Shafikov Denis is a professional Russian light and welterweight boxer. World champion of the intercontinental version of IBO, won a bronze medal at the Russian Championship in Ulyanovsk in 2003. Boxer Denis Shafikov is notable for being a Bashkir by nationality, therefore he always enters the ring in Bashkir national clothes, however he defends the flag of the Russian Federation. For this he was given the nickname "Genghis Khan."
Biography and interesting facts
Shafikov Denis was born on June 3 in 1985 in the city of Miass (Chelyabinsk Region, Russia). He grew up and was brought up in a family of Bashkirs (Turkic autochthonous people of the Republic of Bashkortostan). Father and mother were agricultural workers on the farm, at the same time they had their own household. Denis first learned about boxing when he was five years old. Then he accidentally found out that local guys are organizing an amateur boxing tournament.
After attending the competition and watching all the fights, Denis fired up with excitement and the desire to learn to box. Years passed, the boy kept raving about this sport. Parents were opposed to the boy engaged in such a tough sport, so they forbade him to even think about it.
But when Denis grew a little, he made the decision himself. At the age of 13, he went to enroll in the local boxing sports section. From the first days, Shafikov went smoothly: stance, strokes, breathing - everything was demonstrated at a decent level. Local trainers did not even believe that the boy had never practiced martial arts. They began to pin their hopes on Denis and believe in his future successful boxing career.
Denis Shafikov: fights in a professional career
The debut exit at a professional level took place at the end of 2003. The first ten boxing matches of Denis took place in Russia and Belarus. By the way, all these fights Shafikov won by knockout.
In 2007 he signed a contract with a promotion company from Finland called P3 Boxing. Shafikov Denis no longer worried about the future status of the match. The eleventh fight took place with the Dominican Christian Friasa, on whose account there were 20 victories, one draw and two losses. By the way, this was the first eminent rival in the career of Shafikov. The fight was very difficult for the rivals, but Denis was much faster and more technical, so he won on points.
First title and first draw in the ring
In 2009, Denis Shafikov (the photo below is on the left) won his first IBO title. A little later, in October 2010, he held a draw with the unbroken Italian Brunet Zamora, on whose account there was not a single defeat, but only 20 victories. In 2011, Denis Shafikov became the European champion in lightweight EBU. Six months later, he had to defend his championship title against the same Italian Brunet Zamora. Fortunately, this time Denis was much more confident and better, therefore, he defeated the opponent by points.
IBF title fight against Miguel Vazquez
In February 2014, in Macau (the administrative district of the People's Republic of China), Denis Shafikov fought against Mexican Miguel Vasquez for the IBF lightweight champion title. Unfortunately, in this fight, the Russian with Bashkir roots did not manage to win the championship - Vazquez became the IBF champion. Shafikov’s attempts and efforts were noticeable to the naked eye - he was more active, faster and meaner. However, all this was suppressed by the Mexican opponent, who, while maintaining his strength, turned out to be stronger at a distance. As a result, the victory was given to Miguel Vazquez by unanimous decision, and Denis's statistics were corrupted by his first defeat.
Fight with compatriot Rustam Nugaev
In August 2014, an IBF qualifying fight took place between Russian boxers Shafikov and Nugaev. In this fight, Denis Shafikov was better in all respects. From the first seconds of the battle, he seized the advantage and controlled every action of the opponent. The most excellent was the third round, in which Shafikov carried out a crushing attack, after which Nugaev could not further resist in any way. After 6 rounds, Nugaev’s left cheek and left eye were very swollen. After round 8, Rustam was offered to end the fight, to which he gave a negative answer. The referee warned that with a successful attack by Shafikov, the battle would be stopped. And so it happened - Denis Shafikov inflicted several blows on the face, after which the fight was stopped.