Grégory Choplin

Grégory "Cheetah" Choplin (born 15 November 1980 in Saint-Denis) is a French-Ivorian Middleweight and Super Middleweight Muay Thai kickboxer.[1]

Grégory Choplin
Grégory Choplin at Battle in the Desert II, 2013
Born (1980-11-15) November 15, 1980
Saint-Denis, Paris, France
Other namesCheetah
NationalityFrench
Ivorian
Height1.84 m (6 ft 12 in)
Weight75.0 kg (165.3 lb; 11.81 st)
DivisionSuper Middleweight
Middleweight
Reach74 in (190 cm)
StyleMuay Thai, Kickboxing
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofMiami, Florida, United States
TeamDEREK boxing
Years active2000-present
Kickboxing record
Total67
Wins57
By knockout23
Losses10
By knockout3
last updated on: March 27, 2014

Choplin currently fights out of DEREK boxing in la Courneuve. He is from Saint-Denis, Paris, France. He is a two-time Muay Thai world champion who has had several title fights within the It's Showtime organization and is widely thought of as one of the top kickboxers in France.[2]

Career

After winning titles at youth and amateur level, Choplin would he would turn professional at the age of 20 and won his first professional title, the French Class A championship, a few years later in 2004. The same year he was selected to represent France at the amateur world Muaythai championships in Bangkok, Thailand, reaching the semi finals and claiming a bronze medal.[3][4]

Between 2001 and 2006 Choplin would be virtually unbeatable at home, having defeated top domestic talent such as Frank Nadje and Yohan Lidon. In order to seek greater challenges, Gregory started to compete outside France where his growing reputation got him a world title shot against Vincent Vielvoye in 2006. Despite having beating Vielvoye a few months early (albeit with some controversy) Choplin was seen as the underdog in the battle for the W.P.K.L. belt. After four rounds, however, Gregory was the new champion, defeating the home fighter in front of a partisan Dutch crowd via technical knockout.[5]

In 2007, Choplin would sign a professional contract with the It's Showtime organization, becoming the first and (so far) only Frenchman to sign a contract with the Dutch kickboxing giants.[6] Signing with the organization meant Gregory would face the best fighters in Europe on a regular basis. That year he also won a second world title, defeating Jan de Keyzer in Santander to become the W.F.C.A. champion.[7][8] In 2008 he would participate as a wildcard entry in the bi-annual It's Showtime 75MAX trophy, reaching the final where he lost to Dmitry Shakuta. He was also selected as a contestant for the It's Showtime Reality Show, reaching the semi final stage only to lose to Brazilian Muay Thai supremo Cosmo Alexandre via a devastating knee KO after an extra round in what was an exciting fight.[9]

Gregory bounced back from his recent setups by picking up a number of useful domestic wins against Cédric Muller and Yohan Lidon as well as winning several fights within the It's Showtime organization throughout 2008 and the start of 2009. These results got Choplin a rematch against previous conqueror Dmitry Shakuta for Dmitry's It's Showtime 77MAX title. Choplin was unable to gain revenge for his earlier loss in his failed bid for the title in Budapest, losing a hard five round contest.[10] Throughout 2010 Gregory focused on the domestic scene picking up a good win against top local fighter Moussa Konate. In 2011 Choplin fought in America for the first time, being on the wrong end of an upset when he lost against Ky Hollenbeck - the winner getting a shot at Choplin's old foe Yohan Lidon for the W.B.C. Muaythai world title.[11]

He faced Joe Valtellini at Lion Fight 7 in Las Vegas on October 13, 2012 and won via decision.[12][13]

Choplin lost to Yodsanklai Fairtex by way of third-round KO at Lion Fight 8 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA on January 25, 2013.[14][15][16]

He bounced back with a points win over Gil Silva at Le Choc des Légendes 2013 in Paris, France, on March 9, 2013.[17]

He was scheduled to fight Duochonlek at the WBC World Muay Thai Millennium Championship in Saint-Pierre, Réunion on September 7, 2013[18] but the card fell through.[19]

He defeated Marco Piqué via UD in the main event of Lion Fight 14 in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States on March 28, 2014.[20][21]

