Boris Georgievich Kuznetsov

Boris Georgijewitsch Kuznetsov ( Russian Борис Георгиевич Кузнецов ; born February 23, 1947 in Astrakhan ; † May 3, 2006 ) was a Soviet boxer . He was Olympic champion in 1972 in featherweight (at that time up to 57 kg body weight).

Career

Boris Kuznetsov grew up in Astrakhan and started boxing there in 1958 as a teenager . He was a member of "Trud Rezervy" (workers' reserves). His trainers were W. Belokosow u. A. Chaplygin. He made his first international starts in 1968. He played that year in Kiev against Yugoslavia in a junior international match for the Soviet Union and won over Smajo Karadarjevic on points. He also won the internationally strong "2nd Dutch Tulips Tournament" in The Hague in featherweight. He beat the Romanian Moldovan there in the final battle on points.

In 1969 he started for the first time at the Soviet championships. He lost it in featherweight in the round of 16 against W. Tkachenko and came in the final account on the 9th place. In 1970 he started again at the Soviet championships and performed significantly better than in 1969. In the featherweight division, he was only defeated in the final against Aligmantas Zurza and took 2nd place.

Also in 1971 Boris Kuznetsov was Soviet runner-up in featherweight. He lost in the final against Valerian Sokolow on points. That year he also played two well-manned international tournaments. He won the TSC tournament in East Berlin and took 2nd place in the "Leningrad Tournament", both in the featherweight category. In Leningrad he defeated u. a. in the semifinals the Cubans Blas Sanchez on points and lost again in the final against Valerian Sokolow.

In the 1972 Olympic year, the Soviet championships were of particular importance. After all, the respective master of a weight class could count on being sent to the Olympic Games in Munich . Accordingly, all boxers, including Boris Kuszenow, started well prepared. He made it into the final of the featherweight and met Valerian Sokolow there again. In an even battle, Boris Kuznetsov was the luckier and scored a narrow 3-2 win. This was the first time he had become a Soviet champion. It was actually used at the Olympic Games. He defeated Harouna Lago from Nigeria in the first round by knockout in Munich , won the round of 16 with 3: 2 judges 'votes against Jose Baptista from Venezuela , defeated Romanian Gabriel Pometcu with 4: 1 judges' votes in the quarter-finals and won in Semi-final against András Botos from Hungary with 5-0 judges' votes. In the final against the Kenyan Philip Waruinge , luck was at his side again, because three of the five judges decided for him and two for Waruinge. With the 3-2 point victory Boris Kuznetsov was Olympic champion .

1973 won Boris Kuznetsov in Las Vegas on the occasion of an international match USA against the Soviet Union in the featherweight over Arturo Frias on points. At the Soviet championships and at the European championships this year he was not at the start.

In 1974 it came again at the Soviet featherweight championships to the final fight Boris Kuznetsov against Valerian Sokolov and again Boris Kuznetsov won with 3: 2 judges votes extremely narrow. He was then also used in the 1st Featherweight World Boxing Championships in Havana . In Havana he won the preliminary round over Ove Lundby from Sweden through techn. KO in the first round, defeated Stefan Förster from the GDR in the round of 16 and René Weller from Germany in the quarter-finals, each on points. With the same result, he also won the semi-finals over Rigoberto Garibaldi from Panama . In the final battle he met Howard Davis from the USA. Until then he had always been lucky with the 3-2 judges' decisions, this time he was unlucky. Because Howard Davis was with 3: 2 judges' votes point winner over Kuznetsov and thus world champion . For Boris Kuznetsov the runner-up world title remained.

Boris Kuznetsov resigned after the World Championships in Havana.

Country fights by Boris Kuznetsov

• 1968 in Kiev : USSR against Yugoslavia (juniors), points winner over Smajo Karadarjevic,
• 1969 in Moscow : USSR against Poland (juniors), point defeat against Jan Prochon,
• 1970 in Moscow: USSR against USA , point defeat againstay Lunny,
• 1971 in Paris : France against USSR, points winner over Daniel Triouilare,
• 1972 in Yerevan : USSR against USA, demolition winner 2nd round over Robert Vascocu,
• 1973 in Las Vegas : USA against USSR, points winner over Arturo Frias,
• 1974 in Moscow: USSR against USA, points winner over William Berry

Soviet championships with Boris Kuznetsov

(all featherweight, back then up to 57 kg body weight)

• 1969: 1. Walerian Sokolow , 2. Semen Trestin, 3. Alexander Schaschkow a. W. Plotnikow, --- 9. Boris Kuznetsov,
• 1970: 1. Aligmantas Zurza, 2. Boris Kuznetsov, 3. Valerian Sokolow a. Vitaly Kalmykow,
• 1971. 1. Valerian Sokolow, 2. Boris Kuznetsov, 3. Alexander Andrianow a. Werazdat Bagdasarew,
• 1972: 1. Boris Kuznetsov, 2. Valerian Sokolow, 3. Oleg Jaschakow a. Adomas Baltimavicius,
• 1974: 1. Boris Kuznetsov, 2. Valerian Sokolow, 3. Viktor Radkewitsch a. Ashot Avtisyan

swell

• Box Sport magazine from 1968 to 1974,
• BOX-ALMANACH 1920 - 1980, publisher of the German Amateur Boxing Association, 1980,
• Website www.sport-komplett.de,
• Website www.amateur-boxing.strefa.pl,
• Website www.peoples.ru/sport/boxer

Web links

• Portrait of Kuznetsov in Russian
• Boris Kuznetsov in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )