Florian Marku made all Albanians proud on Saturday after he was declared world champion, while he carried the red and black flag on his shoulders. 

The Albanian triumphed with points against the Ukrainian Maksim Prodan, after a full ten rounds, snatching the opponent the title of world champion in the IBF. 

But what is the story of Florian Marku? 

Two years ago, Marku confessed to the media that he left with his family for Greece at the age of eight. After a quarrel in Thessaloniki, at the age of 18, he returned to Albania and then left for Austria, where he continued his career. 

"I made my first match when I was 13 years old in a world youth championship. The father had to come to sign. I have been declared 6 times champion of Greece and 4 times world champion. 

At the age of 18, I got into a fight with some Russians in Thessaloniki after a quarrel in a pub. I was with a friend of mine who got into a fight and I stepped in to protect him. After the fight we left, the Russians asked me to meet them and told me to pay the damages in the bar because I broke the bar. 

One of them was injured. I left Greece and came to Albania. I really am not 2 meters, but I do not allow anyone to offend me. I stayed 1 year and a half in Albania and went to Austria to continue my career. I played 13 matches and I won the 13th and I started to improve", declared Marku. 

You may not know it, but Florian Marku is from Kosovo. His grandfather was born in Kosovo. He then left for Albania, in Lushnja due to the communist regime. But after the 1990s, Marku's family moved to Thessaloniki, Greece. 

Florian Marku also spent time in prison. He spent a year and a half behind bars in Greece. He even spent a small part of it in an Austrian prison. 

How was he arrested in Austria? 

"The day before the match. As soon as I got home, in Linz, they came and arrested me. The next day, I had the match, but the Austrian Interpol, in cooperation with the Greek Interpol, after information received from Greece about my location, arrested me in Linz. I was sorry I was at the peak of my career. I did not expect this to happen to me. I was quite famous in Austria. I do not remember when the policeman said to me: "What are you doing here, I bought a ticket to watch your match?". "It cost me a year and a half out of the ring and the fans thought that I would not return," said Marku. 

In the Thessaloniki prison, Marku spent time alone in a 3 × 3 room, reading books. Marku had started his career in kickboxing. He even dreamed that one day he would start with the UFC and in the 'cage' he would have as an opponent, Conor McGregor. 

The 28-year-old during his boxing career, has 9 wins, 6 of them by knockout (KO), and a draw.