Russian boxing thread ( - !)

So there are some very bright stars among the Motherland's biggest names:

Sergey Kovalev. Denis Lebedev. Alexander Povetkin.

Below them, you have a slew of current or recent former world titlists as well as world class unbeaten prospects who are poised and ready to contend. Troyanovsky, Avanesyan, the Chudinov bros, Allakhverdiev, Gradovich and Chakhkiev (if you count the IBO among legit "world titles") in the former camp; Bivol, Mekhontsev, Ponomarev, Beterbiev and Gassiev in the latter.

...and that doesn't even scratch the surface of the very deep bench of Russians that have tasted defeat and don't currently hold a belt yet are still relevant players. Korobov, Shafikov, Provodnikov, Kudryashov, Mikhaylenko, Petrov, Magomedov, etc...


My question is this: how popular are these guys @ home? :think

Of the 144 million Russkies, how many are even aware of the existence of most of the above named boxers?

Do any of them rival the domestic fame of, say, Alex Ovechkin?

Who is the #1 sportsman in the country? Is there any prizefighter who's top 15 in terms of their name having widespread recognition?

My guess is that Sasha Povetkin is the biggest, perhaps even a household name. How many of his countrymen, though, even realize that someone like David Avanesyan is about to defend a version of a world title versus a first-ballot Hall of Fame candidate in SSM? How many realize that Ruslan Provodnikov is about to meet John Molina Jr. in what many fight game insiders have shortlisted as the most viable potential FOTY on the horizon?

 

Have we no Russian posters? :huh

 

Also: how do Russian boxing fans view guys like Usyk, Lomachenko, Postol, K2, etc?

Obviously there is a very complex political & cultural dynamic of Russo-Ukrainian relations, with some very strong emotions felt in each nation about the other - but are top Ukraine sports figures looked at like foreigners/rivals or comrades who just happen to hail from within differently - and newly drawn - arbitrary boundaries on a map? :think Is there any kinship felt, given how intertwined both cultures were in the USSR period? (not to mention centuries of alternating periods of conquest, imposed Russification, and peaceful alliance, with a common ancestral state in Kievan Rus dating all the way back as far as the 1st millennium AD...)

Even the Klitschko brothers have a very complicated personal relationship with Mother Russia. Their parents were not only Soviets but, AFAIK, if not wholly at least part ethnically Russian as well. Their dad helped clean up Chernobyl from a sense of tribal loyalty and pride with the broad East Slav collective (a deep-seated patriotism which has persisted despite a few massive governmental regime changes and restructurings since Imperial times), which led to his death of cancer 5 years ago. Both speak fluent Russian. Vitali fought his career swansong match with Manuel Charr in Moscow at the Olimpiisky arena, which has a capacity of 35k - but it seemed barely half full, and Vitali during his time in elected office has taken a very anti-Putin stance and been a major advocate for sovereign identity. :think

Is there a sports rivalry between them, into which the peoples of each funnel some of their general animosity toward each other? (like, say, the UK with Northern Ireland...or with Argentina in soccer and boxing, or like Mexico with Puerto Rico in boxing, or the US with Cuba in amateur boxing and baseball...)

Or would the average Russian boxing fan be happy to see a guy like Usyk become a 2-division champion? What if he fought Povetkin? Would opinions be split?

 

That's awkward!

Well, she is a head-turner and worthy of public attention probably on merit of skill alone, not to mention being a looker. But that is strange to me - in the US we have plenty of female athletes with mainstream crossover appeal who are considered to have that publicists' dream package of being "hot" and "world-class talented". Lindsey Vonn, Alex Morgan, Gina Carano, Danica Patrick, Skylar Diggins, Candace Parker, and, while not everybody's cup of tea, of course the Williams sisters are massive - all have experienced widespread fame beyond just publications or TV programs centered on their native sport. Movies, TV appearances, endorsement deals - they are pretty big - and yet I wouldn't say any of them, with the possible exception of Venus or Serena (and maybe Ronda Rousey was flirting with the same tier before she got Holly Holm'ed) are even up there with the male top 40 most famous US athletes. Odd that a female would be #1 in very patriarchal and macho Russia (where girls are bred for servility more than nearly anywhere else outside maybe Japan or the Islamic world) - and is tennis even remotely big there, in general?? Not saying I don't believe you, just caught off guard and find it surprising. :good

:huh I was under the impression that Ovechkin (and to an extent Malkin) was something of a national hero over there despite playing in a league abroad. Both had brief stints coming home and playing for the KHL during the NHL lockout, and I read one article that said there was a line for autographs that literally took hours to get through.

 

Oh, and Wladimir Klitschko did succeed where his brother failed and sold out the Olimpiisky - granted, to be fair, in a far more important match-up with a vastly superior opponent than Charr, and Russia's most recognizable face in boxing to boot, in Povetkin.