Nelson Hysa (born 3 September 1984) is an Albanian professional boxer. At regional level, he held multiple heavyweight championships. As an amateur, he represented Albania at multiple international tournaments, including the Mediterranean Games and World Championships.
As of October 2026, Hysa is ranked No. 5 by the WBA and No. 10 by the WBO.
Early life Nelson Hysa was born in Shkodër, Albania. Raised in a sports-oriented family background, he began boxing at a young age, starting his training around the year 2000. Over the course of his extensive youth and amateur career, Hysa emerged as one of Albania's most decorated amateur boxers, winning the Albanian national heavyweight championship 22 times. He went on to represent Albania at major international competitions for over two decades before turning professional.
Amateur career Hysa had an extensive amateur career spanning over two decades from 2000 to 2023, during which he established himself as Albania's dominant super-heavyweight (+91 kg / +92 kg) boxer. He secured 22 national championship titles in Albania and spent nearly twenty years as the primary super-heavyweight representative on the Albanian national team.
Throughout his international amateur tenure, Hysa represented Albania at major continental and international multi-sport events and championships, including the World Amateur Boxing Championships, the Mediterranean Games, and European Olympic qualifying tournaments. Over the course of his career, he faced several high-profile international heavyweights, sharing the ring with future Olympic champion and world title challenger Roberto Cammarelle, future Olympic gold medalist David Price, and world title challenger Kubrat Pulev.
In addition to his national titles, Hysa achieved victories in regional international tournaments such as the Adem Jashari Tournament in Kosovo and the Vllaznia Memorial Tournament in Shkodër. He continued to compete in international amateur tournaments until mid-2023—including the 2023 IBA Men's World Boxing Championships in Tashkent - concurrently with the start of his professional boxing career.
Professional career Early career After a lengthy amateur career spanning over two decades, Hysa made his professional debut late in his athletic career at age 37 on 14 May 2022, defeating Stefan Cajic in Tirana via first-round retirement. Competing as "The Albanian Eagle", he maintained an extraordinarily active schedule during his first two years in the professional ranks.
In 2022, Hysa built an undefeated record of 5–0, including a notable unanimous decision win over former British heavyweight contender Danny Williams in November. In 2023, he drastically accelerated his activity, securing eight consecutive victories—seven of them coming inside the distance. During this span, he claimed his first minor regional titles. In March 2023, he captured the Universal Boxing Organization (UBO) International Heavyweight Title by knocking out Vikapita Meroro, followed by winning the Universal Boxing Federation (UBF) International title against Juan Camilo Novoa in April.
Hysa capped off 2023 by winning his first major regional belt, defeating Maximiliano Alejandro Sosa for the vacant WBC-CISBB Heavyweight Title in September, which he successfully defended two months later against Viktar Chvarkou. By the end of 2023, Hysa had compiled a 14–0 professional record with 12 knockouts.
Rise up the ranks Following his early success, Hysa accelerated his push toward world contention throughout 2024 and 2025 by securing major regional titles and climbing the international sanctioning body rankings.
In July 2024, Hysa captured the vacant WBO European Heavyweight Title by defeating Germany's Thorsten Fuchs via first-round knockout in Tirana. He continued his undefeated momentum with stoppage victories over Jeison Troncoso and Ariel Esteban Bracamonte later that year.
In October 2025, Hysa scored a third-round stoppage victory over Abel Pesut to claim both the WBA Gold Heavyweight Title and the vacant WBO Global Heavyweight Title. Maintaining a frequent competition schedule, Hysa reached an undefeated record of 25–0 with 23 knockouts following a technical knockout win over Thomas Narmo. His title defenses and high knockout percentage propelled him into the top world rankings, securing spots as the No. 5 heavyweight contender in the WBA and No. 10 in the WBO.
WBC heavyweight title challenge Hysa vs. Kabayel On 28 November 2026, Hysa is scheduled to face reigning WBC Heavyweight Champion Agit Kabayel at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf, Germany. Following public exchanges and a direct challenge issued by Hysa, the matchup was formally booked as Kabayel's first defense of his WBC title. The bout represents Hysa's first opportunity at a major world title and offering him the opportunity to become the first Albanian world champion in heavyweight boxing history.
Personal life Hysa is married and has children. He resides in Tirana, Albania, having spent much of his earlier life and boxing career based in his native city of Shkodër. Hysa has frequently emphasized the key role his family plays in his life and athletic motivation. In interviews, he has noted that his wife regularly attends his professional bouts, while he generally avoids having his young children present in the arena due to the physical intensity of the sport.
Professional boxing record
ResultRecordOpponentTypeRoundDateLocationNotes25Win25–0Thomas NarmoTKO2 (10), 29 Aug 202624Win24–0Abel PesutRTD3 (10), 9 Oct 202523Win23–0Patrick KorteTKO2 (10), 7 Jun 202522Win22–0Edwin CastilloKO3 (10), 12 Apr 202521Win21–0Yonny MolinaKO1 (8), 8 Mar 202520Win20–0Todorche CvetkovTKO3 (10), 15 Feb 202519Win19–0Ariel Esteban BracamonteKO2 (8), 22 Nov 202418Win18–0Thorsten FuchsKO1 (10), 20 Jul 202417Win17–0Jeison TroncosoKO3 (10)1 Jun 202416Win16–0Brayan SantanderKO2 (8), 14 Apr 202415Win15–0Lukas NdafolumaTKO6 (10), 30 Mar 202414Win14–0Luis Jose Marin GarciaKO1 (10), 16 Dec 202313Win13–0Deivis CasseresKO1 (8), 28 Nov 202312Win12–0Viktar ChvarkouRTD3 (10), 18 Nov 202311Win11–0Maximiliano Alejandro SosaTKO1 (10), 9 Sep 202310Win10–0Marcos Antonio AumadaRTD3 (8), 29 Jul 20239Win9–0Willbeforce ShihepoTKO3 (8), 4 Jun 20238Win8–0Juan Camilo NovoaTKO3 (10), 1 Apr 20237Win7–0Vikapita MeroroKO3 (10), 17 Mar 20236Win6–0Pavel SourUD623 Jan 20235Win5–0Danny Williams613 Nov 20224Win4–0Muhammed Ali Durmaz4 (6), 24 Sep 20223Win3–0Fadil Pasalic2 (6), 9 Sep 20222Win2–0Drazan JanjaninRTD3 (6), 25 Jul 20221Win1–0Stefan Cajic1 (4), 14 May 2022
See also List of male boxers
References
External links