Siarhei Liakhovich

Siarhei Piatrovich Liakhovich (; born 29 May 1976) is a Belarusian former professional boxer who competed from 1998 to 2020. He held the World Boxing Organization (WBO) heavyweight title in 2006. At regional level, he held the Belarus heavyweight title from 1998 to 2001. As an amateur, he won a bronze medal at the 1997 World Championships.

Amateur career Liakhovich was born in Vitebsk, in the former Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (now Belarus), and represented Belarus at the 1996 Olympic Games. He was a long-time amateur who won a bronze medal at the 1997 World Championships. He amassed a 145–15 record before turning pro in 1998.

Professional career

His first defeat occurred on June 1, 2002, when he was knocked out by Maurice Harris in the 9th round.

Liakhovich won the WBO title from Lamon Brewster on April 1, 2006. Liakhovich was knocked down in the 7th round, but went on to win on points via unanimous decision. He lost the title to former Lineal heavyweight champion Shannon Briggs by technical knockout in the 12th round on November 4, 2006, after being knocked down twice.

On February 16, 2008, Liakhovich lost to Nikolai Valuev by unanimous decision following a one-sided contest. He won his next two fights a first-round TKO of Jeremy Bates on November 7, 2009 in Nuremberg, Germany and a 9th-round KO of Evans Quinn in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany on May 22, 2010 on the undercard of Chagaev-Meehan.

On August 9, 2013, Liakhovich fought American heavyweight Deontay Wilder. Wilder won the fight with a first-round knockout.

In February 2014, Liakhovich achieved his first win in four years with a unanimous decision over journeyman Chad Davis.

He faced Simon Kean for the vacant WBC International Silver heavyweight title at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada, on 7 December 2019, losing by stoppage in the final round.

Professional boxing record