The undefeated Turkish striker challenges Roman Kryklia for the first ONE Heavyweight Kickboxing World Championship on A Fighting Night 37 on Friday, November 7, live from Bangkok, Thailand. The 21-year-old phenom has a perfect 17-0 record with 12 knockouts in his promotional debut against the ONE two-sport world champion. His journey from the leaky roofs of Izmir to championship opportunities reads like fiction, except every word rings true.
Agdeve grew up sharing a cramped room with two older brothers, while his father worked in construction and his mother kept the household running. He went to a kickboxing gym at age 9, curious about the rhythm of the pads that echoed through the neighborhood. Those informal lessons turned into a daily ritual as he evolved from point-fighting to full-contact rules.
He achieved local tournament victories during his teenage years, but university dreams died when his family could not afford the tuition. He took on small jobs in between training sessions, working his way through shifts while adhering to the belief that sacrifice ultimately pays off. His mother’s cancer diagnosis deepened their struggle, but the young fighter refused to give up his craft.
“My father was a builder, my mother a housewife, my brothers worked. We moved a lot. I grew up in a house with a leaky roof,” he said.
“My mother had cancer. I had to take care of her with my father. But I never stopped training. Even when times were tough, I didn’t stop. My mother always said, ‘When you get up, you tell these stories,’ and I promised I would.”
Samet Agdeve endured brutal conditions to pursue kickboxing dreams in Germany
Samet Agdeve left Turkey at the age of 18 with little more than his gloves and burning ambition. He researched gyms online before choosing Stuttgart as his destination, believing Germany offered better opportunities for heavyweight fighters. Reality presented tests that the ring could never do.
He arrived broke and alone in a strange country. Some nights brought sleeping arrangements outside. Days meant construction work, while evenings brought security shifts or cramped recovery areas. Food became a luxury rather than security. Peace remained elusive. But quitting never figured into his calculations, despite the knife wound that almost ended everything.
His work ethic attracted attention in the European kickboxing circuits. Competing from Germany provided access to elite sparring partners and tougher opposition that honed both his defensive instincts and his offensive timing. The heavyweight division thrives in European training halls, where finding good sparring partners becomes considerably easier than in Thailand’s lighter weight gyms.
“We had spoken with ONE Championship as the largest organization. If the offer came from ONE, wouldn’t anyone be happy about that? I was very happy, even excited. I didn’t think I would come here so early. At a young age I am taking the first big steps. At this age I have come to a title fight,” he said.
“The eye-catching level in ONE is very high. I like it. Otherwise it wouldn’t be such a big name worldwide.”
#Samet #Agdeve #Reveals #Drastic #Childhood #Life #Circumstances #Title #Title #Hungry #BJPenn.com