Oleg Maskaev
Oleg Maskaev | |
|---|---|
| File:Oleg Maskaev.jpg | |
| Born | Oleg Maskaev March 2, 1969 |
| Nationality |  Russian citizen  American citizen |
| Other names | The Big O |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | Heavyweight |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (190 cm) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 39 |
| Wins | 34 |
| Wins by KO | 26 |
| Losses | 5 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 0 |
Oleg Maskaev (Russian: Олег Маскаев; born March 2 1969, in Zhambyl, Kazakhstan) is a Russian professional boxer and is the current WBC heavyweight champion.
Boxing career
Maskaev, formerly a mine worker, begun his career in the 1980s as an amateur boxer in Russia where the Soviet Union still exist. He was the champion of Soviet Red Army and later national cup winner. His professional boxing career begun in 1993.
Oleg is known for his powerful punch in his right hand, he has knocked out former WBO heavyweight challenger Derrick Jefferson, contender Alex Stewart, and former WBC heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman (twice). However, he is also noted for a suspect chin that was evident in his knockout losses to contenders Oliver McCall, David Tua, Kirk Johnson, Lance Whitaker, and Corey Sanders.
His most famous victories have been his two wins over Hasim Rahman. Maskaev knocked Rahman down, sending him out of the ring in the 8th round on November 6, 1999. Later he fought Rahman again and defeated him for the WBC heavyweight title by knockout in the 12th round on August 12, 2006. His second win over Rahman was preceded by a streak of victories that helped rejuvenate Maskaev's career and earned him the "Comeback of the Year" award in Ring magazine in 2006.
Maskaev won his first title defense against Peter Okhello on December 10, 2006, by unanimous decision. After this bout, Maskaev remained unchallenged for over a year. He will not fight until March 8, 2008, where he will make his second defense against Samuel Peter, the WBC interim heavyweight champion.
After having crippling back pain resulting from two herniated discs and a bulging disc Maskaev was treated by the Extentrac decompression machine. He is now "100 percent" and is ready to reenter the boxing ring.
Nationality
Maskaev was born in Kazakhstan to Russian parents. He has lived in the U.S. since 1999 with his wife, Svetlana, and four daughters. He acquired US citizenship in 2004. He currently resides in West Sacramento, California. Before his first encounter with Hasim Rahman in 2006, he said "I would say I'm a proud Russian-American. So right now, I'm a citizen of America, of [the] United States... Whoever is going to win is going to be American."[1] In the run-up to his title defense against Peter Okhello, he stated regarding his citizenship: "Russian. I don't want to talk about that anymore. I will walk to the ring under the Russian flag and Russian anthem as I'm now a Russian citizen."[2] Russian president Vladimir Putin granted him Russian citizenship on December 9th, 2006.[3]
Sources
External links
- Oleg Maskaev Fight-by-Fight Career Record
- Boxing record for Oleg Maskaev from BoxRec (registration required)