Oleg Maskaev
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| Oleg Maskaev | |
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| Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Real name | Oleg Maskaev |
| Nickname(s) | The Big O |
| Rated at | Heavyweight |
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) |
| Nationality |  Russian citizen American citizen |
| Birth date | March 2, 1969 |
| Birth place | Zhambyl, Soviet Union |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 40 |
| Wins | 34 |
| Wins by KO | 26 |
| Losses | 6 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 0 |
Oleg Maskaev (Russian: Олег Маскаев; born March 2, 1969, in Zhambyl, Kazakhstan) is a Russian professional boxer and a former WBC heavyweight champion.
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[edit] Boxing career
Maskaev, formerly a mine worker, began his career in the 1980s as an amateur boxer in Russia during a time when the Soviet Union still existed. He was the champion of the Soviet Red Army and later the national cup winner. His professional boxing career began 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 off balance, sending his rival out of the ring in the 8th round on November 6, 1999. This fight is also notable for the famous "chair incident", in which noted referee, Steve Smoger, who was backup referee for this fight, was struck in the head by a thrown chair from a fan who was later arrested.
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 fighter of the Year" award in The 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.
Maskaev fought against Samuel Peter for the WBC Heavyweight title on March 8, 2008 but was dominated almost through the whole fight. He lost 5 of the 6 rounds with Peter winning by TKO with only 3 seconds remaining in the round.
[edit] 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]
[edit] Sources
[edit] External links
- Oleg Maskaev Fight-by-Fight Career Record
- Professional boxing record for Oleg Maskaev from Boxrec
- http://www.fightnews.com/richardson254.htm
- Boxing-Encyclopedia
| Preceded by Hasim Rahman |
WBC Heavyweight Champion August 12, 2006 – March 8, 2008 |
Succeeded by Samuel Peter |
