Roy Meyer is a Dutch professional boxer and former elite judoka. Nicknamed “The Small Giant,” Meyer stands approximately 186 cm (6 ft 1 in) and competed at around 122 kg (269 lb) in judo’s heavyweight +100 kg division. He represented the Netherlands internationally and trained with Budokan Rotterdam under coach Jean-Paul Bell.
Meyer spent more than a decade competing at the highest levels of international judo before transitioning into boxing late in his athletic career.
Meyer emerged as one of the Netherlands’ leading heavyweight judo prospects while still a teenager. His junior career included a bronze medal at the 2010 World Junior Championships and gold at the 2010 European Junior Championships. He followed that with gold at the 2012 European U23 Championships.
Those results established him as a major Dutch heavyweight prospect and led into a lengthy senior career on the IJF World Tour.
Meyer competed internationally in the +100 kg heavyweight division, regularly appearing at World Championships, European Championships, Grand Slams, Grand Prix events and the IJF World Masters.
His career eventually took him as high as No. 3 in the world rankings in 2016. He also became Dutch national champion in 2015.
At the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Meyer reached the quarterfinals before losing to eventual bronze medalist Or Sasson. He then lost in the repechage to another eventual bronze medalist, Rafael Silva, leaving Meyer 7th overall in the Olympic heavyweight competition.
Meyer’s greatest championship success came later in his career. He won back-to-back individual World Championship bronze medals, finishing third at Tokyo 2019 and Budapest 2021 in the +100 kg division.
He additionally earned a bronze medal as part of the Dutch mixed team at the 2023 World Championships in Doha.
Beyond the major championships, Meyer built an extensive medal record on the IJF circuit.
His biggest Grand Slam victory came at Abu Dhabi in 2019, while his Grand Prix victories came at Zagreb 2014, The Hague 2017 and Antalya 2019.
Meyer was a genuine heavyweight power judoka, but his success was not based purely on size. At around 122 kg, he was comparatively mobile and athletic for the unlimited +100 kg category.
Meyer’s final major international seasons came during 2022–23. He finished 5th at the 2022 World Championships, took silver at the 2023 Antalya Grand Slam and finished 7th at the 2023 European Championships.
After a career spanning junior championships, the Olympics and multiple World Championship medals, Meyer officially announced his retirement from competitive judo in July 2025.
Even before formally announcing his judo retirement, Meyer had begun transitioning into boxing.
He made his boxing debut on 22 December 2024, facing American internet personality Nick Joseph, also known as NickNack PattiWhack. Meyer won by second-round TKO, capturing the ICB International Heavyweight title.
He returned on 5 October 2025 against vastly more experienced kickboxing and MMA veteran Melvin Manhoef. Meyer won when Manhoef was unable to continue because of an injury early in the second round, giving Meyer the ICB World Heavyweight title.
Meyer spent roughly a decade among the world's competitive heavyweight judoka and became particularly notable for his consistency. Although he never captured an Olympic or senior world title, two individual World Championship bronzes, two European bronzes, an Olympic seventh place and numerous IJF World Tour medals gave him a substantial international résumé.
His move into boxing also makes his post-judo career unusual. Rather than simply retiring from combat sports in his mid-thirties, Meyer used his heavyweight athleticism and extensive grappling competition experience as the foundation for a completely different striking career.
Roy Meyer is a Dutch heavyweight combat-sports athlete best known for his elite judo career, during which he reached World No. 3, competed at the 2016 Olympics, won two individual World Championship bronze medals and collected numerous IJF Grand Slam and Grand Prix medals.
After formally ending his judo career in 2025, “The Small Giant” shifted his focus to heavyweight boxing. By February 2026, he had started that second career 2–0 with two stoppage victories, giving him a distinctly different new chapter after more than a decade at the top level of international judo.
Netherlands
