Ivan Maksimovich Poddubny (; ; – 8 August 1949) was a

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

from the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

and

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 ...

Biography

Poddubniy was born on

John the Apostle John the Apostle (; ; ), also known as Saint John the Beloved and, in Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Saint John the Theologian, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Generally listed as the youngest apostle, he ...

day in 1871 into a family of

Zaporozhian Cossacks The Zaporozhian Cossacks (in Latin ''Cossacorum Zaporoviensis''), also known as the Zaporozhian Cossack Army or the Zaporozhian Host (), were Cossacks who lived beyond (that is, downstream from) the Dnieper Rapids. Along with Registered Cossa ...

ИВАН ПОДДУБНЫЙ (Ivan Poddubny)
history.vn.uaNikolai Sukhomlin (16 March 2009
Богатырь Иван ПОДДУБНЫЙ: из грузчиков в чемпионы
. h.ua in the village of Krasenivka, in the Zolotonosha county (

uyezd An uezd (also spelled uyezd or uiezd; rus, уе́зд ( pre-1918: уѣздъ), p=ʊˈjest), or povit in a Ukrainian context () was a type of administrative subdivision of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, the R ...

) of the

Poltava Governorate Poltava Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire. It was officially created in 1802 from the disbanded Little Russia Governorate (1796–1802), Little Russia Governorate and had its capital in Polt ...

of the

(present-day

Zolotonosha Raion Zolotonosha Raion is a raion (district) of Cherkasy Oblast, central Ukraine. Its administrative centre is located at the city of Zolotonosha. Population: On 18 July 2020, as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, the number of raions of ...

Cherkasy Oblast Cherkasy Oblast (, ), also referred to as Cherkashchyna (, ) is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in central Ukraine located along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. The Capital city, administrative center of the oblast is the cit ...

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

). Having a big family Poddubny senior had a difficult time to provide for them, therefore Ivan was forced to leave his father's house before turning 20. As a young man, Poddubny worked as a fitter in the ports of

Sevastopol Sevastopol ( ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea and a major port on the Black Sea. Due to its strategic location and the navigability of the city's harbours, Sevastopol has been an important port and naval base th ...

and

Feodosiya Feodosia (, ''Feodosiia, Teodosiia''; , ''Feodosiya''), also called in English Theodosia (from ), is a city on the Crimean coast of the Black Sea. Feodosia serves as the administrative center of Feodosia Municipality, one of the regions into w ...

for seven years earning a nickname of Ivan the Great. In Feodosiya, Ivan started to practice with

kettlebell In weight training, a kettlebell is a cast-iron or Steel casting, cast-steel ball with a handle attached to the top, resembling a cannonball with a handle. It is used to perform a range of Exercise, exercises; primarily Ballistic training, ball ...

s and participated in some wrestling fights. Sometime around 1897-1898, he started traveling with circus tours and performed at first in Sevastopol and later in

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

arenas. Sometime in 1903, Poddubny joined the Saint Petersburg Athletic Club with which he participated in World Championships in

Moscow 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 ...

and

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. In 1905 he became the World Champion in wrestling in Paris and later toured Italy, Algeria, Belgium, Berlin, winning a championship in

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

. In 1907

Georg Hackenschmidt Georg Karl Julius Hackenschmidt (1 August 1877 – 19 February 1968) was an Estonian strongman, amateur and professional wrestler, writer, and sports philosopher who is recognized as professional wrestling's first world heavyweight champion. ...

spots four strong wrestlers: Constant Le Marin,

Stanislaus Zbyszko Stanisław Jan Cyganiewicz (April 1, 1880 – September 23, 1967), better known by his ring name Stanislaus Zbyszko, and frequently referred to in the contemporary English-language press as Zbysco, was a Polish strongman and professional wrestle ...

