Samet Agdeve reveals drastic childhood living conditions ahead of ONE Championship title shot: “I went hungry”

Hardship forges champions differently than privilege ever could. Samet Agdeve understands this truth better than most fighters who chase gold under bright lights.

The undefeated Turkish striker challenges Roman Kryklia for the inaugural ONE Heavyweight Kickboxing World Championship at ONE Fight Night 37 on Friday, November 7, live from Bangkok, Thailand. The 21-year-old phenom carries a perfect 17-0 record with 12 knockouts into his promotional debut against the two-sport ONE World Champion. His journey from Izmir’s leaking roofs to championship opportunity reads like fiction, except every word rings true.

Agdeve grew up sharing cramped quarters with two older brothers while his father worked construction and his mother kept the household running. He entered a kickboxing gym at 9 years old, curious about the rhythm of pads echoing through the neighborhood. Those casual lessons transformed into daily ritual as he progressed from point-fighting to full-contact rules.

He accumulated local tournament victories through his teenage years, but university dreams died when his family couldn’t afford tuition. He took small jobs between training sessions, grinding through shifts while holding tight to belief that sacrifice eventually pays dividends. His mother’s cancer diagnosis deepened their struggles, yet the young fighter refused to abandon his craft.

“My father was a construction master, my mother a homemaker, my brothers worked. We moved a lot. I grew up in a house with a leaking roof,” he said.

“My mother had cancer. I had to take care of her with my father. But I never quit training. Even in tough times, I didn’t stop. My mother used to say, ‘When you rise, you’ll tell these stories,’ and I promised I would.”

Samet Agdeve endured brutal conditions to chase kickboxing dreams in Germany

Samet Agdeve left Turkey at 18 carrying little beyond his gloves and burning ambition. He researched gyms online before choosing Stuttgart as his destination, believing Germany offered better opportunities for heavyweight fighters. Reality delivered tests the ring never could.

He arrived in a foreign country broke and alone. Some nights brought outdoor sleeping arrangements. Days meant construction work while evenings brought security shifts or cramped recovery spaces. Food became luxury rather than certainty. Rest remained elusive. But quitting never entered his calculations despite the knife wound that nearly ended everything.

His work ethic caught attention throughout Europe’s kickboxing circuits. Competing from Germany provided access to elite sparring partners and tougher opposition that sharpened both his defensive instincts and offensive timing. The heavyweight division thrives in European training halls where finding quality sparring partners becomes significantly easier than in Thailand’s lighter-weight-focused gyms.

“We’d been talking with ONE Championship as the biggest organization. When the offer came from ONE, wouldn’t a person be happy? I was very happy, even excited. I didn’t think I’d get here this early. At a young age I’m taking the first big steps. At this age I’ve come to a title fight,” he said.

“The striking level in ONE is very high. I like it. Otherwise it wouldn’t be such a big name worldwide.”