Departures of note

Denis Boytsov was a Russian professional heavyweight boxer who competed from 2004 to 2015, earning the nickname the 'Russian Tyson' for his aggressive, knockout-heavy style. He won 36 of his 37 professional fights, 27 of them by knockout, and in 2013 briefly held the status of mandatory challenger for Wladimir Klitschko's WBO world title before losing that position. He began his career in Germany, where he lived for more than a decade. As an amateur he won the Cadet World Championship twice and the Junior World Championship in 2004, compiling a record of 115 wins and 15 losses. In May 2015 Boytsov was found unconscious in a Berlin subway tunnel with severe head and hand injuries, was placed in an induced coma for seven weeks, and underwent multiple operations. He never fully recovered and retired from boxing; the exact circumstances of the incident were never established. He died on 17 October 2026 at the age of 40 from a blood clot, according to Russian state news agency TASS, which cited his father.