Mairis Briedis
Mairis Briedis (born 13 January 1985) is a Latvian professional boxer. He is a three-time cruiserweight world champion, having held the IBF and ''Ring'' titles from 2020 to 2022; the WBC title from 2017 to 2018; and the WBO title in 2019. Upon winning the WBC title in 2017, he became the first Latvian to hold a world boxing title. He was awarded the Order of the Three Stars in 2017. As a professional, he has fought world champions Oleksander Usyk, Marco Huck, Krzysztof Głowacki, Manuel Charr, and Yuniel Dorticos. As of November 2022, he is ranked as the world's third best active cruiserweight by ''The Ring'' magazine, BoxRec, and second by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. Professional career Early career At the age of 24, after previously serving as a Latvian State Police officer in Rīga, Briedis turned professional in 2009. He racked up multiple wins in his home country and abroad, including a second-round technical knockout (TKO) of former heavyweight tit ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Cruiserweight (boxing)
Cruiserweight, also referred to as junior heavyweight, is a weight class (boxing), weight class in professional boxing between light heavyweight and heavyweight. Before the advent of the current cruiserweight class, "light heavyweight" and "cruiserweight" were sometimes used interchangeably in the United Kingdom. Professional boxing The current weight limit for the division is . When originally established, the weight limit was . The division was established in order to accommodate smaller heavyweight boxers who could not compete with the growing size of boxers in that division. While many great heavyweight champions (such as Rocky Marciano and Joe Louis) weighed around 190 pounds in their career, during the 1970s it became fairly standard that fit heavyweight boxers weighed at least . It was felt by many boxing authorities that asking men weighing between and to fight these larger men was unfair. The WBC was the first boxing organization to recognize the cruiserweight division ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Yuniel Dorticos
Yuniel Dorticós Pao (born 11 March 1986) is a Cuban professional boxer. He is a two-time former cruiserweight world champion, having held the WBA title from 2017 to 2018 and the IBF title from 2019 to 2020. As of August 2022, he is ranked as the world's third best active cruiserweight by '' The Ring'' magazine and the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and sixth by BoxRec. Amateur career He placed second three times in a row at the Cuban national championships from 2005- 2007 at light-heavyweight, each time behind Yusiel Nápoles. In 2008 he came in third, after losing to future Olympic gold medalist Julio César La Cruz in the semifinals. Dorticos represented Cuba twice in the Boxing World Cup. World Cup results 2005 (light heavyweight) *Defeated Elnur Kadyrov (Azerbaijan) RSC-3 *Defeated Ovidiu Chereches (Romania) RSC-2 *Lost to Yerdos Zhanabergenov (Kazakhstan) RSCI-2 2006 (light heavyweight) *Defeated Erbol Dutbayev (Kazakhstan) RSC-OS *Defeated Christopher Downs ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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David Haye
David Deron Haye (born 13 October 1980) is a British former professional boxer who competed between 2002 and 2018. He held multiple world championships in two weight classes, and was the first British boxer to reach the final of the World Amateur Boxing Championships, where he won a silver medal in 2001. As a professional, Haye became a unified cruiserweight world champion in 2008, winning three of the four major world titles, as well as the ''Ring'' magazine and lineal titles. He was ranked by BoxRec as the world's No.1 cruiserweight from 2005 to 2007, and was also ranked within ten best in 2003 and 2004. In 2008 he moved up to heavyweight, winning the WBA title in 2009 after defeating Nikolai Valuev, who had a size advantage of in height and in weight over Haye. Along with Evander Holyfield and Oleksandr Usyk, Haye is one of only three boxers in history to have unified the cruiserweight world titles and become a world heavyweight champion. As of September 2021, BoxRec ra ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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BJ Flores
Benjamin "BJ" Flores (born January 29, 1979) is an American former professional boxer and a current boxing trainer. He challenged once for the WBC cruiserweight world title in 2016, and twice for interim world titles at cruiserweight and heavyweight. Personal life Flores who is of Mexican descent, is the grandson of Ralph Flores, the pilot who crashed his small plane in the wilds of Canada's Yukon Territory. Born into a boxing family, Flores began attending the gym at the age of four years while watching his father Frank Flores train his older brothers and assist Olympic coach Ken Adams train future champions Vince Phillips and Kennedy McKinney. Prior to graduating from Willard High School in Willard, Missouri, Flores was an all state selection in football and track & field. Flores was offered a full football scholarship to BYU. Flores took two years off from BYU to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Mexico Culiacan Mission. For two ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Simon Vallily
Simon Vallily (born 15 August 1985) is an English professional boxer. As an amateur, he was a member of the England elite squad as well as the Great British podium squad and won gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. Vallily was born to English father and Jamaican mother. Amateur career Fighting for the South Bank Amateur boxing club in Middlesbrough, Vallily was formerly on the books of Middlesbrough Football Club until disciplinary issues meant that his career in football ended prematurely. Vallily claimed that he started boxing after getting into trouble when he was a kid, and that what he would be doing if he were not boxing would be "not worth thinking about". In February 2006, he was sentenced to 4 years in prison following a knife attack. Halfway into his sentence he was released and started to concentrate on his boxing career. Domestic honours In 2009, competing in the super heavyweight division, Vallily won the senior ABA title in Sheffield at the English Ins ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ilunga Makabu
