„It does not matter where you come from, but what kind of heart you have and how you use your head.“

Life between the ropes

Former Olympic Qualification Coach and Coach of WBC Champion

My name is Štěpán Horváth and boxing is not just a sport I do – it is my life's journey. I first put on gloves at the age of twelve in the north of Bohemia, and since that moment, the ring has never let me go. I have experienced everything in boxing. From tough amateur beginnings that led me to five Czech Republic championship titles, to the transition to the professional ring. There, I managed to reach the milestone every boy who has ever hit a heavy bag dreams of – I became the WBO European Champion in the super welterweight division. I had the opportunity to test my strength against the European and world elite, experienced huge victories, but also moments when one has to dig absolutely deep and show what they are made of. And it is precisely these moments that shaped me the most.

Today, my place is no longer just in the middle of the ring, but primarily in the corner. I also worked as head coach of the Czech national team. Boxing taught me discipline, respect, and that without hard work, success will not come. I now try to pass these values on. Whether I am preparing top professionals, promising amateur national team members, or people who want to overcome themselves and get into the best shape of their lives, my approach is always the same: we work at 100 %.

Career

Boxing was never just a sport for me

From the beginning, I was fascinated by something other than the victory itself.

It wasn't just about the fight. I enjoyed searching for the details. Observing movement, timing, opponents' reactions, and the decisions one has to make in a split second under pressure.

It was precisely because of this that I gradually realized boxing is not something you learn once and you are done. It is a lifelong process. Constant searching, adapting, correcting one's own mistakes, and pushing one's own limits.

This path led me from my first training sessions through representing the Czech Republic to the international stage.

During my career, I have competed in hundreds of matches, represented the Czech Republic at top amateur competitions, gone through Olympic qualification, and later entered professional boxing.

In my professional career, I won the WBO European Champion title and had the opportunity to see high-level sports from all sides—not just the matches themselves, but also the discipline, pressure, responsibility, and daily work that stands behind every success.

I also spent a large part of my career abroad. I had the chance to get to know different boxing schools, styles, and approaches to athlete preparation. The experiences gained outside the Czech Republic significantly influenced my view of sports, training, and personal development.

Today, I value those experiences the most. Titles and medals are an important part of the journey, but I see the true value in what boxing taught me about discipline, character, and the ability to handle challenging situations.

Representation of the Czech Republic

long-term national team representative
international tournaments
world championships
Olympic qualification

Professional Boxing

3× WBO European Champion
international professional matches
experience from the European scene

International Experience

Monaco, England
international training camps
cooperation with professional athletes

Coaching

For me, coaching was never just a career continuation after active boxing.

It is a natural continuation of the journey I went through in boxing.

After years spent in the national team, professional boxing, and an international environment, I understood that passing on the experience I gained gives me the most meaning.

I do not believe in universal manuals.

Every athlete is different. They have different strengths, different limits, and a different path to results.

That is why I do not focus only on technique in my work. I look at the athlete as a whole.

Movement, conditioning, recovery, discipline, mindset, and the ability to handle pressure all form one unit. Only when these parts work together can true performance emerge.

A strong boxer is not created only in the gym.

They are created in the daily decisions made in moments when no one is watching.

During my coaching career, I have had the opportunity to work in the environment of top-level sports at home and abroad. I worked in Monaco, participated in Olympic preparation, and led athletes at both domestic and international levels.

My biggest successes include collaboration on the Olympic qualification of a Czech national representative and the long-term preparation of my wife, with whom we achieved the WBC Silver title.

Today, I work with people who have the desire to improve. It does not matter if they are preparing for an amateur match, a professional career, or want to push themselves further.

It is not about the number of clients for me.

It is about quality work, long-term development, and real results.

How I work

I do not believe in universal training.

Every athlete needs an individual approach based on their possibilities, goals, and character.

That is why I do not only follow technique in my work.

We address movement, tactics, timing, recovery, discipline, and mental setup.

A strong boxer is not created only in the gym.

They are created in daily decisions.

What I believe in

discipline beats talent
details make the difference
technique without thinking is not enough
results are the consequence of a process

Meeting the world sports elite

Throughout my sports and coaching career, I have had the opportunity to meet many top athletes, coaches, and figures of world sports. Each such encounter represents an opportunity to gain new experience, inspiration, and insights, which I subsequently use when working with my athletes. I had the honor of observing Djokovic's training.

Novak Djokovic
Luka Modrić
Samuel Eto'o

Inspiration and Education

I believe that top performance has common principles across all sports. That is why I have been studying the methods of the world's best athletes long-term - from boxing to tennis to football. I then use the knowledge gained from these encounters when working with my protégés.

Pavel Dušánek - a young champion and proof that modern training works

Every coach searches for one fundamental question during their career: How to raise an athlete who will win long-term while fully developing their potential?

As a coach, I do not only deal with boxing itself in the long run. I also study principles of top performance, sports psychology, coordination of movement, reaction abilities, and the transfer between individual sports. I believe the best athletes are not created just by repeating the same movements, but by understanding the principles that are common to all successful athletes.

That is why the story of Pavel Dušánek is so exceptional to me.

Pavel is a young boxer who is only 15 years old. Despite that, he already has 60 competitive matches under his belt, is a four-time Czech Republic Champion, and his biggest successes so far include victory at the international tournament in Porto, Portugal.

These results are not coincidental.

They are the result of long-term systematic work, discipline, determination, and the willingness to constantly improve. Behind every victory are hundreds of hours of training, sparring, traveling to tournaments, and daily work that most people will never see.

However, Pavel is not just a successful boxer to me.

He is also an athlete on whom I can long-term verify modern knowledge about sports performance development. Together, we look for connections between different sports, work on coordination, timing, decision-making under pressure, mental resilience, and the ability to transfer skills from one environment to another.

It is not just about how hard to hit.

It is about how to correctly perceive the space, react to an opponent, work with emotions, solve crisis situations, and constantly learn.

It is precisely this combination of a modern approach and Pavel's extraordinary diligence that brings results that confirm we are on the right path.

The most valuable thing on the entire sports journey is not the medals.

The most valuable thing is the character that sport builds.

Today Pavel represents a young athlete who understands the meaning of discipline, respect, humility, and daily work. Qualities that are essential not only for success in sports but also in life.

Four Czech Republic Champion titles, 60 matches, and victories on the international scene are significant milestones. However, we see them primarily as confirmation that we are headed in the right direction.

Because our goal is not just to win youth tournaments.

Our goal is to build a complete athlete prepared to succeed at the highest international level and one day represent the Czech Republic among the world elite.

Pavel Dušánek's story shows what is possible when talent, diligence, trust between a coach and an athlete, and the courage to seek new paths are combined.

And the most interesting thing about this story is that it is still only beginning to be written.

Sports Profile

Pavel Dušánek

Age: 15 years
Number of matches: 60
4× Czech Republic Champion
Winner of the international tournament in Porto (Portugal)
Promising Czech boxing talent

Coach

“Pavel is not interesting only because of what he has already achieved. He is proof that when talent, discipline, and a properly set system are combined, extraordinary results can emerge. His current successes are not the goal, but the beginning of a much larger journey.”

Štěpán Horváth