Alexander Gennadiyevich Yagubkin (25 April 1961 – 7 August 2013) was a Ukrainian

amateur boxer Amateur boxing is a variant of boxing practiced at the collegiate level, at the Olympic Games, Pan American Games and Commonwealth Games, as well as many associations. Amateur boxing bouts are short in duration, comprising three rounds of three ...

who competed between 1979 and 1988. The only Soviet boxer to become the World heavyweight champion (1982,) never turned

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and ski ...

for political restrictions imposed by the Soviet government. He was ranked the world's #2 amateur heavyweight by the AIBA in 1984, and #1 in 1986.2 Protests Filed; Bent Scores Upset
by Earl Gustkey, ''The Los Angeles Times'', May 15, 1986, p. 6.

Early years

Yagubkin was born and grew up in a Petrovka locality of Donetsk (the city had 11,000 registered boxers by 1984.) He took up boxing in 1974 at the age of thirteen with the Avangard Sports Society, he won three consecutive Soviet Youth Championships continuously in 1978, 1979 and 1980. In December 1980 in

Tomsk Tomsk ( rus, Томск, p=tomsk, sty, Түң-тора) is a city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast in Russia, located on the Tom River. Population: Founded in 1604, Tomsk is one of the oldest cities in Siberia. The city is a not ...

he won the Soviet Championship in 91 kg. He has excelled, and Soviet coach Artyom Lavrov said this is a boxer worthy of his success. "In Russian, "amateur" and "like" are expressed by the same word ''lyubitel''. He is a real amateur. He likes what he is doing."Soviet champ
by Steve Sneddon, ''Reno Gazette-Journal'', January 25, 1985, p. 21. "I hope to follow the tradition of the Russian heavyweights," Yagubkin said. Apart from boxing he was schooling as an

aircraft technician In the US, an aircraft maintenance technician (AMT) is a tradesperson and also refers to a licensed technical qualification for carrying out aircraft maintenance. AMTs inspect and perform or supervise maintenance, preventive maintenance, rep ...

, and later graduated from the Slavyansk Civil Aviation Vocational School. Later he graduated from the Kiev Athletics Institute.

Career

Steve Sneddon of the ''

Reno Gazette-Journal The ''Reno Gazette Journal'' is the main daily newspaper for Reno, Nevada. It is owned and operated by the Gannett Company. It came into being when the ''Nevada State Journal'' (founded on November 23, 1870) and the ''Reno Evening Gazette'' (foun ...

'', described Yagubkin as "a classic boxer with an educated left jab." As Yagubkin described his style in his own words, "I prefer the technical boxing, rather than the bump boxing." His style has been built around an effective jab. Untypically for a southpaw outboxer, he never got himself prepared for any particular style of his next opponent (while the U.S. team carefully studied available filmings of the ring performance of their Soviet opponents). "I'm never bothered not knowing an opponent. It's better not knowing him before going into the ring. If you prepare for one thing, it's difficult to change in the ring. A few seconds is enough to see what someone is doing." At the age of 23, he has won 155 of his 168 bouts.Soviet heavyweight proves a gracious champion
by Steve Sneddon, ''Reno Gazette-Journal'', January 25, 1985, p. 19. After he defeated Canadian

Willie DeWitt William Theodore deWit, Q.C. (born June 13, 1961) is a Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta sitting in Calgary since 2017. Previously, he was a criminal defence lawyer and a professional boxer. He represented Canada at the 1984 Su ...

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praised him, "Yagubkin is known for his staunchness, courage, cold-bloodedness, flexible tactics and desire for victory." Always go with cold-bloodedness. Besides, Yagubkin won on points over deWitt, 21, in the World Cup at Montreal in 1981. DeWitt has a puncher's chance but Yagubkin rates a solid edge in international experience." "He's got a very strong punch. I want to avoid getting hit," said Yagubkin of DeWitt. After DeWitt won a controversial decision year-and-a-half later, Yagubkin doesn't complain about that decision. Yagubkin only says he was not at his best. After his two stand-offs versus American

Michael Bentt Michael Bentt (born September 4, 1965) is a British-born American film and television actor, and retired professional boxer who competed from 1989 to 1994. Of Jamaican heritage, he was born in East Dulwich, London, but raised in the Cambria ...

, as Yagubkin beat Bent badly at the World Cup at Seoul, where Yagubkin was regarded as one of the sport's outstanding defensive stylists, Bentt got himself the poster of Yagubkin on a wall in his room. U.S. Team visited Yagubkin in the USSR in 1984. As the American professional

boxing promoter A promoter works with event production and entertainment industries to promote their productions, including in music and sports. Promoters are individuals or organizations engaged in the business of marketing and promoting live, or pay-per-view ...

s negotiated with the Soviet Boxing Federation for sending to the U.S. for competing professionally there, they specifically requested for Yagubkin,

Miroshnichenko Miroshnichenko ( uk, Мірошніченко, russian: Мирошниченко) or Mirashnichenka ( be, Мірашнічэнка) is a surname of Ukrainian origin. It is a patronymic surname literally meaning "son of miller ('' miroshnyk'')". The ...

