Aleksandr Viktorovich "Alex" Miroshnichenko (, russian: Александр Викторович Мирошниченко; 26 April 1964 – 19 May 2003) was an

ethnic Russian The Russian diaspora is the global community of ethnic Russians. The Russian-speaking (''Russophone'') diaspora are the people for whom Russian language is the native language, regardless of whether they are ethnic Russians or not. History ...

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

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 bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...

. 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 Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

at the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

, 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 th ...

division. His other accomplishments included silver at the 1989 World Championships, as well as bronze at the

1983 The year 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 Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...

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 ( kz, Қостанай, Qostanai ) is a city located on the Tobol River in northern Kazakhstan. It was known as Nikolayevsk (russian: Николаевск) until 1895 and then as Kustanay (russian: Кустанай) until 1997. Kostanay ...

. 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 an independent sport organization that sanctions amateur (Olympic-style) boxing matches and awards world and subordinate cha ...

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 former professional boxer and boxing commentator who competed from 1989 to 2003. He is a three-time world heavyweight champion, a two-time lineal champion, and the last heavyweight to hold ...

and 1984 U.S. Army and inter-service champion

Wesley Watson Wesley Page Watson Jr. (born September 16, 1962, in Bristol, Tennessee) died January 4, 2021, in Wilmington, Delaware). He was an American heavyweight boxer best known for his successful amateur boxing career. Early years Watson, former Howard C ...

. 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, (; , Belarusian: Дынама, ka, დინამო) was 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, a ...

. At the 1988 Olympics semifinals Miroshnichenko floored U.S.

Riddick Bowe Riddick Lamont Bowe (born August 10, 1967) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1989 and 2008. He reigned as the undisputed world heavyweight champion in 1992, and as an amateur he won a silver medal in the super heavyw ...

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 (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...

, 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, Usti nad Labem,

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

, July 1982: *1/2: Defeated Bohumil Hruška (Czechoslovakia) KO 1 *Finals: Lost to Sven Karberg (East Germany) by walkover

European Championships The European Championships is a multi-sport tournament which brings together the existing European Championships of some of the continent's leading sports every four years. The inaugural edition in 2018 was staged by the host cities of Berlin, ...

Varna, Bulgaria Varna ( bg, Варна, ) is the third-largest List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, 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 ...

, 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 concept i ...

Rome, Italy , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (Romulus and Remus, legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg ...

, 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 ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million re ...

, 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,

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

, July 1986: *Defeated

(United States) KO 1 USA−USSR Exhibition,

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, 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 is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

, April 1987: *Finals: Lost to

Janusz Zarenkiewicz Janusz Zarenkiewicz (born August 3, 1959) is a Polish former amateur boxer.

(Poland) DQ 2 USA−USSR Heavy Duals,

University of South Florida The University of South Florida (USF) is a public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, and other campuses in St. Petersburg and Sarasota. It is one of 12 members of the State University System of Florida. USF is ...

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city'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 ...

, 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 known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2 ...

, August 1987: *Finals: Defeated Peter Hrivňák (Czechoslovakia) RET 1 TSC Tournament,

Werner-Seelenbinder-Halle Werner-Seelenbinder-Halle was an indoor sporting arena located in the Prenzlauer Berg district of Berlin, Germany. It was named after the executed Berlin resistance fighter Werner Seelenbinder, a German wrestling champion at several European ...

, Berlin, East Germany, September 1987: *1/4: Defeated Lino Pairol (Cuba) *1/2: Defeated István Szikora (Hungary) RET 3 *Finals: Lost to

by unanimous decision, 0–5 InterCup,

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...

, April 1988: *Finals: Defeated

(Canada) by unanimous decision, 5–0 Olympic SuperHeavy qualifications,

, April 1988: *1/4: Defeated István Szikora (Hungary) by decision *1/2: Defeated Azis Salihu (Yugoslavia) *Finals: Defeated

Janusz Zarenkiewicz Janusz Zarenkiewicz (born August 3, 1959) is a Polish former amateur boxer.

(Poland) by walkover Pre-Olympic Tournament,

Seoul, South Korea Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

, March 1988: *Defeated

(East Germany) by split decision, 3–2 USSR−USA Duals,

, 1988: *Defeated

(United States) by decision

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

, September 1988: *1/8: Defeated Ali Al-Baluchi (Kuwait) by unanimous decision, 5–0 *1/4: Defeated Kim Yoo-Hyun (South Korea) by unanimous decision, 5–0 *1/2: Lost to

(United States) by unanimous decision, 0–5

Athens, Greece Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, May 1989: *1/8: Defeated Pekka Viippo (Finland) KO 1 *1/4: Defeated

Janusz Zarenkiewicz Janusz Zarenkiewicz (born August 3, 1959) is a Polish former amateur boxer.

(Poland) KO 2 *1/2: Lost to

(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, ...

, September–October 1989: *1/4: Defeated

Andreas Schnieders Andreas Schnieders (22 December 1966 – 6 October 2022) was a German boxer. He competed in the men's super heavyweight event at the 1988 Summer Olympics. After his career ended in 1994 he worked as a security guard at the Emsland Nuclear Pow ...

(West Germany) RSCH 2 *1/2: Defeated Ladislav Husarik (Czechoslovakia) on points, 19–5 *Finals: Lost to

Roberto Balado Roberto Balado Méndez (February 15, 1969 – July 2, 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, h ...

(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 The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...

Cruiserweight Champion,

Ricky Parkey Ricky Parkey (born November 7, 1956) is a retired American boxer, the former IBF Cruiserweight Champion of the World, hailing from Morristown, Tennessee. Professional career Parkey turned professional in 1981 and won the IBF cruiserweight title ...

in an impressive third round Knockout. After 21 consecutive wins against limited competition, Miroshnichenko was finally defeated by

Oleg Maskaev Oleg Alexandrovich Maskayev (russian: Олег Александрович Маскаев; also Maskaev; born 2 March 1969) is a Russian-American former professional boxer who competed from 1995 to 2013, and held the WBC heavyweight title from 2 ...

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 ( kk, Қостанай облысы, translit=Qostanai oblysy; russian: Костанайская область, translit=Kostanayskaya oblast) is a region of Kazakhstan. Its administrative center is the city of Kostanay. The pop ...

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 Titles * ...

until his death.

Death

Miroshnichenko died under unclear circumstances in 2003, age 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

References

External links

Amateur Record
*
history

Один из первых наших профи
(in Russian) at Sports.kz {{DEFAULTSORT:Miroshnichenko, Aleksandr 1964 births 2003 deaths People from Kostanay Accidental deaths from falls Soviet male boxers Heavyweight boxers Boxers at the 1988 Summer Olympics Olympic boxers of 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