Ruslan Chagaev is an Uzbek heavyweight boxer who is called "White Tyson". Boxing fans will remember him for many beautiful fights and dizzying victories.
Childhood and youth
Ruslan Chagaev was born in 1978 in Uzbekistan. His parents came to Uzbekistan from the Ulyanovsk region, so they spoke Russian well (although they were Tatars by nationality). The Chagaev family is Muslim. Ruslan has a younger sister who willingly gives interviews and talks about her brother.
As a child, the boy was drawn to sports. He came to enter the boxing section in the first grade, but the coach refused him due to his young age. Ruslan had to do other sports, he even achieved some success in basketball, but in the end he returned to boxing anyway. The athlete himself says that he trained with obsession, and nothing else for him except boxing existed. He was especially influenced by watching a cassette with recordings of the fights of the famous Mike Tyson. The American boxer remained an idol for Chagaev for life, and it is no coincidence that Ruslan was later dubbed "White Tyson" for a series of quick victories in battle.
Boxing career
Chagaev won his first gold medal at the age of seventeen. It was the Asian Championship. In total, the boxer fought 93 fights, 84 of which he won. Ruslan's rivals were such eminent boxers as Cedric Fields, John Ruiz, Mat Skelton, Carl Davis Drumond. The most beautiful fight was the duel with Nikolai Valuev, which ended in victory for Ruslan. After the battle, Chagaev was greeted in his native country with honors, spreading a red carpet from the plane to the airport itself.
Recent defeats
After the brilliant victory of Ruslan Chagaev over Nikolai Valuev, a rematch between these boxers was to take place. Ruslan was looking forward to this fight, since he considered Valuev a convenient rival for himself. But just before the match, Nikolai refused to fight, referring to the hepatitis virus found in Chagaev's blood. Perhaps this incident somewhat shaken the athlete's morale.
Instead of Valuev, Ruslan had to fight with Vladimir Klitschko. The Ukrainian was technically better prepared, and Chagaev was defeated. It is unlikely that this would have broken the Uzbek athlete, but then a new fight followed, this time with Alexander Povetkin. And again the defeat.
In 2016, Ruslan Chagaev announced the end of his sports career due to eye disease.
Personal life
Ruslan Chagaev is married and has three sons. Chagaev's wife's name is Victoria, she is an Armenian by nationality and a very beautiful woman. The Chagaev family lives in Germany, where Ruslan settled for a long time, having bought real estate. The wife believes that Chagaev is an excellent father, kind, but moderately strict. You can be sure that Ruslan's sons will grow up to be real men.
