Vassiliy Jirov

Vasily Walerejewitsch Shirov (Russian Василий Валерьевич Жиров; born April 4, 1974 in Balqasch, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union ) is a Kazakh boxer of Russian origin.

Amateur

As an amateur, Shirov won 207 fights with only ten defeats. At the age of 16, he became the Kazakh champion. In 1992, he won, antretend nor for the CIS, the European Junior Championships in Edinburgh and sat down beside it in the final against Sinan Samil Sam through. In 1993 he took part in the Amateur World Championships in Tampere and took a third place in the middleweight division. Then he rose up in the light heavyweight, failed at the Asian Games in 1994 but again in the semifinals. In the next Amateur World Championships in Berlin in 1995 he was defeated in the semifinals Antonio Tarver and was third again.

In 1996 he won for Kazakhstan at the Olympics in Atlanta, the gold medal in the light heavyweight and was awarded the Val Barker trophy as the best technical boxer of the Games. He struck in the first round Julio González, then met again in the semifinals on Tarver, but could defeat him this time. 1995 and 1995 he won also the Chemistry Cup in Halle ( Saale).

Professional career

He was professional in 1997, moved to the USA in order and has since lived in Scottsdale, Arizona. His professional debut took place on 18 January 1997. He increased this year, a total of eleven times in the ring and won every time prematurely.

He was the IBF title holder Federation cruiserweight by a technical knockout victory against Arthur Williams in 1999. By 2003, he successfully defended the title six times.

On 26 April 2003, he lost by a point, however, losing to James Toney his belt. In the twelfth round Shirov had to floor area, a point he was taken off because of a low blow in the eighth round. Subsequently he rose to the heavy weight class.

There he met on March 13, 2004 to Joe Mesi and just going down on points, although he could beat in the last two rounds three times to soil Mesi. In his next fight against former world champion Michael Moorer, he was defeated by technical knockout, the first of his career. At the time of Abbruches he lay on points clear ahead. He then returned to the cruiserweight and could only draw against the 2005 boxes already 39 - year-old ex - cruiserweight titlist Orlin Norris. In 2009 he ended his professional career.