Junior Ilunga Makabu (born 8 November 1987) is a Congolese-South African professional boxer. He held the WBC cruiserweight title from 2020 to 2023. As of June 2022, he is ranked as the world's second-best active cruiserweight by BoxRec, and Fourth by ''The Ring'' magazine, and the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. He is the older brother of heavyweight boxer Martin Bakole. Professional career Early career His professional career began on 20 June 2008, when he lost four round bouts fighting (by technical knockout in the first round) with the South African boxer Khayeni Hlungwane. The fight was held at the Carousel Hotel & Casino in Temba in the province of North-West. On September 13, 2008 he achieved his first victory, defeating by technical knockout in the first round the representative of Zimbabwe Elvis Moyo. On 19 November 2011 he faced Brazilian Pedro Otas. A twelve-round fight was organized at Monte Casino in Johannesburg, starring Michael Buffer. The dominant Mak ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Tony Bellew
Anthony Lewis Bellew (born 30 November 1982) is an English former professional boxer who competed from 2007 to 2018, and has since worked as a boxing analyst and commentator. He held the WBC cruiserweight title from 2016 to 2017, and challenged for the undisputed cruiserweight championship in his final fight. At regional level, he held the British and Commonwealth light-heavyweight titles between 2010 and 2014, the European cruiserweight title from 2015 to 2016, and is a three-time ABA heavyweight champion as an amateur. He portrayed antagonist boxer Ricky Conlan in the films ''Creed'' and ''Creed III.'' Early life Anthony Lewis Bellew was born in the Toxteth area of Liverpool on 30 November 1982, the son of a black mother and white father. He first lived on Mulgrave Street in Toxteth, later moving to Smithdown Road in nearby Wavertree. Amateur career Fighting out of Liverpool's Rotunda ABC, Bellew claimed both the 2002 and 2003 novice ABA titles by knocking out every man ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Mandatory Challenger
In professional boxing and some other combat sports, a mandatory challenger is an opponent whom a champion must either fight or be forced to vacate their title as champion. A mandatory defence is the opposite of a voluntary defence, where the champion may fight an opponent who might offer greater revenue potential than a mandatory challenger. Mandatory challengers are designated by the champion's sanctioning body; in boxing, the major sanctioning bodies are the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO. The sanctioning bodies often order eliminators between top-ranked contenders to decide who will receive the mandatory challenger status. If the champion vacates the belt, the mandatory challenger is paired against another challenger for the vacant belt. Due to boxing politics, the champion of one sanctioning body is excluded from the rankings of rival sanctioning bodies, so unification fights cannot be mandatory defences. Conversely, mandatory challengers may be forced to wait for a title shot if the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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WBC Silver
The World Boxing Council (WBC) is an international professional boxing organization. It is among the four major organizations which sanction professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Organization (WBO). Many historically high-profile bouts have been sanctioned by the organization with various notable fighters having been recognised as WBC world champions. All four organizations recognise the legitimacy of each other and each have interwoven histories dating back several decades. History The WBC was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, the Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil. Representatives met in Mexico City on 14 February 1963, upon invitation of Adolfo López Mateos, then President of Mexico, to form an international organization to unify all commissions of the world to control the expansion of boxing. The gr ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Olanrewaju Durodola
Olanrewaju Durodola (born 16 October 1980) is a Nigerian professional boxer who has held the African cruiserweight title since February 2020, and previously the WBC Silver cruiserweight title from 2015 to 2016. As an amateur he competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics and 2009 World Championships, both at heavyweight. Career In his only previous major event he suffered a 29:29 countback loss to Camille Michel of Seychelles at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. The 1.92/6'3' Durodola did not compete at the 2007 All-Africa Games but qualified at the 2nd AIBA African 2008 Olympic Qualifying Tournament by beating among others Awusone Yekeni. He lost his only Olympic match to Cuban Osmay Acosta, Acosta went on further to win a bronze medal. He is noted for his knockout power, even in the amateurs, having stopped the vast majority of his opponents. In 2011, Durodola has turned professional. His first professional bout was scheduled for 19 February at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Danny Williams (boxer)
Daniel Peter Williams (born 13 July 1973) is a British professional boxer. He has challenged once for the WBC and '' The Ring'' magazine heavyweight titles in 2004. At regional level, he has held multiple heavyweight championships, including the Commonwealth title twice between 1999 and 2006; the British title twice between 2000 and 2010; and challenged once for the European title in 2003. As an amateur, he won bronze medals at the 1993 European Championships and 1994 Commonwealth Games. Williams is best known for scoring an upset knockout victory against Mike Tyson in 2004. Amateur career As an amateur boxer out of the famous Lynn AC boxing gym in SE London, Williams learned his trade quickly, often sparring with the likes of clubmates Henry Akinwande and Derek Angol. In 1991 Williams won the PLA tournament and won a gold medal in Sardinia multi-nation tournament and a gold medal in the Greek multi-nations tournament. In the Finland multi-nations in 1992 he won a bronze meda ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Technical Knockout
A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, as well as fighting-based video games. A full knockout is considered any legal strike or combination thereof that renders an opponent unable to continue fighting. The term is often associated with a sudden traumatic loss of consciousness caused by a physical blow. Single powerful blows to the head (particularly the jawline and temple) can produce a cerebral concussion or a carotid sinus reflex with syncope and cause a sudden, dramatic KO. Body blows, particularly the liver punch, can cause progressive, debilitating pain that can also result in a KO. In boxing and kickboxing, a knockout is usually awarded when one participant falls to the canvas and is unable to rise to their feet within a specified period of time, typically because of ex ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |