Aleksandr Viktorovich "Alex" Miroshnichenko (; 26 April 1964 – 19 May 2003) was a
Russian
Russian(s) may refer to:
*Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*A citizen of Russia
*Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages
*''The Russians'', a b ...
-
Kazakh professional boxer
Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...
. As an
amateur
An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...
he represented the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
at the
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were represe ...
, winning a bronze medal in the
super-heavyweight
Super heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and competitive bodybuilding.
Boxing
In amateur boxing, the super heavyweight division is a weight class division for fighters weighing in excess of 91 kilograms (200 pounds). Introduced for t ...
division.
His other accomplishments included silver at the
1989 World Championships, as well as bronze at the
1983
1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...
and
1989 European Championships, and other international tournaments.
Early years
Miroshnichenko took up boxing at the age of 13, at the strong insistence of his mother, who thought that her son must be able to defend himself, and brought him to the gym at his hometown of
Kostanay
Kostanay or Qostanai (, , rus, Костанай, p=kəstɐˈnaj) is a city located on the Tobol River in northern Kazakhstan. It is the administrative center of the Kostanay Region. As of 24 March 2022, the city's governor is Marat Zhundubay ...
. Miroshnichenko shown little interest in boxing, but had a natural talent and considerable ability to compete both nationally and internationally, which he did during the 1980s. He was ranked world's #6 super heavyweight by the
AIBA
The International Boxing Association (IBA), previously known as the Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur (AIBA), is a sports organization that sanctions amateur and professional boxing matches and awards world and subordinate championships. ...
in 1984.
Amateur career
Aside from his Olympic performance, Miroshnichenko had a distinguished amateur career, winning 210 out of 233 bouts, including a win over future world heavyweight champion
Lennox Lewis
Lennox Claudius Lewis (born 2 September 1965) is a British-Canadian boxing commentator and former professional boxer who competed in the heavyweight division from 1989 to 2003. He was a three-time world champion, a two-time lineal champion, ...
and 1984 U.S. Army and inter-service champion
Wesley Watson
Wesley Page Watson Jr. (born September 16, 1962, in Bristol, Tennessee) is a retired American heavyweight boxing, boxer best known for his successful amateur boxing career.
Early years
Watson played three years of varsity basketball at Howard be ...
. He won medals in the European Championships and the World Cup, and was a three-time Soviet champion. He represented the
Dynamo Sports Society
"Dynamo", also Dinamo (; ; ; ka, დინამო, tr), is a sports and fitness society created in 1923 in the Soviet Union. The society was an association of multi-sport clubs whose members were drawn from the NKVD and, after World War II, ...
. At the 1988 Olympics semifinals Miroshnichenko floored U.S.
Riddick Bowe
Riddick Lamont Bowe (born August 10, 1967) is an American former professional boxer and professional kickboxer who competed between 1989 and 2008 in boxing, and from 2013 to 2016 in kickboxing (Muay Thai). He held the undisputed world heavyweig ...
momentarily in the first round, but Bowe managed to win by the decision. Despite Miroshnichenko's loss to Bowe, Lou Falcigno, a New York-based boxing promoter of Momentum Enterprises, Inc., expressed a particular interest in bringing him to the United States to fight professionally. Negotiations began between the promoter and the Soviet Boxing Federation and Sovintersport, the entity responsible for the commercialization of Soviet sports, but proven unsuccessful as the Soviet government dismissed the idea early in 1989.
Highlights
President's Cup,
Jakarta, Indonesia
Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...
, February 1982:
*Finals: Lost to
Francesco Damiani
Francesco Damiani (born 4 October 1958) is an Italian former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 1993. He was the first WBO heavyweight champion, having held the title from 1989 to 1991, as well as the European heavyweight title from 19 ...
(Italy)
Friendship Tournament,
Ústí nad Labem
Ústí nad Labem (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 91,000 inhabitants and is the capital of the Ústí nad Labem Region. It is a major industrial centre and, besides being an active river port, is an important railway junction.
...
,
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
, July 1982:
*1/2: Defeated Bohumil Hruška (Czechoslovakia) KO 1
*Finals: Lost to Sven Karberg (East Germany) by walkover
European Championships
A European Championship is the top level international sports competition between European athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs.
