Rufat Riskiyev, the legendary Uzbek boxer, world champion, and silver medalist at the 1976 Olympic Games, has died at the age of 76. His death was announced by the National Olympic Committee of Uzbekistan.
Riskiyev (also spelled Risqiyev), known as the “Tashkent Tiger,” is regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of Uzbek boxing. The National Olympic Committee noted that he was the first Uzbek athlete to win a world boxing title and one of the pioneers who laid the foundation for the future success of the country’s boxing school.
“Rufat Asadovich was one of the founders of Uzbek boxing’s success. He became the first Uzbek boxer to reach the top of the world stage and win a world championship title,” the National Olympic Committee said in a statement.
Riskiyev achieved his greatest successes in the 1970s. In 1974, he won gold at the first-ever AIBA World Amateur Boxing Championships held in Havana. Two years later, he claimed a silver medal at the Montreal 1976 Olympic Games in the middleweight division, becoming the only Soviet boxer to reach an Olympic final that year.
During his career, Riskiyev won four USSR championship titles and was awarded the title of Honored Master of Sports of the USSR. After retiring from competition, he worked as a coach and boxing judge and also appeared in several films. In 2020, he was awarded Uzbekistan’s “Dustlik” (Friendship) Order.
The National Olympic Committee of Uzbekistan expressed its deepest condolences to the boxer’s family and loved ones.
Rufat Riskiyev left a lasting mark on the history of both Soviet and Uzbek sport, and his name remains a symbol of the rise of Uzbek boxing.