The greatest wrestler of all time

Dan Kolov is regarded by many as the greatest wrestler of all time and a legend in combat sports, with an astonishing 1,500 victories and just 72 defeats. He was born on 26 December 1892 in the village of Sennik, then called Chadarlii. He lost his father to tuberculosis at the age of seven and began working as an oxherd because of his family’s financial difficulties. In 1905, he left Bulgaria for Hungary, where he worked as a gardener in Budapest, later taking various jobs as a porter, railway construction worker and miner.
In 1914, after defeating Jeff Lawrence, known as the Cyclops, in a bout at the Victoria Circus, Kolov became a well-known wrestler. In 1917, he began his professional wrestling career, accumulating victories over some of the best-known names in the sport.
At a major wrestling tournament in Paris in 1933, Kolov acquired the nickname “King Kong” after defeating Henri Deglane. He also established himself as European champion and holder of the Diamond Belt of Wrestling.
After a successful period in Europe, Kolov returned to Bulgaria in 1935, where he continued to compete against many famous opponents. Despite financial offers for rematches abroad, he preferred to finish his career in his homeland.
Through his exceptional professional wrestling career, Dan Kolov became an icon known as the “Balkan Lion”.