In the plural, the European Championships also refers t ...
,
Varna, Bulgaria
Varna (, ) is the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, third-largest city in Bulgaria and the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and in the Northern Bulgaria region. Situated strategically in the Gulf of Varna, t ...
, May 1983:
*1/4: Defeated
Olaf Mayer (Austria) by unanimous decision, 5–0
*1/2: Lost to
Ulli Kaden
Ulrich Kaden (born 9 March 1959 in Munich) is a former East German amateur boxer, best known for winning the European title 1987 and 1989 at super heavyweight.
Career
Kaden was 1980 to 1988 nine times champion of East Germany. In 1981 he lost i ...
(East Germany) by unanimous decision, 0–5
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...
,
Rome, Italy
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
, October 1983:
*1/2: Lost to
Craig Payne
Craig Payne (May 22, 1961 – April 7, 2017) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2001, challenging for the IBO heavyweight title in 1992. As an amateur, he won the National Golden Gloves super heavyweight title in 1983.
...
(United States) by unanimous decision, 0–5
Giraldo Córdova Cardín,
Ciego de Ávila, Cuba
Ciego is a Spanish word meaning "blind". It may refer to:
Places
*Ciego de Ávila, a Cuban city, seat of the homonym province
*Ciego de Ávila Province, a Cuban province
*Arriete-Ciego Montero, a Cuban village in Cienfuegos Province
Other
*Ciego ...
, June 1985:
*1/2: Defeated Roberto Gómez (Cuba)
*Finals: Lost to
Jorge Luis González
Jorge Luis González (born October 19, 1964) (DOB disputed) is a former heavyweight boxing contender and prospect born in Havana, Cuba. He won the gold medal at the 1983 Pan American Games and the 1987 Pan American Games and the former WBO Lat ...
(Cuba) RSC 3
Goodwill Games
The Goodwill Games were an international sports competition created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s. In 1979, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan caused the United States and other ...
,
Moscow, Soviet Union
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, July 1986:
*1/2: Defeated
Ali Al-Baluchi (Kuwait) by unanimous decision, 5–0
*Finals: Lost to Vyacheslav Yakovlev (Soviet Union) by majority decision, 1–4
USA−USSR Middle & Heavy Duals,
ARCO Arena
ARCO Arena (known as Power Balance Pavilion from 2011 to 2012 and Sleep Train Arena from 2012 until 2022) was an indoor arena located in Sacramento, California, United States. Opened in 1988, it was the home of the Sacramento Kings of the Nation ...
,
Sacramento, California
Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...
, July 1986:
*Defeated
Wesley Watson
Wesley Page Watson Jr. (born September 16, 1962, in Bristol, Tennessee) is a retired American heavyweight boxing, boxer best known for his successful amateur boxing career.
Early years
Watson played three years of varsity basketball at Howard be ...
(United States) KO 1
USA−USSR Exhibition,
Houston, Texas
Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
, August 1986:
*Defeated Troy Baudoin (United States) RSC 2
InterCup,
Hemsbach
Hemsbach () is a town with approximately 12,000 inhabitants in the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It belongs to the European Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region (Lower Neckar region until 20 May 2003 and Rhine-Neckar-Odenwald reg ...
,
West Germany
West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
, April 1987:
*Finals: Lost to
Janusz Zarenkiewicz (Poland) DQ 2
USA−USSR Heavy Duals,
University of South Florida
The University of South Florida (USF) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States, and other campuses in St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Petersburg and Sarasota, ...
,
Tampa, Florida
Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...
, June 1987:
*Defeated George Kilbert Pierce (United States) by unanimous decision, 3–0
Socialist Countries Police Championships,
Pyongyang, North Korea
Pyongyang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is sometimes labeled as the "Capital of the Revolution" (). Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. Accordi ...
, August 1987:
*Finals: Defeated
Peter Hrivňák (Czechoslovakia) RET 1
TSC Tournament,
Werner-Seelenbinder-Halle,
Berlin, East Germany
East Berlin (; ) was the partially recognised capital city, capital of East Germany (GDR) from 1949 to 1990. From 1945, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet occupation sector of Berlin. The American, British, and French se ...
