Yuri Yakovlevich Arbachakov (russian: Юрий Яковлевич Арбачаков; 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 bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...
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 above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb).
Professional boxing
The flyweight division was the last of bo ...
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 — Kuzbass (russian: Ке́меровская о́бласть — Кузба́сс, translit=Kemerovskaya oblast — Kuzbass, ), also known simply as Kemerovo Oblast (russian: Ке́меровская о́бласть, label=non ...
into a
Shor family.
Arbachakov was an amateur boxing star in 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 ...
. 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 ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
as part of the
perestroika
''Perestroika'' (; russian: links=no, перестройка, p=pʲɪrʲɪˈstrojkə, a=ru-perestroika.ogg) was a political movement for reform within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) during the late 1980s widely associated wit ...
program, along with
Orzubek Nazarov
Orzubek Nazarov (born August 30, 1966 in Kant, Kyrgyz SSR) is a boxer of Uzbek ethnicity, who won the bronze medal at the 1986 World Amateur Boxing Championships in Reno. He is a former WBA Lightweight Champion.
Career
As an amateur 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. 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 is derived from Ba ...
division. In 1991, his gym changed his ring name to "Yuri Ebihara," (after former world champion
Hiroyuki Ebihara
was a Japanese former professional boxer who competed from 1959 to 1969. He held the WBA, WBC, and '' The Ring'' flyweight titles from 1963 to 1964 and the WBA flyweight title again in 1969. Yuri Arbachakov used the ring name Yuri Ebihara in h ...
) 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
Nattawut Jantaweemol ( th, ณัฐวุฒิ จันทรวิมล, born 11 November 1968), later Muangchai Jantaweemol ( th, เมืองชัย จันทรวิมล), known professionally as Muangchai Kittikasem ( th, เ ...
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 an English-language expletive. It 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 to aro ...
."
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
Chatchai Sasakul ( th, ฉัตรชัย สาสะกุล; ; born February 5, 1970) is a Thai former professional boxer who competed between 1991 to 2008. He held the WBC flyweight title from May 1997 to December 1998. Aside from being ...
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
This is a list of world flyweight boxing champions, as recognized by the four major sanctioning organizations in boxing:
* The World Boxing Association (WBA), established in 1921 as the National Boxing Association (NBA). The WBA often recognize up ...
*
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
The history of boxing in Japan began in 1854 when Matthew C. Perry, Matthew Perry landed at Shimoda, Shizuoka soon after the Convention of Kanagawa. At that time, American sailors often engaged in sparring matches on board their ships, with thei ...
References
External links
*
Yuri Arbachakov - CBZ Profile
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arbachakov, Yuri
1966 births
Flyweight boxers
Living people
Sportspeople 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