, Ivan Poddubny and Joe Rogers. All four challenge Hackenschmidt, and he agrees to compete the strongest of them, which should determine the tournament. In England, Hackenschmidt attends a match between Zbyszko and Poddubny, which the Zbyszko wins by disqualification. Before returning to his home in Krasenivka in 1910, he also won several more world cups in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, and

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

. Ivan repeatedly won

Greco-Roman wrestling Greco-Roman (American English), Graeco-Roman (British English), or classic wrestling (Euro-English) is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been i ...

"World Cups" among professionals, including the most authoritative of them – in Paris (1905–08). In 1925–27 he performed in Germany and US. According to the Krasenivka museum, he did not waste his money earned during fights and upon his return home bought of land, two houses in a neighboring Bohodukhivka village, a small store, a churn shop, two mills one of which was located in Orzhytsia (today a town in

Poltava Oblast Poltava Oblast (), also referred to as Poltavshchyna (), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) of central Ukraine. The capital city, administrative center of the oblast is the city of Poltava. Most of its territory was par ...

). Around that time, he got married for the first time. Sometime in 1913, Poddubny participated in another World Cup in

where he became a runner-up. It was then that his wife left him for another taking his gold medals. While touring in

Rostov Rostov-on-Don is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East European Plain on the Don River, from the Sea of Azov, directly north of t ...

, Ivan meet his future second wife whom he married in 1923. In 1920s he was touring the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

staying undefeated while visiting

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Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. On February 2, 1926 in New York City, Poddubny lost to world heavyweight wrestling champion

Joe Stecher Joe Stecher (April 4, 1893 – March 29, 1974), sometimes spelled Joe Stetcher, was an American professional wrestler and three-time World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion. Known for his ferocity, tremendous leg strength and extensive knowledge ...

, which is considered Poddubny's first loss in 25 years. On June 16, Stecher defeats Poddubny again at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles in front of 10,000 people. During his tour in the

he was forced to fight

freestyle Freestyle may refer to: Brands * Reebok Freestyle, a women's athletic shoe * Ford Freestyle, an SUV automobile * Coca-Cola Freestyle, a vending machine * Abbott FreeStyle, a blood glucose monitor by Abbott Laboritories Media * '' FreeStyle'', ...

as his opponents. At age 56 Ivan won a beauty contest among men in the

. Being unable to take out his earned half a million dollars from the bank (required to be a citizen), he left for home. Later Ivan continued to perform in the Russian circuses retiring finally aged 70. His last farewell performance he did in the Tula city circus in 1941. After his retirement, he with his wife settled in

Kuban Kuban ( Russian and Ukrainian: Кубань; ) is a historical and geographical region in the North Caucasus region of southern Russia surrounding the Kuban River, on the Black Sea between the Don Steppe, the Volga Delta and separated fr ...

buying a two-storey house with a garden in

Yeysk Yeysk () is a port and a resort town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated on the shore of the Taganrog Gulf of the Sea of Azov. The town is built primarily on the Yeysk Spit, which separates the Yeya River from the Sea of Azov. Population: ...

. In November 1939, he was given the title of

Honored Artist of the RSFSR Honored Artist of the RSFSR (, ''Zasluzhenny artist RSFSR'') was an honorary title granted to Soviet artists, including theatre and film directors, choreographers, music performers, and orchestra conductors, who had outstanding achievements in the ...

, and in 1945 that of Honored Master of Sports. During the

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

German occupation, he refused to leave the

to train German wrestlers. And the last battle is held at the age of 70. After the end of his career, he moved to the Sea of Azov and lived until his death - 77 years. Poddubny maintained a lifelong professional rivalry with wrestler

. He died undefeated on 8 August 1949, in the town of

, in the

region in

Southern Russia Southern Russia or the South of Russia ( rus, Юг России, p=juk rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a Colloquialism, colloquial term for the southernmost geographic portion of European Russia. The term is generally used to refer to the region of Russia's So ...

from a heart attack. Ivan was buried in Yeysk in a park outside of the city. At his burial site was installed an obelisk that used to say "Here lies the Russian bogatyr".