, September 1987:
*1/4: Defeated Lino Pairol (Cuba)
*1/2: Defeated
István Szikora
István Szikora (born 5 March 1964) is a Hungarian boxer. He competed in the men's super heavyweight event at the 1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as ...
(Hungary) RET 3
*Finals: Lost to
Ulli Kaden
Ulrich Kaden (born 9 March 1959 in Munich) is a former East German amateur boxer, best known for winning the European title 1987 and 1989 at super heavyweight.
Career
Kaden was 1980 to 1988 nine times champion of East Germany. In 1981 he lost i ...
by unanimous decision, 0–5
InterCup,
Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe ( ; ; ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, after its capital Stuttgart a ...
,
West Germany
West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
, April 1988:
*Finals: Defeated
Lennox Lewis
Lennox Claudius Lewis (born 2 September 1965) is a British-Canadian boxing commentator and former professional boxer who competed in the heavyweight division from 1989 to 2003. He was a three-time world champion, a two-time lineal champion, ...
(Canada) by unanimous decision, 5–0
Olympic SuperHeavy qualifications,
Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe ( ; ; ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, after its capital Stuttgart a ...
,
West Germany
West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
, April 1988:
*1/4: Defeated
István Szikora
István Szikora (born 5 March 1964) is a Hungarian boxer. He competed in the men's super heavyweight event at the 1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as ...
(Hungary) by decision
*1/2: Defeated
Azis Salihu (Yugoslavia)
*Finals: Defeated
Janusz Zarenkiewicz (Poland) by walkover
Pre-Olympic Tournament,
Seoul, South Korea
Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...
, March 1988:
*Defeated
Ulli Kaden
Ulrich Kaden (born 9 March 1959 in Munich) is a former East German amateur boxer, best known for winning the European title 1987 and 1989 at super heavyweight.
Career
Kaden was 1980 to 1988 nine times champion of East Germany. In 1981 he lost i ...
(East Germany) by split decision, 3–2
USSR−USA Duals,
Moscow, Soviet Union
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, 1988:
*Defeated
Riddick Bowe
Riddick Lamont Bowe (born August 10, 1967) is an American former professional boxer and professional kickboxer who competed between 1989 and 2008 in boxing, and from 2013 to 2016 in kickboxing (Muay Thai). He held the undisputed world heavyweig ...
(United States) by decision
Summer Olympics
The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...
,
Seoul, South Korea
Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...
, September 1988:
*1/8: Defeated
Ali Al-Baluchi (Kuwait) by unanimous decision, 5–0
*1/4: Defeated
Kim Yoo-Hyun
Kim Yoo-Hyun () is a former South Korean amateur boxer
An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, ...
(South Korea) by unanimous decision, 5–0
*1/2: Lost to
Riddick Bowe
Riddick Lamont Bowe (born August 10, 1967) is an American former professional boxer and professional kickboxer who competed between 1989 and 2008 in boxing, and from 2013 to 2016 in kickboxing (Muay Thai). He held the undisputed world heavyweig ...
(United States) by unanimous decision, 0–5
European Championships
A European Championship is the top level international sports competition between European athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs.
In the plural, the European Championships also refers t ...
,
Athens, Greece
Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
, May 1989:
*1/8: Defeated Pekka Viippo (Finland) KO 1
*1/4: Defeated
Janusz Zarenkiewicz (Poland) KO 2
*1/2: Lost to
Ulli Kaden
Ulrich Kaden (born 9 March 1959 in Munich) is a former East German amateur boxer, best known for winning the European title 1987 and 1989 at super heavyweight.
Career
Kaden was 1980 to 1988 nine times champion of East Germany. In 1981 he lost i ...
(East Germany) by majority decision, 1–4
World Championships
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...
,
Moscow, Soviet Union
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, September–October 1989:
*1/4: Defeated
Andreas Schnieders (West Germany) RSCH 2
*1/2: Defeated Ladislav Husarik (Czechoslovakia) on points, 19–5
*Finals: Lost to
Roberto Balado
Roberto Balado Méndez (15 February 1969 – 2 July 1994) was a Cuban amateur boxer, who competed from 1986 to 1994. At the 1992 Summer Olympics he won a Gold medal in the men's super heavyweight (+91 kg).
