Albert Batyrgaziev
Albert Khanbulatovich Batyrgaziev (; born 23 June 1998) is a Russian professional boxer who won a gold medal in the featherweight division at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Amateur/Olympic career. Batyrgaziev was a champion kickboxer as a teenager before he took up boxing in earnest in 2016. As an amateur, Batyrgaziev represented Russia at the 2019 World Championships. After making his professional debut in 2020, Batyrgaziev secured a place at the 2020 Summer Olympics in 2021 by winning a gold medal at the 2020 European Qualification Tournament. Batyrgaziev won his first two fights in Tokyo to reach  the semifinals, where he came from behind to beat Cuban three-time Olympic medalist Lázaro Álvarez 3:2 in a close bout. In the featherweight final, Batyrgaziev beat Duke Ragan of the United States 3:2 to become the first professional boxer in Olympic history to win a gold medal. Professional career. Batyrgaziev made his professional debut on 3 July 2020, scoring a seventh-round stoppage victory via corner retirement (RTD) against Armen Ataev to capture the vacant WBA Asia East super-featherweight title at the Soviet Wings Sport Palace in Moscow, Russia. His second fight came against Erzhan Turgumbekov on 22  August 2020 in Kazan, Russia. In a fight which saw Turgumbekov receive a point deduction in the sixth round for hitting below the belt, Batyrgaziev went on to win via technical knockout (TKO) at 1 minute and 38 seconds in the tenth and final round. He next faced Sibusiso Zingange on 29 January 2021 at the Soviet Wings Sport Palace in Moscow. Batyrgaziev knocked his opponent down in the seventh round with a punch to the body. Zingange made it back to his feet before the referee's count of ten, only to be knocked to the floor for a  second time as his corner threw in the towel, handing Batyrgaziev a seventh-round TKO victory. Batyrgaziev was scheduled to face Suat Laze for the vacant WBO European featherweight title on 11 October 2021, at the Ice Palace Salavat Yulaev in Ufa, Russia. The bout was set as the co-main event of a card dedicated to the Bashkortostan National Day, and was broadcast by Match TV. Batyrgaziev won the fight by a second-round knockout. Batyrgaziev is expected to face Franklin Manzanilla for the vacant IBF International featherweight title on 24 December 2021, at the USC Soviet Wings in  Moscow, Russia. The bout was scheduled as the co-main event of a 14-fight Match TV broadcast fight card. He won the fight by a fourth-round technical knockout, as Manzanilla's corner threw in the towel at the 2:25 minute mark. Batyrgaziev faced Heybatulla Hajialiyev for the vacant EBP lightweight title on 3 April 2022, at the USC Soviet Wings in Moscow, Russia. He won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 99–91, 100–90 and 100–90.