Personal life

His first wife, Antonina, cheated on him and ran away with another, stealing his gold medals. Antonina later regretted her actions and attempted to return, but Ivan would not forgive her. According to the director of the Krasenivka museum, Ivan had three sisters (Motrona, Maryna, and Yevdokiya) and three brothers (Omelyan, Mykyta, and Mytrofan). The fate of Omelyan and Mykyta is unknown, while Mytrofan continued to live in Krasenivka where he died in 1966. The last relative of Ivan Poddubny who lived in Krasenivka was his granddaughter Hanna Zakharivna who died sometime before 2011. It is also known that both Motrona and Maryna had three children each, yet the most close relations Ivan kept with his youngest sister Yevdokiya and was as godfather of her daughter Mariya. Eventually, Yevdokiya moved to the neighboring village of Bohodukhivka and later to

Zolotonosha Zolotonosha (, ) is a city located in Cherkasy Oblast (region) in central Ukraine. Located at around , the city serves as the administrative center of Zolotonosha Raion (district). It hosts the administration of Zolotonosha urban hromada, one ...

. Ivan's father name was Maksym Ivanovych Poddubny. According to the Krasenivka museum, Ivan Poddubny's height was , his weight was , his biceps girth was , and his neck was thick. Among Poddubny's friends was

Dmytro Yavornytsky Dmytro Ivanovych Yavornytsky (; November 6, 1855 – August 5, 1940) was a Ukrainian academician, historian, archeologist, ethnographer, folklorist, and lexicographer. Yavornytsky was a member of (from 1885), of All-Russian Archaeological S ...

who lived in

Dnipropetrovsk Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper River, Dnipro River, from which it takes its name. Dnipro is t ...

(Yekaterinoslav). Stamp of Ukraine s124

Championships, accomplishments and awards

* Six-time consecutive champion in

in 1905–1909, the first one to do so. *

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

(1911) *

Order of the Red Banner of Labour The Order of the Red Banner of Labour () was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to the Soviet state and society in the fields of production, science, culture, literature, the arts, education, sports ...

(1939) *

(1939) * Honoured Master of Sports of the USSR (1945)

Legacy

There is a monument dedicated to Poddubny in his home village of Krasenivka. There is also the Ivan Poddubny Fund headed by Petro Dusheiko (former governor of

Chornobai Raion Chornobai Raion () was a ''raion'' (district—administrative region) of eastern Cherkasy Oblast, in central Ukraine. Its administrative center was located in the urban-type settlement of Chornobai. The raion was abolished on 18 July 2020 as par ...

). The Fund sponsors the annual festival of

bogatyr A bogatyr (, ; , ) or vityaz (, ; , ) is a stock character in medieval Bylina, East Slavic legends, akin to a Western European knight-errant. Bogatyrs appear mainly in Kievan Rus', Rus' epic poems—Bylina, ''bylinas''. Historically, they came i ...

strength which is conducted since 1998. The festival which gathers up to 10,000 people was visited once by a grandson and great grandson of Ivan Poddubny who arrived from

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

. * Piddubny Olympic College, a former Republican Higher School of Physical Culture (in

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

) renamed in 2015

References

External links

Иван Максимович Поддубный / Ivan Poddubny: Гамбургский счет Ивана Поддубного
at peoples.ru
Ivan Poddubny's biography

Ivan Piddubny's biography''Ivan Piddubny: the Ukrainian Hercules, a powerful athlete and staunch patriot''
in

The Ukrainian Weekly ''The Ukrainian Weekly'' is the oldest English-language newspaper of the Ukrainian diaspora in the United States, and North America. Founded by the Ukrainian National Association, and published continuously since October 6, 1933, archived copie ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poddubny, Ivan 1871 births 1949 deaths Sportspeople from Cherkasy Oblast People associated with physical culture People from Poltava Governorate Wrestlers from the Russian Empire Ukrainian strength athletes Soviet strength athletes Ukrainian male sport wrestlers Ukrainian male professional wrestlers Soviet male sport wrestlers Ukrainian people in the Russian Empire Commanders of the Legion of Honour Honored Artists of the RSFSR Honoured Masters of Sport of the USSR Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour