for womenboxing.com, 1-30-2010
Zita “The Giant” Zatyko of Szeged, Hungary, has stormed onto the women’s professional boxing scene in the last year. She is one of the world’s busiest, hungriest fighters, posting a 7-0-1 record with five KO’s in just 10 months.
Zatyko was born Oct. 13, 1980, in Mako, Hungary. She has always been athletic, and began in sports as a teenage kickboxer. She also participated in rugby.
She has won the Hungarian national title several times in kickboxing and Kyokushin, and won the K-1 world championship in Belgrade, Serbia, in 2007. In early 2009, she captured the Kyokushin World Cup title in Osaka, Japan.
“I had always wanted to try boxing, and at the beginning of 2009 I was happy to receive an offer from promoter Zoltan Petranyi to go pro,” said Zatyko. “I really like all martial arts competition.”
The 5’10” Zatyko said she intends to focus on winning a boxing world title.
“The main thing for me now is boxing, but if time allows I will also fight in kickboxing and Kyokushin,” she added.
Zatyko began as a super middleweight in March 2009 with a unanimous 4-round decision over countrywoman Diana Kiss, but suffered the only mark on her record so far just three weeks later when Kiss battled her to a draw over the same distance. All of her first eight bouts have been against fellow Hungarians.
After the Kiss bouts, Zatyko stepped up to six-rounders and defeated Marianna Nagy on points in July. Her next five wins were all by stoppage.
In August she TKO’d light-heavyweight Izabella Torok in the first round, and in September stopped Terez Skripek in the second. In October she finished Eva Nemeth in the first round, then KO'd Torok in the second frame rematch.
That set the stage for a battle with another streaking Hungarian super middleweight, unbeaten Borbala Kocsis, in December. Kocsis was injured and Zatyko awarded the stoppage in the second round of what she felt was an unsatisfactory result.
“Kocsis is a skillful boxer. I think we will make a good fight when we meet again,” said Zatyko. “I respect each of my opponents, but the most dangerous one was Diana Kiss. I think we will fight a third time.”
Zatyko, who boasts a 71-inch reach, is not bashful about her fight philosophy.
“I want to defeat everybody who I meet in the ring,” she said. “I would be happy if I would receive a possibility this year for a world title fight.”
Up next may be a rematch with Kocsis for a Hungarian national title, probably at light-heavyweight where Zatyko feels more comfortable.
“My weight is 80-81 kg (176 pounds) usually, so I will probably stay at light-heavyweight,” said Zatyko.
“Zita is a hard worker in training, and is determined to win each time she steps in the ring,” said her promoter and manager Petranyi, himself a professional heavyweight boxer.
Will she call out unbeaten world super middleweight and heavyweight champion Natascha Ragosina, a native of Kazakhstan fighting out of Germany?
“All boxers would like to fight the best. I would like it, also,” said Zatyko. “Ragosina is a very good boxer girl, but my goal is to defeat her. I hope we will meet soon for a heavyweight title fight.”
Zatyko, who is trained by Gyula Nagy, is ranked no. 1 in the world at light-heavyweight by several organizations.
“I am very happy about that!” said Zatyko. “I want to be the first in everything I do.
“This attitude has helped me to succeed in other sports, also. I hope I gain my goal in the boxing ring, too.”
There is no consensus world champion in her class, so there are many options for her. Rematches with Kocsis and Kiss are on her mind, but nearby opponents like Latvian super middleweight champion Zane Brige and Daria Albers of Germany could also be future opponents until a match with Ragosina can be secured.
“I respect everybody who has bravery to go into the ring, but I don't like anybody when they want to defeat me,” Zatyko promised.
