Artur Grigorian
Artur Grigorian | |||||||||||||||||||||
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![]() Grigorian on a 2001 stamp of Uzbekistan | |||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Artur Razmikovich Grigoryan 20 October 1967 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Nationality | Soviet → Uzbek | ||||||||||||||||||||
Other names | King Artur | ||||||||||||||||||||
Statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||
Weight(s) | Lightweight | ||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 5 ft 7+1⁄2 in (1.71 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Reach | 69 in (175 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Stance | Southpaw | ||||||||||||||||||||
Boxing record | |||||||||||||||||||||
Total fights | 39 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wins | 38 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wins by KO | 23 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Losses | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Draws | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
No contests | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Artur Razmikovich Grigorian (Armenian: Արթուր Գրիգորյան; born 20 October 1967) is a retired Armenian-Uzbek professional boxer.
Grigorian is a former WBO lightweight champion. He defended his title against record-breaking 17 boxers, and held it for seven years, six months and twenty days; nearly as long as record holder Benny Leonard held his lightweight title (7 years, 8 months).[2]
Biography
Grigorian was born on 20 October 1967 in Soviet Tashkent, Uzbek SSR to an Armenian family from Nagorno-Karabakh.[3] He has a brother and sister.
Amateur career
Grigorian began boxing at the age of 11. He defeated Shane Mosley and won a gold medal at the 1990 Goodwill Games in Seattle City.[4] Grigorian won a silver medal at the 1991 World Amateur Boxing Championships and competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.
- 1991 2nd place as a lightweight at the World Championships in Sydney, Australia. His results were:[5]
- Defeated Juan Carlos Saiz (Spain) PTS (26–18)
- Defeated Julio Gonzalez (Cuba) PTS (15–12)
- Defeated Hong Sung-Sik (South Korea) PTS (19–7)
- Defeated Justin Rowsell (Australia) PTS (21–15)
- Lost to Marco Rudolph (Germany) PTS (14–19)
- 1992 Grigorian represented the Unified Team (Former Soviet Union) at the Barcelona Olympic Games as a lightweight. His results were:[1]
- Defeated Óscar Palomino (Spain) 11–10
- Lost to Hong Sung-Sik (South Korea) 3–9
Artur had a final amateur record of 361–23.[2]
Professional career
Trained by Fritz Sdunek, Grigorian began his professional career in 1994 and won eight consecutive bouts. On 23 July 1994, Grigorian defeated Turkish boxer Senturk Ozdemir by a fifth-round technical knockout and won the vacant German International lightweight title.
On 1 April 1995, Grigorian defeated Antonio Strabello and became the WBO Inter-Continental champion. After six non-title bouts and one title defense, Artur, with a perfect 19–0 record, became eligible to fight for the WBO lightweight championship world title. The title had recently been vacated by Oscar De La Hoya after he moved up to the light welterweight division.
Grigorian faced Puerto Rican Antonio Rivera on 13 April 1996, for the vacant WBO lightweight title. Both were the two top contenders in the lightweight division. Artur won by knocking Rivera out in the twelfth round and became the new WBO lightweight champion.[2]
After four title defenses, Grigorian defended his belt against undefeated challenger Marco Rudolph. Rudolph had bested Grigorian seven years earlier at the 1991 World Amateur Boxing Championship finals. Grigorian avenged his amateur defeat by stopping Rudolph in the sixth round.
Grigorian would continue to defend his title a total of seventeen times, a new record in the lightweight division. Artur was just one more defense away from becoming the longest reigning lightweight champion, but ultimately lost his belt to Acelino Freitas by unanimous decision on 3 January 2004. Grigorian had surgery on his right shoulder prior to the bout. Freitas lost the belt in his first title defense against Diego Corrales. Grigorian retired later that year after winning one more bout.
