BOXERS from Uzbekistan

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Uzbekistani Boxers of all time. This list of famous Uzbekistani Boxers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Uzbekistani Boxers.

1. Ruslan Chagaev (1978 - )

With an HPI of 40.93, Ruslan Chagaev is the most famous Uzbekistani Boxer.  His biography has been translated into 25 different languages on wikipedia.

Ruslan Shamilevich Chagaev (Tatar: Руслан Шамил улы Чагаев; Uzbek: Ruslan Shamilovich Chagayev; Russian: Руслан Шамилович Чагаев); born 19 October 1978) is an Uzbekistani former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2016. He held the WBA heavyweight title twice and was the first Asian boxer to win a world heavyweight title by any of the four major sanctioning bodies. As of October 2021, BoxRec ranks Chagaev as the seventh greatest Asian fighter of all time, pound for pound. He was ranked as a top 10 heavyweight or contender by The Ring magazine at the conclusion of each year between 2006 and 2015; at the end of 2008 he was ranked third, only behind the Klitschko brothers. Chagaev is one of a few professional boxers to resume his amateur boxing career after a few professional bouts in 1997. He was reinstated as an amateur by the AIBA the following year as his professional bouts were declared exhibitions. As an amateur, Chagaev won gold medals at the 2001 World Championships and 1999 Asian Championships, in the heavyweight and super-heavyweight divisions respectively. In 2007, Chagaev defeated then-unbeaten Nikolai Valuev to win his first WBA heavyweight title and would make two successful defences. Due to injuries and being unable to grant Valuev a rematch in 2009, the WBA stripped Chagaev of the title. He went on to suffer his first professional loss in the same year to unified heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko. Chagaev won the WBA (Regular) heavyweight title by defeating Fres Oquendo in 2014. He made one successful defence before losing the title to Lucas Browne in 2016. However, after Browne failed a drug test, the WBA reinstated Chagaev as champion, but he was once again stripped of the title in July of that year after failing to pay sanctioning fees. On 28 July 2016, he announced his retirement from boxing due to ongoing eye injuries.

2. Artur Grigorian (1967 - )

With an HPI of 38.44, Artur Grigorian is the 2nd most famous Uzbekistani Boxer.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Artur Razmikovich Grigorian (Armenian: Արթուր Գրիգորյան; born 20 October 1967) is a retired Armenian-Uzbek professional boxer. Grigorian is a former WBO lightweight champion. He defended his title against record-breaking 17 boxers, and held it for seven years, six months and twenty days; nearly as long as record holder Benny Leonard held his lightweight title (7 years, 8 months).

3. Muhammad Abdullaev (1973 - )

With an HPI of 33.62, Muhammad Abdullaev is the 3rd most famous Uzbekistani Boxer.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Mohammadqodir Abdullaev (Uzbek: Muhammadqodir Abdullayev; born 15 November 1973), best known as Muhammad Abdullaev, is an Uzbekistani former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2011, and challenged once for the WBO light-welterweight title in 2005. As an amateur he won gold medals in the light welterweight division at the 1999 World Championships and 2000 Olympics, where he served as the Olympic flag bearer for Uzbekistan.

4. Bakhodir Jalolov (1994 - )

With an HPI of 29.67, Bakhodir Jalolov is the 4th most famous Uzbekistani Boxer.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Bakhodir Jalolov (Uzbek: Bahodir Jalolov) also known as Bakhodir Dzhalolov, is an Uzbekistani professional boxer who won a bronze medal at the 2015 World Championships, and gold at the 2019 and 2023 World Championships and 2020 Summer Olympics. He also competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics, and acted as Uzbekistan's flag bearer at the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games.

5. Murodjon Akhmadaliev (1994 - )

With an HPI of 28.92, Murodjon Akhmadaliev is the 5th most famous Uzbekistani Boxer.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Murodjon Kakharovich Akhmadaliev (Uzbek: Murodjon Qahhorovich Ahmadaliyev; born 2 November 1994) is an Uzbekistani professional boxer. He is a former unified super-bantamweight champion, having held the WBA (Super), and IBF titles between 2020 and 2023. As an amateur, he won a silver medal at the 2015 World Championships and a bronze at the 2016 Olympics as a bantamweight. As of April 2021, he is ranked as the world's best active super-bantamweight by The Ring, fourth by BoxRec and second best by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board.

6. Adilbek Niyazymbetov (1989 - )

With an HPI of 28.39, Adilbek Niyazymbetov is the 6th most famous Uzbekistani Boxer.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Adilbek Sabituly Niyazymbetov (Kazakh: Әділбек Сәбитұлы Ниязымбетов; born 19 May 1989) is an Uzbekistani-born amateur light-heavyweight boxer who competes for Kazakhstan. He won silver medals at the world championships in 2011 and 2013 and at the Summer Olympics in 2012 and 2016.

7. Utkirbek Haydarov (1974 - )

With an HPI of 27.63, Utkirbek Haydarov is the 7th most famous Uzbekistani Boxer.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Utkirbek Haydarov (Уткирбек Хайдаров; born January 25, 1974, in Andijon) is an Uzbekistani boxer who competed in the light heavyweight (81 kg) at the 2004 Summer Olympics and won the bronze medal.

8. Rustam Saidov (1978 - )

With an HPI of 25.74, Rustam Saidov is the 8th most famous Uzbekistani Boxer.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Rustam Saidov (Рустам Саидов; born 6 February 1978) is a boxer from Uzbekistan, who competed in the Super Heavyweight (+91 kg) at the 2000 Summer Olympics and won the bronze medal.

9. Fazliddin Gaibnazarov (1991 - )

With an HPI of 23.57, Fazliddin Gaibnazarov is the 9th most famous Uzbekistani Boxer.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Fazliddin Hasanbaevich Gaibnazarov (Uzbek: Fazliddin Gʻoibnazarov, born 16 June 1991) is an Uzbek professional boxer currently fighting at welterweight. As an amateur fighting at light welterweight, in 2015 he earned silver medals at the world and Asian championships, and in 2016 won a gold medal at the Rio Olympics.

10. Abbos Atoev (1986 - )

With an HPI of 23.25, Abbos Atoev is the 10th most famous Uzbekistani Boxer.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Abbos Abdurazzoqovich Atoyev (born 7 June 1986) is an amateur boxer from Uzbekistan, best known for winning gold in the light heavyweight competition at the 2007 World Championships and at middleweight in 2009. He also won a bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He fights southpaw and was born in the village of Qulkhatib of Vabkent District of Bukhara Province.