The ‘Russian Tyson’, 36-1 Heavyweight Denis Boytsov, 40, Dies Eleven Years After Tragedy
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Oryol, Russia (October 20th, 2026)– Former WBO European Heavyweight champion Denis Boytsov, The Russian Tyson, whose record reached 36-1 with 27 knockouts, fighting out of Hamburg, Germany, until he was found on May 3, 2015, unconscious with severe head and hand injuries in a Berlin, Germany subway tunnel between two stations in Charlottenburg, and placed in a medically induced coma for seven weeks due to severe brain swelling and underwent emergency, died at age 40 on October 17, 2026, at his home in Oryol, Russia, due to a detached blood clot.
Boytsov survived the coma but never fully recovered, lost his ability to speak, could not walk independently, and required round-the-clock 24-hour care for the rest of his life. He was later moved back to Russia in 2021. The exact cause of the incident was never officially proven. While a German court later indicated he may have fallen onto the train tracks while intoxicated, family members, his wife, and associates instead suspected a violent assault or targeted gang attack. The precise circumstances were never resolved.
Boytsov went over 10 years without a loss, but without a world title shot. Boytsov turned pro in September 2004 in Hamburg, scoring a first-round stoppage of Imrich Borka at Universum Gym. Boytsov’s record reached 33-0, and was the mandatory challenger for world champion Wladimir Klitschko in 2013, but lost a 10-round decision to Alex Leapai in November 2013 after recovering from hand injuries and surgery. Leapai got the chance to fight Klitschko instead. Boytsov’s final ring appearance was on March 21, 2015, a second-round stoppage in Mecklenburg of Brazilian opponent Irineu Beato Costa before the tragedy. Boytzov is survived by his father, wife, and daughter.
English