Vladimir Yengibaryan

Vladimir Yengibaryan
Medal record
Men’s Boxing
Competitor for  Soviet Union
Olympic Games
Gold 1956 Melbourne Light Welterweight
European Amateur Championships
Gold 1953 Warsaw Lightweight
Bronze 1955 West Berlin Light Welterweight
Gold 1957 Prague Light Welterweight
Gold 1959 Luzern Light Welterweight
2010 Armenian post stamp showing Yengibaryan.
2010 Armenian post stamp showing Yengibaryan.

Vladimir Yengibaryan (Armenian: Վլադիմիր Ենգիբարյան, 24 April 1932, Yerevan, Armenian SSR – 1 February 2013) was a former boxer for the Soviet Union of Armenian descent. He was an Olympic Champion, three-time European Champion and three-time Champion of the USSR. Yengibaryan was awarded the Honoured Master of Sports of the USSR and Order of the Red Banner of Labour titles in 1956. In a career at various levels had 267 fights, Yengibaryan achieved victory in 255 of them.[1]

Early life

Vladimir Yengibaryan was born on born April 24, 1932 a the fourth child in his family. He first entered boxing in 1946. He trained first under the leadership of Artyom Arutyunov, then Edward Aristakesyan. Yengibaryan trained at Trudovye Rezervy in his hometown of Yerevan, Armenia.[2]

Career

Yengibaryan won a bronze medal in the bantamweight division at the 1951 USSR Championships. Yengibaryan joined the Soviet national boxing team in 1952 and was chosen by the USSR Olympic team to compete at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, but he did not participate due to injury. Yengibaryan and the Soviet team debuted in the European Amateur Boxing Championships at the 1953 European Amateur Boxing Championships in Warsaw. Yengibaryan won a gold medal in the lightweight division and became the first Soviet boxer to become a European Champion. In 1954, Yengibaryan moved up to the light-welterweight division and remained at this weight. He won his first Soviet National Championship in 1955 and would win it again in 1956 and 1958. Yengibaryan won an Olympic gold medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. He is only the second Soviet boxer to become an Olympic Champion after Vladimir Safronov, who won an Olympic gold medal just hours earlier. Yengibaryan continued to win gold medals at the 1957 European Amateur Boxing Championships and 1959 European Amateur Boxing Championships. He went to the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome as the clear favorite, but due to receiving a shoulder injury during competition, he lost in the quarterfinals to Polish boxer Marian Kasprzyk. After that, he decided to complete his career.[2]

After retiring from his boxing career, he started coaching and founded the Children and Youth Sport School, which now bears his name, in Yerevan. This school was the first of many in the USSR boxing program.[3] He spent 36 years as head of Armenia's national boxing academy. Yengibaryan later became a judge in the international category. In the 1970s, he represented the USSR in the AIBA Referee Commission and acted as referee in major international competitions.[2]

Olympic Games Results

"I know many talented Soviet fighters, but the best of them - Vladimir Yengibaryan. This standard boxing talent."

-Laszlo Papp[4]

1956

1960

Death

On February 1, 2013, Yengibaryan died at the age of 81. A memorial service was held for him on February 3 in Armenia.[5][6] President of the National Olympic Committee of Armenia Gagik Tsarukyan, Sports Minister of Armenia Hrachya Rostomyan, Vice-President of the Boxing Federation of Armenia Derenik Gabrielyan and felloww 1956 Olympic Champion Albert Azaryan sent their condolences to Yengibaryan and his family, relatives and friends.[7][8][9][10]

The memorial ceremony for Yengibaryan took place at the Saint Sarkis Cathedral in Yerevan. The ceremony was attended by President of Armenia’s National Olympic Committee Gagik Tsarukyan, Sport Minister Hrachya Rostomyan and various heads of sport federations and veterans. Immediately after the ceremony, National Olympic Committee Vice-President and member of the executive committee of the European Boxing Association Derenik Gabrielyan announced that from now on the annual Boxing Tournament after Gagik Tsarukyan will be renamed the tournament after Vladimir Yengibaryan.[11]

