Yuri Yakovlevich Arbachakov (; born October 22, 1966) is a Russian former
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 ...
who competed from 1990 to 1997. He held the
WBC flyweight
Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports.
Boxing
Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing up to and including 51 kg (112 lb) for a title fight.
Professional boxing
The flyweight division was the last of boxin ...
title from 1992 to 1997.
Amateur career
Yuri Arbachakov was born on October 22, 1966, in the village of Ust-Kezes,
Kemerovo Oblast
Kemerovo Oblast (, ), also known as Kuzbass (, ), after the Kuznetsk Basin, is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Kemerovo is the administrative center and largest city of the oblast. Kemerovo Oblast is one of Rus ...
into a
Shor family.
Arbachakov was an amateur boxing star in 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 ...
. He won both world and European amateur championships during his amateur career, and lost only 21 of 186 amateur fights.
Professional boxing career
Arbachakov emigrated to
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
as part of the
perestroika
''Perestroika'' ( ; rus, перестройка, r=perestrojka, p=pʲɪrʲɪˈstrojkə, a=ru-perestroika.ogg, links=no) was a political reform movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) during the late 1980s, widely associ ...
program, along with
Orzubek Nazarov. He trained with the Kyoei boxing gym, and fought almost all of his fights in Japan. He made his professional debut in February, 1990, under the name "Yuri Chakov", in the
bantamweight
Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports and weightlifting. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is .
The name for the class ...
division. In 1991, his gym changed his ring name to "Yuri Ebihara", (after former world champion
Hiroyuki Ebihara) and in July of that year, he won the Japanese flyweight title in his seventh professional bout, by 1st-round knockout. He defended the title once before returning it.
In June, 1992, he challenged
Muangchai Kittikasem for the
WBC and lineal flyweight titles, and won by 8th-round knockout.
He would go on to defend his titles nine times over five years.
After winning the world titles, he took out "Ebihara" from his ring name, and began fighting as "Yuri Arbachakov". He made this change because "Ebi" closely resembles the Russian word for "
fuck
''Fuck'' () is profanity in the English language that often refers to the act of sexual intercourse, but is also commonly used as an intensifier or to convey disdain. While its origin is obscure, it is usually considered to be first attested ...
".
In August, 1996, he made his 9th defense by 8th-round KO, but injured his right hand during the fight. The injury forced him into a long period of inactivity.
His 10th defense was scheduled for November, 1997, over a year since his last fight.
Chatchai Sasakul had become the
WBC flyweight interim champion during Arbachakov's inactivity, and the two had previously fought in September, 1995, with Arbachakov emerging victorious by decision. However, Sasakul won the rematch by 12-round decision, and Arbachakov announced his retirement after the fight. His professional record was 23-1-0 (16KOs).
Professional boxing record
See also
*
List of flyweight boxing champions
*
List of WBC world champions
This is a list of WBC world champions, showing every world champion certificated by the World Boxing Council (WBC). The WBC is one of the four major governing bodies in professional boxing, and certifies world champions in 18 different weight cla ...
*
List of Japanese boxing world champions
This is a list of Japanese boxing world champions who have won major world titles from the "Big four" Sports governing body, governing bodies in professional boxing namely the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Council (WBC), Internation ...
*
Boxing in Japan
References
External links
*
Yuri Arbachakov - CBZ Profile
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arbachakov, Yuri
1966 births
Flyweight boxers
Living people
Martial artists from Kemerovo Oblast
Soviet male boxers
World Boxing Council champions
World flyweight boxing champions
World boxing champions
Russian male boxers
Russian expatriate sportspeople in Japan
AIBA World Boxing Championships medalists
20th-century Russian sportsmen