Oleg Alexandrovich Maskayev is a Russian-American former professional boxer who competed from 1995 to 2013, and held the WBCheavyweight title from 2006 to 2008. He is one a few professional boxers to resume his amateur career after a professional debut in 1993.
Amateur career
Maskayev, a former mine worker, began his boxing career in the 1980s as an amateur in his hometown Abay. In 1991 he stopped future WBC world champion Vitali Klitschko in the second round. Maskayev was the champion of the Soviet Army and later the national cup winner. First he represented Soviet Union and subsequently Uzbekistan. Representing Uzbekistan he won a gold medal at the 1994 Asian Games.
Maskayev resumed the amateur career within a month after his reported professional debut in April 1993, to participate in the 1993 World Championships, '94 World Cup, and '94 Asian Games, with the last ones ended with a gold medal for him. Maskayev finished his amateur career having 118 fights under his belt, with a stated record of 108–10. Controversy later arose as to his record, before he fought Oliver McCall, USBA stated his professional record 15–0 which was confirmed ex officio by the Virginia Boxing Commission while later and supposedly more precise estimates gave 6–0 Nine missing bouts in given record were either unaccounted for or considered as amateur, or exhibition fights. No data available presently for that missing part of Maskayev's early professional career.
Professional career
Maskayev's professional boxing career began in 1993. Not wasting any time, he made his professional debut against 23–0 former silver medalistAlexander Miroshnichenko. Maskaev won via third-round TKO. In only his seventh professional bout, Maskayev was faced off against Oliver McCall, who had captured a world heavyweight title by knocking outLennox Lewis just a year before. Maskayev was caught with a hard left hand to the body, followed up with a short right hand in the first round, losing via TKO and being handed his first professional defeated. After winning his next four, Maskayev fought hard-hitting SamoanDavid Tua. Maskayev lost via 11th-round TKO. Oleg is known for his powerful right-hand punch: he has knocked out former WBO heavyweight challenger Derrick Jefferson, contender Alex Stewart, and twice knocked out former WBC heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman. However, he is also noted for a weak chin that was evident in his knockout losses to contenders Oliver McCall, David Tua, Kirk Johnson, Lance Whitaker, Corey Sanders and journeyman Nagy Aguilera. His most famous victories have been his two wins over Hasim Rahman. Maskayev 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 chair thrown by a fan who was later arrested. He later fought Rahman again and defeated him for the WBC heavyweight title by knocking him out in the 12th round on August 12, 2006. His second win over Rahman was preceded by a streak of victories that helped rejuvenate Maskayev's career and earned him the "Comeback fighter of the Year" award in The Ring magazine in 2006. Maskayev won his first title defense against Peter Okhello on December 10, 2006 by unanimous decision. Maskayev fought against Samuel Peter for the WBC Heavyweight title on March 8, 2008 and was doing well in the early rounds, despite Peter's repeated rabbit punching and the referee's warnings. In the 5th round Maskayev landed some of his best shots on his opponents chin, but to no avail: Peter was seemingly unaffected, visibly shaking Oleg. He lost 5 of the 6 rounds, with Peter winning by TKO with 3 seconds remaining in the sixth round. In late 2008 he beat opponent Robert Hawkins by UD after 10 rounds and then defeated but unheralded Rich Boruff on March 14, 2009 via first-round KO, giving him mandatory contender status to the WBC Heavyweight Championship. He fought Nagy Aguilera on December 11 in Sacramento, California at the Memorial Auditorium in a tune up fight, but was knocked out in the first round. Getting stunned with an overhand right-left hook combo and knocked down soon after, another barrage by Aquilera hit Maskayev hard knocking him out. Maskayev did not land a punch in the fight, and has since stated that he may retire following the loss, however he returned to the ring 3 years after the loss, to knock out Owen Beck. In 2013, he decisioned Jason Gavern in a 10-round fight.
Nationality
Maskayev was born in Taraz to Mordvin 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, after previously living in Staten Island, New York. Before his second 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 United States... Whoever is going to win is going to be American." 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." Russian president Vladimir Putin granted him Russian citizenship on December 9, 2006.