Yengibaryan's daughter had requested for him to be buried in Armenia, but for some reason this went ignored. Yurik Vardanyan, a close friend of Yengibaryan's whom he had met during his time in the United States, has also expressed his condolences over Yengibaryan's death and has promised to do his best for Yengibaryan to be buried in his homeland.[12] On February 12, 2012, it was announced that Yengibaryan will be buried in Armenia. His relatives made this decision together with the sport officials. Yengibaryan's body arrived in Armenia on Friday, February 15. His requiem ceremony will be held on the same day at Yerevan’s Saint Hovhannes Church. The funeral ceremony will take place on February 15 at the Saint John the Baptist Church. Yengibaryan will be buried in the Yerevan City Pantheon. The funeral will take place on February 16.[13][14]

Personal life

Since 1993, he had been living in Los Angeles. He had been suffering from Alzheimer's dementia for the past few years[15] leading up to his death.

Yengibaryan returned to Yerevan for his 80th birthday, where he received a ceremony dedicated to him.[16]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Boris Khavin (1979). All about Olympic Games. (in Russian) (2nd ed. ed.). Moscow: Fizkultura i sport. p. 545.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Владимир Енгибарян (in Russian). akter.kulichki.net. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  3. ↑ "Olympic Boxing Committee-Vladimir Yengibaryan box school (Yerevan)". wikimapia.org. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  4. ↑ Амшен и амшенские армяне (in Russian). noev-kovcheg.1gb.ru. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  5. ↑ ԱՄՆ-ում մահացել է Օլիմպիական չեմպիոն Վլադիմիր Ենգիբարյանը (in Armenian). PanArmenian.Net. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  6. ↑ Մահացել է օլիմպիական չեմպիոն Վլադիմիր Ենգիբարյանը (in Armenian). sport.news.am. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  7. ↑ ՀԱՕԿ նախագահ. Վլադիմիր Ենգիբարյանին համարում էին համաշխարհային բռնցքամարտի հեղափոխական (in Armenian). sport.news.am. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  8. ↑ Սպորտի նախարար. Վլադիմիր Ենգիբարյանի մահն անդառնալի կորուստ է հայկական մարզաշխարհի համար (in Armenian). sport.news.am. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  9. ↑ Դերենիկ Գաբրիելյան. Վլադիմիր Ենգիբարյանը լեգենդ էր ոչ միայն հայկական, այլեւ համաշխարհային սպորտում (in Armenian). sport.news.am. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  10. ↑ Ալբերտ Ազարյան. Շատ վատ զգացի ինձ, երբ իմացա Վլադիմիր Ենգիբարյանի մահվան մասին. մեծ ցավ է ինձ համար (in Armenian). sport.news.am. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  11. ↑ Գագիկ Ծառուկյանի անվան ամենամյա մրցաշարն նվիրված կլինի Վլադիմիր Ենգիբարյանի հիշատակին (in Armenian). sport.news.am. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
  12. ↑ Յուրի Վարդանյան. Դեռեւս որոշված չէ, թե Վլադիմիր Ենգիբարյանի հուղարկավորությունը որտեղ կիրականացվի (in Armenian). sport.news.am. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  13. ↑ Վլադիմիր Ենգիբարյանի աճյունը կտեղափոխվի Հայաստան (in Armenian). sport.news.am. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  14. ↑ Այսօր Վլադիմիր Ենգիբարյանի աճյունը կտեղափոխվի Երեւան (in Armenian). sport.news.am. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  15. ↑ "Profile in the Olympic Encyclopedia" (in Russian). slovari.yandex.ru. Retrieved 27 February 2008.
  16. ↑ "Ceremony dedicated to 80th birth anniversary of boxer Vladimir Yengibaryan". PanArmenian.Net. Retrieved 21 January 2013.

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