Dmitry Pirog
| Dmitry Pirog Дмитрий Пирог |
|
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Dmitry Yurievich Pirog |
| Nickname(s) | The Grandmaster |
| Rated at | Middleweight |
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Reach | 178 cm (70 in) |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Born |
27 June 1980 Temryuk, Temryuksky District, Krasnodar Krai, Soviet Union (now Russia) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 20 |
| Wins | 20 |
| Wins by KO | 15 |
| Losses | 0 |
Dmitry Yurievich Pirog (Russian: Дмитрий Юрьевич Пирог; born 27 June 1980) is a Russian former professional boxer who competed from 2005 to 2012. He held the WBO middleweight title from 2010 to 2012, and although his career was cut short due to a debilitating back injury, he is one of the few professional boxers to win a world title and retire undefeated.
At the age of eight, Pirog was a keen chess player and won some tournaments in the town of Temryuk, Russia. However, he soon felt as though he was not getting enough activity from chess, and decided to seek a sport instead. At his local gym, he discovered boxing and began fighting as an amateur, having relocated to the city of Krasnodar. In his amateur career, Pirog claims to have won 200 fights and lost 30, all of which prepared him for the professional ranks.
Pirog made his professional debut on 29 July 2005, scoring a sixth-round technical knockout against Sasun Oganyan, who also debuted. From late 2007 to early 2010, Pirog won many regional and international middleweight titles from both the WBC and WBO. His first major world title opportunity arrived on 31 July 2010, against fellow undefeated prospect Daniel Jacobs, with the vacant WBO middleweight title on the line. Pirog came in as a relatively unknown contender to American audiences, while Jacobs had the overwhelming backing of manager Al Haymon and promoters Golden Boy, as well as a very high knockout percentage. In the fifth round of the fight, Pirog scored a major upset when he knocked Jacobs down with a hard right hand. Jacobs was unable to get back up after the referee waved off the fight, making Pirog the new WBO middleweight champion.
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