| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 6 September 1984 |
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) |
| Weight | Heavyweight |
| Boxing career | |
| Reach | 79 in (201 cm) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 25 |
| Wins | 25 |
| Win by KO | 23 |
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
| 25 fights | 25 wins | 0 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 23 | 0 |
| By decision | 2 | 0 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Win | 25–0 | Thomas Narmo | TKO | 2 (10), 0:36 | 29 Aug 2026 | O2 Arena, London, England | Retained WBO Global heavyweight title |
| 24 | Win | 24–0 | Abel Pesut | RTD | 3 (10), 3:00 | 9 Oct 2025 | Tirana Olympic Park, Tirana, Albania | Won vacant WBA Gold and WBO Global heavyweight titles |
| 23 | Win | 23–0 | Patrick Korte | TKO | 2 (10), 2:05 | 7 Jun 2025 | Portman Road, Ipswich, England | Retained WBO European heavyweight title |
| 22 | Win | 22–0 | Edwin Castillo | KO | 3 (10), 0:40 | 12 Apr 2025 | RuhrCongress, Bochum, Germany | |
| 21 | Win | 21–0 | Yonny Molina | KO | 1 (8), 1:38 | 8 Mar 2025 | Wolf-Ferrari-Haus, Ottobrunn, Germany | |
| 20 | Win | 20–0 | Todorche Cvetkov | TKO | 3 (10), 0:49 | 15 Feb 2025 | Harrow Leisure Centre, London, England | Retained WBO European heavyweight title |
| 19 | Win | 19–0 | Ariel Esteban Bracamonte | KO | 2 (8), 1:12 | 22 Nov 2024 | York Hall, London, England | |
| 18 | Win | 18–0 | Thorsten Fuchs | KO | 1 (10), 1:45 | 20 Jul 2024 | Skanderbeg Square, Tirana, Albania | Won vacant WBO European heavyweight title |
| 17 | Win | 17–0 | Jeison Troncoso | KO | 3 (10) | 1 Jun 2024 | Patinoires du Littoral, Neuchâtel, Switzerland | Won vacant IBO International heavyweight title |
| 16 | Win | 16–0 | Brayan Santander | KO | 2 (8), 0:37 | 14 Apr 2024 | Qazim Dervishi Sports Palace, Shkodër, Albania | |
| 15 | Win | 15–0 | Lukas Ndafoluma | TKO | 6 (10), 2:18 | 30 Mar 2024 | Shkodër, Albania | |
| 14 | Win | 14–0 | Luis Jose Marin Garcia | KO | 1 (10), 1:06 | 16 Dec 2023 | Challenge Club Arena, Offenbach, Germany | |
| 13 | Win | 13–0 | Deivis Casseres | KO | 1 (8), 0:50 | 28 Nov 2023 | Tirana Olympic Park, Tirana, Albania | |
| 12 | Win | 12–0 | Viktar Chvarkou | RTD | 3 (10), 3:00 | 18 Nov 2023 | Tirana Olympic Park, Tirana, Albania | Retained WBC-CISBB heavyweight title |
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | Maximiliano Alejandro Sosa | TKO | 1 (10), 2:10 | 9 Sep 2023 | Ostermann-Arena, Leverkusen, Germany | Won vacant WBC-CISBB heavyweight title |
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Marcos Antonio Aumada | RTD | 3 (8), 3:00 | 29 Jul 2023 | City Square, Tetovo, North Macedonia | |
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Willbeforce Shihepo | TKO | 3 (8), 1:05 | 4 Jun 2023 | Shkodër, Albania | |
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Juan Camilo Novoa | TKO | 3 (10), 2:20 | 1 Apr 2023 | Podgorica, Montenegro | Won vacant UBF International heavyweight title |
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Vikapita Meroro | KO | 3 (10), 1:27 | 17 Mar 2023 | Tirana Olympic Park, Tirana, Albania | Won vacant UBO International heavyweight title |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Pavel Sour | UD | 6 | 23 Jan 2023 | Qazim Dervishi Sports Palace, Shkodër, Albania | |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Danny Williams | UD | 6 | 13 Nov 2022 | Ramazan Njala Sports Palace, Durrës, Albania | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Muhammed Ali Durmaz | TKO | 4 (6), 2:17 | 24 Sep 2022 | No Limit Boxing, Leverkusen, Germany | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Fadil Pasalic | KO | 2 (6), 2:00 | 9 Sep 2022 | Diamma Resort, Durrës, Albania | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Drazan Janjanin | RTD | 3 (6), 3:00 | 25 Jul 2022 | Democracy Square, Shkodër, Albania | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Stefan Cajic | RTD | 1 (4), 3:00 | 14 May 2022 | Farie Hoti Sports Palace, Tirana, Albania |
| Sporting positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regional boxing titles | ||||
| Vacant Title last held by Sezer Olpak |
UBO International heavyweight champion 17 March 2023 – October 2023 Vacated |
Vacant Title next held by Taryel Jafarov | ||
| Vacant Title last held by Thorsten Fuchs |
UBF International heavyweight champion 1 April 2023 – June 2026 Vacated |
Vacant Title next held by Malik Titus | ||
| Vacant Title last held by Boban Filipovic |
WBC-CISBB heavyweight champion 9 September 2023 – April 2024 Vacated |
Vacant Title next held by Umut Camkiran | ||
| Vacant Title last held by Nick Webb |
IBO International heavyweight champion 1 June 2024 – February 2025 Vacated |
Vacant Title next held by Jeamie Tshikeva | ||
| Vacant Title last held by Tahir Kahrovic |
WBO European heavyweight champion 11 July 2024 – January 2026 Vacated |
Vacant Title next held by Viktor Vykhryst | ||
| Vacant Title last held by Michael Hunter |
WBA Gold heavyweight champion 10 October 2025 – present |
Incumbent | ||
| Vacant Title last held by Justis Huni |
WBO Global heavyweight champion 10 October 2025 – present |
Incumbent | ||