, and Yakovlev.

Bob Arum Robert Arum (born December 8, 1931) is an American lawyer and boxing promoter. He is the founder and CEO of Top Rank, a professional boxing promotion company based in Las Vegas. Prior to becoming a boxing promoter, Arum was employed as an attorn ...

negotiated with the Soviet Ministry of Sport, he wanted them to turn pro on the second Leonard vs. Hearns

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. In the words of the

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sportswriter Earl Gustkey, "Yagubkin does have great movement, however, and is a brilliant defensive boxer. He's an accurate puncher, though not a banger. After Adams (Ken Adams, 1988 U.S. Olympic Coach) brings him up to speed on the pro game, it's not hard to imagine Yagubkin running U.S. pro heavyweights ragged and piling up a lot of early wins on decisions. In fact, all three Soviet heavyweights would figure to be in significantly better physical condition than many of the fat U.S. heavyweights on the scene." But that never happen as the Soviet government dismissed the idea early in 1989, and did not allow the three boxers neither to turn pro, nor to be employed as a sparring partners for the professionals.

Highlights

Friendship Tournament,

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, July 1979: *Finals: Lost to Peter Philipp (East Germany) by decision Feliks Stamm Memorial,

Warsaw, Poland Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is official ...

, November 1979: *1/8: Defeated Leszek Rybiński (Poland) RET 2 *1/4: Lost to

Anders Eklund Anders Eklund may refer to: * Anders Eklund (boxer) * Anders Eklund (murderer) Per Anders Eklund (born 6 August 1965) is a Swedish murderer and rapist convicted of killing a 31-year-old woman in 2000 and a 10-year-old girl in 2008. Eklund is a ...

(Sweden) by split decision, 2–3 Junior World Championships,

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, December 1979: *1/4: Defeated Kazuhiro Sawada (Japan) RSC 1 *1/2: Lost to

Marvis Frazier Marvis Frazier (born September 12, 1960) is an American former professional boxer who fought in the heavyweight division. Early life Marvis is the son of former heavyweight champion and Hall of Famer, Joe Frazier. Marvis was at ringside for all o ...

(United States) by unanimous decision, 0–5 USSR–USA Duals,

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, January 1980: *Defeated

David Bey David Bey (March 11, 1957 – September 13, 2017) was a heavyweight boxer who held the USBA title. He unsuccessfully challenged Larry Holmes for the heavyweight title in 1985. Bey was an outstanding amateur boxer who had taken up the sport to ...

(United States) by unanimous decision, 3–0 Belgrade Open,

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, February 1980: *Finals: Lost to Aziz Salihu (Yugoslavia) by majority decision, 1–4 USA–USSR Duals, Showboat Hotel,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, January 1981: *Defeated

Tyrell Biggs Tyrell Biggs (born December 22, 1960) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1984 to 1998, and challenged once for the undisputed heavyweight title in 1987. As an amateur he won a gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics, hav ...

(United States) by decision USA–USSR Duals,

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, Shreveport, Louisiana, February 1981: *Defeated Freddie Guzman (United States) KO 2

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, May 1981: *1/4: Defeated

Grzegorz Skrzecz Grzegorz Skrzecz (25 August 1957 – 15 February 2023) was a Polish boxer, world championship medalist, actor, and the twin brother of Paweł Skrzecz. He competed in the men's heavyweight event at the 1980 Summer Olympics. Career He was bro ...

(Poland) by unanimous decision, 5–0 *1/2: Defeated Ion Cernat (Romania) by unanimous decision, 5–0 *Finals: Defeated Jürgen Fanghänel (East Germany) by unanimous decision, 5–0

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 concept i ...

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, November 1981: *1/4: Defeated

(Canada) by split decision, 3–2 *1/2: Defeated Luis Castillo (Ecuador) by decision *Finals: Lost to Carl Williams (United States) by unanimous decision, 0–5 USSR–USA Duals, Lenin Sports Palace,

, January 1982: *Defeated Mark Mahone (United States) by decision

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, ...

Munich, West Germany Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

, May 1982: *1/8: Defeated

Olaf Mayer Olaf Mayer (born 18 February 1961) is an Austrian boxer. He competed in the men's super heavyweight event at the 1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) ...

(Austria) by unanimous decision, 5–0 *1/4: Defeated Dževdet Peci (Yugoslavia) by unanimous decision, 5–0 *1/2: Defeated

(Poland) by unanimous decision, 5–0 *Finals: Defeated Jürgen Fanghänel (East Germany) by unanimous decision, 5–0 Belgrade Open,

, November 1982: *Finals: Defeated Milenko Andrić (Yugoslavia) by decision USA–USSR Duals,

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, February 1983: *Defeated Warren Thompson (United States) by decision USA–USSR Duals,

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, March 1983: * Defeated

Henry Tillman Henry Durand Tillman (born August 1, 1960) is an American former professional boxer. Early life Tillman was born in Los Angeles, California. Amateur career Tillman twice defeated Mike Tyson as an amateur, winning both bouts via close decisions. ...

