Boris Nikolayevich Nikonorov (russian: Борис Николаевич Никоноров, 25 January 1939 – 30 August 2015) was a Russian amateur boxer who won a silver medal in the

featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, t ...

division at the 1963 European Championships. He competed in the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...

, but lost in the third bout to the eventual winner Francesco Musso in a close decision (2:3). He withdrew from the 1964 Games due to an injury. Nikonorov had to shed 10 kg of bodyweight for the 1960 Olympics and consequently felt dizzy through most of the games. He fainted after his first bout, despite winning it. At those games he was befriended by the American gymnast Doris Fuchs and later exchanged letters and gifts with her. Nikonorov spoke no English and was assisted by an interpreter. They met again in 1963, when American gymnasts visited Moscow for a Soviet-U.S. meet. Soviet authorities and the

KGB The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...

intercepted and suppressed their mail, threatening Nikinorov with repercussions if he didn't stop communicating with Fuchs. After a long struggle, he was forced to oblige. Nikonorov still hoped to see her at the

1964 Olympics 1964 Olympics refers to both: *The 1964 Winter Olympics The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games (german: IX. Olympische Winterspiele) and commonly known as Innsbruck 1964 ( bar, Innschbruck 1964, label=Austro-Ba ...

, but could not attend – a month before he broke his toe in a friendly football game. Later in 1989, when the Soviet union was crumbling and its citizens were finally allowed to leave the country, he traveled to the United States, but didn't meet Fuchs, as both were married by the time. As a teenager Nikonorov wanted to become an

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player, but was rejected at various clubs because of his small size. He took up boxing in 1953. Four years later he won a Soviet junior title and was included to the national team. He retired in 1966 with an estimated record of 250 wins out of 265 bouts. During his career he won the Soviet championships in the featherweight (1959–60) and lightweight divisions (1962–63, 1965–66). In retirement he coached boxers in his club Trudovye Rezervy, and was also involved with the Bulgarian (1970–74) and Soviet (1989) national teams. His trainees included 1972 Olympic medalists Georgi Kostadinov and Angel Angelov.

References

1939 births 2015 deaths Boxers at the 1960 Summer Olympics Olympic boxers for the Soviet Union Russian male boxers Soviet male boxers Sportspeople from Moscow Featherweight boxers {{Russia-boxing-bio-stub