Ruslan Chagaev

Ruslan Chagaev
Руслан Чагаев
Chagaev in 2007
Born
Ruslan Shamilevich Chagaev

(1978-10-19) 19 October 1978 (age 46)
Andijan, Uzbek SSR, Soviet Union (now Uzbekistan)
NationalityUzbekistani
Other namesWhite Tyson
Statistics
Weight(s)Heavyweight
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Reach188 cm (74 in)[1]
StanceSouthpaw
Boxing record
Total fights38
Wins34
Wins by KO21
Losses2
Draws1
No contests1
Medal record
Representing  Uzbekistan
Men's amateur boxing
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1997 Budapest Heavyweight
Gold medal – first place 2001 Belfast Super-heavyweight
World Junior Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1996 Havana Heavyweight
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 1998 Bangkok Heavyweight
Asian Championships
Gold medal – first place 1999 Tashkent Heavyweight

Ruslan Shamilevich Chagaev (Tatar: Руслан Шамил улы Чагаев; Uzbek: Ruslan Shamilovich Chagayev; Russian: Руслан Шамилович Чагаев); born 19 October 1978) is an Uzbekistani former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2016. He held the World Boxing Association (WBA) heavyweight title twice (Regular version in his second reign) and was the first Asian boxer to win a world heavyweight title by any of the four major sanctioning bodies. He was ranked as a top 10 heavyweight or contender by The Ring magazine at the conclusion of each year between 2006 and 2015; at the end of 2008 he was ranked third, only behind the Klitschko brothers.[2][3]

Chagaev is one of a few professional boxers to resume his amateur boxing career after a few professional bouts in 1997. He was reinstated as an amateur by the AIBA the following year as his professional bouts were declared exhibitions. As an amateur, Chagaev won gold medals at the 2001 World Championships and 1999 Asian Championships, in the heavyweight and super-heavyweight divisions respectively.

In 2007, Chagaev defeated then-unbeaten Nikolai Valuev to win his first WBA heavyweight title and would make two successful defences. Due to injuries and being unable to grant Valuev a rematch in 2009, the WBA stripped Chagaev of the title. He went on to suffer his first professional loss in the same year to unified heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.

Chagaev won the WBA (Regular) heavyweight title by defeating Fres Oquendo in 2014. He made one successful defence before losing the title to Lucas Browne in 2016. However, after Browne failed a drug test, the WBA reinstated Chagaev as champion, but he was once again stripped of the title in July of that year after failing to pay sanctioning fees. On 28 July 2016, he announced his retirement from boxing due to ongoing eye injuries.[4]

  1. ^ a b "BoxRec: Ruslan Chagaev". boxrec.com. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  2. ^ "The Ring Magazine's Annual Ratings: Heavyweight—2010s". boxrec.com. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  3. ^ "The Ring Magazine's Annual Ratings: Heavyweight—2000s". boxrec.com. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  4. ^ "СМИ: Руслан Чагаев решил завершить карьеру из-за проблем с глазами". 28 July 2016.