5Win5–0 Stefan BaumannTKO1, 0:3828 Jan 2006
4Win4–0 Valentin MarinelKO2, 0:4016 Jul 2005Arena Nürnberger Versicherung, Nuremberg, Germany.png" />
3Win3–0 Özcan CetinkayaUD411 Jun 2005Kempten, Germany.png" />
2Win2–0 Nandor KovacsTKO2 28 May 2005Vienna, Austria.png" />
1Win1–0 David VicenaUD414 May 2005Oberfrankenhalle, Bayreuth, Germany.png" />