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Former heavyweight boxer Denis Boitsov, once considered a potential challenger for Wladimir Klitschko, has died at the age of 40. The Russian state news agency Tass reported, citing his father Nikolai Boitsov, that a detached blood clot led to the immediate death of the former professional boxer, who lived in Germany for many years.
A Promising Career Cut Short by a Mysterious Accident
Boitsov’s career, where he was known as the ‘Russian Tyson,’ was abruptly ended in May 2015 by a severe and still unexplained accident. He was found severely injured and unconscious on the tracks of a Berlin subway tunnel. The then 29-year-old suffered serious head and hand injuries and underwent emergency surgery at Charité hospital, followed by an induced coma. Further operations and lengthy rehabilitation followed, leaving Boitsov initially unable to walk or speak independently. His family subsequently withdrew from the public eye. The exact circumstances of the incident in Berlin remain unclear.
The Sports Centre in Russia’s Oryol region published a statement on Boitsov’s death on the Russian social network VK, honoring him as one of Russia’s most promising heavyweights in the early 2010s. “We express our sincere condolences to the relatives and friends of Denis Boitsov,” the statement read.
A Look Back at Boitsov’s Boxing Achievements
Boitsov began his professional career with the Hamburg boxing stable Universum and later signed with Berlin promoter Sauerland Event. In his professional career, the Russian-born boxer fought 37 matches, winning 36 of them, with 27 by knockout. In 2013, he held the number one spot in the World Boxing Organization (WBO) heavyweight rankings for an extended period, positioning him as the top challenger to then-champion Wladimir Klitschko. His last fight was in March 2015 in Rostock, where he defeated Irineu Beato Costa Junior of Brazil, who retired in the second round.
Source: kurier.de