On 24 February 2009, at the age of 41, Artur came out of retirement for one more bout in which he won a six-round unanimous decision against Bulgarian Kirkor Kirkorov. Kirkorov is also of Armenian descent and also a 1991 World Amateur Boxing Championships medalist.[3]
Personal life
Grigorian lives in Germany with his wife and three daughters. He currently works as a boxing trainer.[3]
Professional boxing record
39 fights | 38 wins | 1 loss |
---|---|---|
By knockout | 22 | 0 |
By decision | 16 | 1 |
No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
39 | Win | 38–1 | ![]() |
PTS | 6 | 24 Feb 2009 | ![]() |
|
38 | Win | 37–1 | ![]() |
TKO | 4 (8), 2:35 | 11 Sep 2004 | ![]() |
|
37 | Loss | 36–1 | ![]() |
UD | 12 | 3 Jan 2004 | ![]() |
Lost WBO lightweight title |
36 | Win | 36–0 | ![]() |
MD | 12 | 18 Jan 2003 | ![]() |
Retained WBO lightweight title |
35 | Win | 35–0 | ![]() |
UD | 12 | 14 Sep 2002 | ![]() |
Retained WBO lightweight title |
34 | Win | 34–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 8 (12), 2:15 | 5 Jan 2002 | ![]() |
Retained WBO lightweight title |
33 | Win | 33–0 | ![]() |
UD | 12 | 16 Jun 2001 | ![]() |
Retained WBO lightweight title |
32 | Win | 32–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 6 (12), 1:40 | 24 Feb 2001 | ![]() |
Retained WBO lightweight title |
31 | Win | 31–0 | ![]() |
UD | 12 | 25 Nov 2000 | ![]() |
Retained WBO lightweight title |
30 | Win | 30–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 12 (12), 1:00 | 23 Jun 2000 | ![]() |
Retained WBO lightweight title |
29 | Win | 29–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 9 (12), 1:48 | 19 Feb 2000 | ![]() |
Retained WBO lightweight title |
28 | Win | 28–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 10 (12), 2:46 | 27 Nov 1999 | ![]() |
Retained WBO lightweight title |
27 | Win | 27–0 | ![]() |
KO | 5 (12), 1:45 | 9 Oct 1999 | ![]() |
Retained WBO lightweight title |
26 | Win | 26–0 | ![]() |
UD | 12 | 13 Mar 1999 | ![]() |
Retained WBO lightweight title |
25 | Win | 25–0 | ![]() |
TD | 10 (12), 1:36 | 24 Oct 1998 | ![]() |
Retained WBO lightweight title |
24 | Win | 24–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 6 (12), 1:50 | 14 Mar 1998 | ![]() |
Retained WBO lightweight title |
23 | Win | 23–0 | ![]() |
UD | 12 | 11 Oct 1997 | ![]() |
Retained WBO lightweight title |
22 | Win | 22–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 11 (12), 1:10 | 22 Feb 1997 | ![]() |
Retained WBO lightweight title |
21 | Win | 21–0 | ![]() |
UD | 12 | 16 Nov 1996 | ![]() |
Retained WBO lightweight title |
20 | Win | 20–0 | ![]() |
KO | 2 (12), 1:25 | 21 Sep 1996 | ![]() |
Retained WBO lightweight title |
19 | Win | 19–0 | ![]() |
KO | 12 (12), 2:23 | 13 Apr 1996 | ![]() |
Won vacant WBO lightweight title |
18 | Win | 18–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 6 | 2 Oct 1996 | ![]() |
|
17 | Win | 17–0 | ![]() |
PTS | 8 | 2 Dec 1995 | ![]() |
|
16 | Win | 16–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 (8) | 7 Oct 1995 | ![]() |
|
15 | Win | 15–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 4 (8) | 23 Sep 1995 | ![]() |
|
14 | Win | 14–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 5 (12) | 19 Aug 1995 | ![]() |
Retained WBO Inter-Continental lightweight title |
13 | Win | 13–0 | ![]() |
PTS | 8 | 10 Jun 1995 | ![]() |
|
12 | Win | 12–0 | ![]() |
PTS | 4 | 20 May 1995 | ![]() |
|
11 | Win | 11–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 8 (12), 1:52 | 1 Apr 1995 | ![]() |
Won vacant WBO Inter-Continental lightweight title |
10 | Win | 10–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 4 (8) | 11 Mar 1995 | ![]() |
|
9 | Win | 9–0 | ![]() |
TD | 4 (4) | 28 Jan 1995 | ![]() |
|
8 | Win | 8–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 5 | 17 Dec 1994 | ![]() |
|
7 | Win | 7–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 5 | 3 Dec 1994 | ![]() |
|
6 | Win | 6–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 5 | 22 Oct 1994 | ![]() |
|
5 | Win | 5–0 | ![]() |
PTS | 8 | 10 Sep 1994 | ![]() |
|
4 | Win | 4–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 5 (10) | 23 Jul 1994 | ![]() |
Won vacant German International lightweight title |
3 | Win | 3–0 | ![]() |
PTS | 8 | 28 May 1994 | ![]() |
|
2 | Win | 2–0 | ![]() |
PTS | 8 | 23 Apr 1994 | ![]() |
|
1 | Win | 1–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 | 10 Apr 1994 | ![]() |
See also
References
- ^ a b Artur Grigoryan. sports-reference.com
- ^ a b c Groves, Lee (8 December 2016). "Who's next?: Potential candidates for IBHOF Class of 2018". The Ring. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ^ a b c Sukachev, Alexey (21 March 2011). "Top 50 Fighters from the USSR: Part V – 10th To 6th". Boxing Scene. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
- ^ Interview with Artur Grigorian Archived 23 March 2005 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "6.World Championships – Sydney, Australia – November 15–23 1991". Amateur Boxing. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
External links
- Boxing record for Artur Grigorian from BoxRec (registration required)
- 1967 births
- Living people
- Soviet male boxers
- Soviet Armenians
- Lightweight boxers
- Boxers at the 1992 Summer Olympics
- Olympic boxers for the Unified Team
- Uzbekistani people of Armenian descent
- World lightweight boxing champions
- World Boxing Organization champions
- Sportspeople from Tashkent
- Uzbekistani male boxers
- AIBA World Boxing Championships medalists
- Goodwill Games medalists in boxing
- Competitors at the 1990 Goodwill Games