{Giorgio Petrosyan} hung up his gloves in November 2025, closing the book on one of the most decorated careers in kickboxing history. "The Doctor" finished with a record of 109 victories, and held titles in K-1, GLORY, ONE Championship, and WAKO Pro across a legendary 22-year career. He made his final walk at PetrosyanMania 2025 in Milan, defeating Jose Sousa by unanimous decision in front of over 5,000 fans at the Allianz Cloud arena.
Giorgio Petrosyan’s Retirement
At the time of his retirement, several of Petrosyan's former opponents shared their thoughts on what made the Armenian-Italian so difficult to face and what it took to compete with him. Just ahead of SENSHI 30, which will return on February 28 with a stacked 75 KG Grand Prix, Beyond Kickboxing’s Tim Wheaton took the time to speak with the kickboxing greats.
Albert "The Hurricane" Kraus, the former K-1 World MAX champion and It's Showtime world titleholder, is widely regarded as one of the most aggressive and technical Dutch-style fighters of his generation.
Andy "The Destroyer" Souwer the a two-time K-1 World MAX champion and multi-division Shootboxing world champion who competed in nearly 200 professional bouts across K-1, It's Showtime, and ONE Championship. Superbon, the reigning ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion and former Muay Thai stadium champion from Thailand who became the man to end Petrosyan's six-year unbeaten streak with a head kick knockout at ONE: First Strike in October 2021.
All three spoke just ahead of SENSHI 30, where Kraus and Souwer serve as instructors, referees, and members of the KWU SENSHI Board of Directors, passing their knowledge to the next generation of fighters ahead of the promotion's historic under -75 kg Grand Prix on February 28 in Varna, Bulgaria.
Giorgio Petrosyan is often described as the Ronaldo of kickboxing: a clinical, era-defining talent whose game stayed sharp at the very highest level for more than a decade. At 70 kg, he ruled what many fans call the golden era of K-1 World MAX, winning back-to-back tournaments in 2009 and 2010 and beating fellow champions like Andy Souwer, Albert Kraus, Mike Zambidis and others.
A 42-fight unbeaten run between 2007 and 2013, followed by more titles in GLORY and ONE Championship’s Featherweight Grand Prix, built the kind of record that hardly exists in kickboxing, with 100-plus wins and only a handful of defeats. His style, built on timing, distance, defense and economy, made opponents swing at air, walk into counters, and doubt their own reads. This is why so many in the sport still talk about him as one of the greatest to ever lace up gloves.
Albert Kraus: "He Was Always Thinking Two or Three Steps Ahead"
“The Hurricane” fought Petrosyan twice, both times at the K-1 World MAX, first in the 2009 quarterfinals and again in the 2010 tournament. He lost both by decision, but Kraus believes the second fight told a different story.
"If you watch our second fight, I'm sure I should have won that one. I really believe I had to win," Kraus said. "The first time I fought him, my tactics were wrong, so I lost that fight and what we trained didn't work out. In the second fight, I did the right things and I think I had the advantage, but okay, it is what it is."
Kraus also feels he left a roadmap for others. "I think I also gave the blueprint to the other fighters: you have to put pressure on him and never give him any rest. He is so smart and so used to every kind of style, but once you really pressure him, you can see he doesn't like it," he said. "A lot of opponents looked up to him too much and held back a little. I didn't hold back. I always went in 100%."
On Petrosyan's overall ability, Kraus was clear. "He's a really good fighter, one of the best. Mentally he was more like a boxer: always thinking two or three steps ahead, just like in boxing."
Superbon: "I Know Him 100%, Because I Am Muay Thai"
Superbon ended Petrosyan's six-year unbeaten streak in October 2021 at ONE: FIRST STRIKE, landing a second-round head kick that floored the champion and won the inaugural ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Title. It remains one of the most famous knockouts in kickboxing history.
"When you go into a fight with Petrosyan, everyone looks at him and thinks they cannot beat him," Superbon said. “But for me, Petrosyan is the best, and still we can beat him.”
Superbon credited deep study for the result. "He has done the same style for so long that he cannot really change anymore. If you study him, you know when he wants to kick, when he wants to punch, how he moves in and out," he explained.
"For me, basically, his technique comes from Muay Thai. If you look at him, his base is Muay Thai technique combined with good boxing hands. To understand him, you need to really understand Muay Thai. I know Muay Thai 100%, because I am Muay Thai."
He also pointed to a psychological edge. “Before that, nobody really made him think. He didn't lose for a very long time, he was amazing for so long, so in his mind he was always the number one.”
Andy Souwer: Timing the Exit and Understanding the Cost
For Andy Souwer, who faced Petrosyan twice in 2009 under It’s Showtime and K-1 World MAX rules, the retirement announcement felt like a logical step for a fighter who had already done everything at the top level. Souwer knows that timeline well himself, having wrapped a illustrious career across all the major promotions.
“I can’t really say too much about retirement, because I was late with mine, but eventually, I did,” Souwer said. “From Petrosyan, I think it was a good and necessary decision. You know, once we’re past our thirties, you have to start thinking about retirement, at least in my opinion. Of course, it depends on when you turn professional, but after 10 or 12 years at a high level, that’s usually enough.
“If you’ve maintained control of your career, earned enough for the next chapter of your life, and achieved your goals, then stopping makes sense. For Petrosyan, I think it was a good time. He also suffered a serious injury after that big fight with Superbon. From what I’ve heard, he even had some insomnia and sleeping problems afterward. So, yeah, I think his decision was smart.
“Some people say he chose an easy opponent for his last fight, but honestly, that was smart too. He had already achieved everything there was to achieve. With all due respect, I understand him completely. I used to say I’d want to finish with a big name too, but to be honest, that’s not the point anymore.”
Souwer’s view hits differently knowing what Petrosyan went through after the Superbon knockout: a broken jaw, surgery, and a long recovery, all coming after more than a decade of dominance at the highest level. From that angle, choosing a manageable farewell opponent and walking away on a win looks like a veteran’s version of ring intelligence.
SENSHI 30
These reflections came during meetings around SENSHI 30, the milestone 30th edition of the Bulgaria-based fight promotion. The event takes place on February 28 at the Palace of Culture and Sports in Varna and will feature a historic first, a 12-man Grand Prix tournament in the under-75 kg division under KWU Full Contact rules, with three super fights completing the card.
Most recently, the duo headed the third SENSHI Invitational Camp in Varna, where 32 fighters from 13 countries trained ahead of the Grand Prix. The fourth camp runs from February 26 to March 1, with Semmy Schilt and Ernesto Hoost joining the program.
Source: beyondkick.com