A natural heavyweight, he w ...
(Cuba) on points, 9–18
He had 233 fights as an amateur, finishing his amateur career with a record of 210–23.
Professional career
Miroshnichenko turned pro in 1990, at the very advent of professional boxing in the late Soviet Union, and had limited success. He began his career by knocking out Roberto Servin in the first round. In Miroshnichenko's third fight, he stopped future
WBC International Champion,
Ross Puritty
Ross Puritty (born December 18, 1966) is an American former professional boxer. A high-level journeyman and occasional heavyweight contender, Puritty is best remembered for his shocking upset of Wladimir Klitschko in 1998 that won him the WBC in ...
.
In 1991, Miroshnichenko won the vacant Russian Heavyweight title from Nurlan Dzhanibekov. After vacating the Russian title in 1992, Miroshnichenko won a very close Split Decision against Samuel M'Bendjob by only one point. In 1993, Miroshnichenko beat former
IBF Cruiserweight Champion,
Ricky Parkey
Ricky Parkey (November 7, 1956 – April 7, 2024) was an American professional boxer who held the IBF cruiserweight title from 1986 to 1987.
Professional career
Parkey turned professional in 1981 and won the IBF cruiserweight title with a TKO ...
in an impressive third round Knockout.
After 21 consecutive wins against limited competition, Miroshnichenko was finally defeated by
Oleg Maskaev
Oleg Alexandrovich Maskaev (; born 2 March 1969) is a Kazakhstani-born former professional boxer of Mordvinian origin, who competed from 1995 to 2013, and held the WBC heavyweight title from 2006 to 2008. Throughout his career, he represented ...
in 1993 in Maskaev's first pro fight: a TKO in the third round. Miroshnichenko's cornermen later told that he entered the bout with his
arm fracture
In human anatomy, the arm refers to the upper limb in common usage, although academically the term specifically means the upper arm between the glenohumeral joint (shoulder joint) and the elbow joint. The distal part of the upper limb between the ...
d. Miroshnichenko retired after the bout.
Retirement and later years
Upon his retirement from competition, he opened a state-sponsored boxing school for youth, and worked as a chief boxing coach of the
Kostanay Region
Kostanay Region (; ) is a region of Kazakhstan. Its administrative center is the city of Kostanay. The population of the region is 835,686. The population living in Kostanay is 207,000 which is equivalent to 23% of the region.
Geography
Kosta ...
in 2000-2002. He also helped to establish the school of martial arts at the Kostanay State University (the only martial arts higher education unit in Kazakhstan,) which he headed as a
dean
Dean may refer to:
People
* Dean (given name)
* Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin
* Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk
* Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean
* Dean Sw ...
until his death.
Death
Miroshnichenko died under unclear circumstances in 2003, aged 39, after supposedly falling down nine flights of stairs at his apartment building in his hometown.
Olympic boxing medalist dies after falling nine floors in building; 38
''Lowell Sun'', May 21, 2003, p. 15. Rumours initially circulated that his death was related to his testimony in the trial of a local judge, but local prosecutor's office later ruled his death was most probably accidental, and case was closed.
Professional boxing record
Memory
Alexandr Miroshnichenko Memorial annual junior boxing tournament has been established in his hometown of Kostanay
Kostanay or Qostanai (, , rus, Костанай, p=kəstɐˈnaj) is a city located on the Tobol River in northern Kazakhstan. It is the administrative center of the Kostanay Region. As of 24 March 2022, the city's governor is Marat Zhundubay ...
.
References
External links
Amateur Record
*
history
Один из первых наших профи
(in Russian) at Sports.kz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miroshnichenko, Aleksandr
1964 births
2003 deaths
Deaths from falls
Sportspeople from Kostanay
Accidental deaths from falls
Soviet male boxers
Heavyweight boxers
Boxers at the 1988 Summer Olympics
Olympic boxers for the Soviet Union
Olympic bronze medalists for the Soviet Union
Accidental deaths in Kazakhstan
Olympic medalists in boxing
Kazakhstani people of Ukrainian descent
Kazakhstani male boxers
AIBA World Boxing Championships medalists
Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics
Goodwill Games medalists in boxing
Competitors at the 1986 Goodwill Games