(United States) by decision AIBA International Challenge,

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, May 1983: *Lost to

(Canada) by split decision, 2–3

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, May 1983: *1/4: Defeated Arnold van der Lijnde (Netherlands) by unanimous decision, 5–0 *1/2: Defeated Paul Golumbeanu (Romania) by unanimous decision, 5–0 *Finals: Defeated

Gyula Alvics Gyula Alvics (born 12 January 1960) is a Hungarian boxer. He competed in the men's heavyweight event at the 1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seo ...

(Hungary) by unanimous decision, 5–0

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, October 1983: *1/4: Defeated Michael Kenny (New Zealand) by unanimous decision, 5–0 *1/2: Defeated Angelo Musone (Italy) by majority decision, 4–1 *Finals: Defeated Luis Castillo (Ecuador) by unanimous decision, 5–0 King's Cup,

Bangkok, Thailand Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populatio ...

, April 1984: *1/4: Defeated Mikael Ölund (Sweden) by decision *1/2: Defeated Habibullah Khan (Pakistan) RSC 3 *Finals: Defeated Avery Rawls (United States) by decision

Friendship Games The Friendship Games, or Friendship-84 (russian: Дружба-84, ''Druzhba-84''), was an international multi-sport event held between 2 July and 16 September 1984 in the Soviet Union and eight other socialist states which boycotted the 1984 ...

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, August 1984: *1/2: Lost to Hermenegildo Báez (Cuba) by split decision, 2–3 USA–USSR Duals, Sparks Convention Center,

, January 1985: *Defeated James Pritchard (United States) by unanimous decision, 3–0

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, May–June 1985: *1/4: Defeated Søren Thomsen (Denmark) by unanimous decision, 5–0 *1/2: Defeated Deyan Kirilov (Bulgaria) by unanimous decision, 5–0 *Finals: Defeated

(Hungary) by unanimous decision, 5–0

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, November 1985: *1/4: Defeated Lee Hoo Soo (South Korea) by unanimous decision, 5–0 *1/2: Defeated

(United States) by majority decision, 4–1 *Finals: Defeated Jimmy Peau (New Zealand) KO 2 USSR–USA Duals, Olimpiysky Sport Complex,

, January 1986: *Defeated Orbit Pough (United States) by unanimous decision, 3–0 King's Cup,

, April 1986: *Finals: Defeated Mark Saris (Australia) RSC 3

, May 1986: *1/8: Defeated Domenico D'Amico (Canada) by majority decision, 4–1 *1/4: Lost to

(United States) by split decision, 2–3

Turin, Italy Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. T ...

, June 1987: *1/4: Defeated Istvan Levai (Hungary) by split decision, 3–2 *1/2: Defeated Petar Stoimenov (Bulgaria) RSCI 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 ...

(East Germany) by split decision, 2–3

Retirement and later life

Despite being one of the world's top heavyweights, Yagubkin, who staunchly represented an essentially provincial sports club on the outskirts, turning down all offers to join highly regarded sports societies, for that and some other purely political reasons never made it to the Soviet Olympic boxing squad on three occasions, in

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Syst ...

: on the pretext that he was way too young and inexperienced he was replaced with

Pyotr Zayev Pyotr Ivanovich Zayev (russian: Пётр Иванович Заев; 26 July 1953 − 29 November 2014) was a Russian heavyweight boxer who won a silver medal at the 1980 Summer Olympics, losing the final to Teófilo Stevenson.

(who won the silver), in

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: he qualified successfully, but the Soviet government

boycotted A boycott is an act of nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organization, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons. The purpose of a boycott is to inflict so ...

the Olympics, in 1988: on the pretext that he was too old he was replaced with

Ramzan Sebiyev Ramzan Sebiyev (born 26 October 1969) is a Russian boxer. He competed in the men's heavyweight event at the 1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seo ...

(who was dropped out in the preliminaries). He retired shortly afterwards. He won 9 out of 11 fights versus American boxers during the USA–USSR match-ups.

Honours and awards

*He was honoured as a

Master of Sports of the USSR Unified Sports Classification System of the USSR (russian: Единая Всесоюзная спортивная классификация) is a document which provided general Soviet physical education system requirements for both athletes an ...

. *In 1989 Yagubkin was made an

honorary citizen Honorary citizenship is a status bestowed by a city or other government on a foreign or native individual whom it considers to be especially admirable or otherwise worthy of the distinction. The honour usually is symbolic and does not confer an ...

of Ecuador for match-up with his former opponent Luis Castillo.

Death

Yagubkin died of heart failure after repeated

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and possib ...

(previous heart seizure roughly a month before his death was relatively mild and went unnoticed, he didn't pay much attention) on 7 August 2013 in Donetsk, Ukraine.Чемпион мира по боксу Александр Ягубкин скончался на 53-м году жизни

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yagubkin, Alexander 1961 births 2013 deaths Sportspeople from Donetsk Soviet male boxers Southpaw boxers Heavyweight boxers Super-heavyweight boxers Honoured Masters of Sport of the USSR Ukrainian male boxers AIBA World Boxing Championships medalists