Titles

Professional

  • 2013 WBC Muay Thai World Super Middleweight (168 lbs) champion
  • 2011 IKF Intercontinental Middleweight Champion
  • 2008 It's Showtime 75MAX Trophy runner up
  • 2007 W.F.C.A. Thai-boxing world champion -76.2 kg
  • 2006 W.P.K.L. Muaythai world champion -76 kg
  • 2004 French Muaythai Class A national champion

Amateur

  • 2004 I.F.M.A. World Muaythai Championships in Bangkok, Thailand -75 kg

Professional kickboxing record

Professional Kickboxing Record

Amateur kickboxing record

Amateur Kickboxing Record
DateResultOpponentEventLocationMethodRoundTime
2006-11-10Loss Dimitry KirpanI.F.M.A. Muaythai World Championships '04, Semi Final -75 kgBangkok, ThailandDecision42:00
Wins I.F.M.A. World Muaythai Championships '04 Bronze Medal -75 kg.
2006-11-08Win KazimbekI.F.M.A. Muaythai World Championships '04, Quarter Final -75 kgBangkok, ThailandDecision42:00
Legend:   Win   Loss   Draw/No contest   Notes

See also

References

  1. BOXE : Victoire de Grégory Choplin au Choc des Légendes! lesbonnesnews.com (10 mars 2013)
  2. "Gregory Choplin Facebook (Personal Details e.g. D.O.B etc - In French)". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  3. "Grégory Choplin à 19h dans "ça dit quoi"! - Generations 88.2 (Biography detailing early career - in French)". generationsfm.com. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  4. "MUAYTHAITV - Un fructueux championnat du monde pour la France (Info on world championships '04 - in French)". fr.muaythaitv.com. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  5. "Results WPKL titlefights April" (in Dutch). www.kickbox.nl. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  6. "interview of Gregory Choplin - SIAM FIGHT MAG (Mentions signing contract with It's Showtime)". www.siamfightmag.com. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  7. "W.F.C.A. THAIBOXING - World Full Contact Association (Current W.F.C.A. champions)". www.wfca.info. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  8. "Quinto título mundial para Abraham Roqueñi « CINTURON NEGRO (Mentions WFCA title fight result - In Spanish)". cinturonnegro.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  9. "Cosmo Alexandre vs. Gregory Choplin (Fight Video Link)". www.mixfight.nl. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  10. "IT'S SHOWTIME BUDAPEST (HONGRIE) 29.08.09 (In French)". www.thaipowergym.com/. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  11. "Battle in the Desert 2: Cosmo Alexandre Wins US Debut; Ky Hollenbeck Wins WBC Title". www.headkicklegend.com. Retrieved 2011-05-16.
  12. Lion Fight 7 Streaming Live This Saturday. Liverkick.com. Retrieved on 2015-12-29.
  13. Weekend Results: Eddie Walker KO's Joe Schilling. Liverkick.com. Retrieved on 2015-12-29.
  14. Yodsanklai Fairtex vs. Gregory Choplin To Headline Lion Fight 8 On AXS TV. Liverkick.com (2012-05-03). Retrieved on 2015-12-29.
  15. Lion Fight 8 Full Fight Card, Tickets On Sale December 14. Liverkick.com. Retrieved on 2015-12-29.
  16. Walsh, Dave (23 January 2013) Lion Fight 8 Live Results. Liverkick.com
  17. Scalia, Rian (10 March 2013) Weekend Results From France: Tate Avenges Loss, Ozkul Gets DQ Win. Liverkick.com. Retrieved on 2015-12-29.
  18. Sanderson, C.C. (16 May 2013) HUGE France vs. Thailand Card Announced: Yodsanklai, Saenchai, Kem and More Headline. fightsportasia.com
  19. Updated Super Middleweight Rankings. muaythaiauthority.com (14 October 2013)
  20. Lion Fight 14 Results. liverkick.com
  21. Lion Fight 14 Results and Recap. muaythaiauthority.com (29 March 2014)
  22. "Lion Fight Promotions "Battle in the Desert 2" event recap". www.muaythaiauthority.com. Archived from the original on 2011-05-19. Retrieved 2011-05-16.
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