Aleksandr Viktorovich "Alex" Miroshnichenko (me-ro-shnee-CHEN-koh, Russian: Александр Викторович Мирошниченко; 26 April 1964 – 19 May 2003) was a Russian-Kazakh professional boxer. As an amateur he represented the Soviet Union at the 1988 Summer Olympics, winning a bronze medal in the super-heavyweight division.

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Aleksandr Miroshnichenko Александр Мирошниченко
Born	Aleksandr Viktorovich Miroshnichenko (1964-04-26)26 April 1964 Kostanay, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union
Died	19 May 2003(2003-05-19) (aged 39) Kostanay, Kazakhstan
Nationality	Kazakhstan
Statistics
Weight(s)	Heavyweight
Height	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Boxing record
Total fights	22
Wins	21
Wins by KO	15
Losses	1
Medal record Men's amateur boxing Representing  Soviet Union Olympic Games 1988 Seoul Super-heavyweight World Championships 1989 Moscow Super-heavyweight European Championships 1983 Varna Super-heavyweight 1989 Athens Super-heavyweight Goodwill Games 1986 Moscow Super-heavyweight World Cup 1983 Rome Super-heavyweight

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His other accomplishments included silver at the 1989 World Championships, as well as bronze at the 1983 and 1989 European Championships, and other international tournaments.

Miroshnichenko took up boxing at the age of 13, at the strong insistence of his mother, who thought that her son must be able to defend himself, and brought him to the gym at his hometown of Kostanay. Miroshnichenko shown little interest in boxing, but had a natural talent and considerable ability to compete both nationally and internationally, which he did during the 1980s. He was ranked world's #6 super heavyweight by the AIBA in 1984.^[1]

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External videos
Bowe vs. Miroshnichenko, second meet at the 1988 Olympics

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Aside from his Olympic performance, Miroshnichenko had a distinguished amateur career, winning 210 out of 233 bouts, including a win over future world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis and 1984 U.S. Army and inter-service champion Wesley Watson. He won medals in the European Championships and the World Cup, and was a three-time Soviet champion. He represented the Dynamo Sports Society. At the 1988 Olympics semifinals Miroshnichenko floored U.S. Riddick Bowe momentarily in the first round, but Bowe managed to win by the decision.^[2] Despite Miroshnichenko's loss to Bowe, Lou Falcigno, a New York-based boxing promoter of Momentum Enterprises, Inc., expressed a particular interest in bringing him to the United States to fight professionally. Negotiations began between the promoter and the Soviet Boxing Federation and Sovintersport, the entity responsible for the commercialization of Soviet sports,^[3][4] but proven unsuccessful as the Soviet government dismissed the idea early in 1989.

Miroshnichenko turned pro in 1990, at the very advent of professional boxing in the late Soviet Union, and had limited success. He began his career by knocking out Roberto Servin in the first round. In Miroshnichenko's third fight, he stopped future WBC International Champion, Ross Puritty.

In 1991, Miroshnichenko won the vacant Russian Heavyweight title from Nurlan Dzhanibekov. After vacating the Russian title in 1992, Miroshnichenko won a very close Split Decision against Samuel M'Bendjob by only one point. In 1993, Miroshnichenko beat former IBF Cruiserweight Champion, Ricky Parkey in an impressive third round Knockout.

After 21 consecutive wins against limited competition, Miroshnichenko was finally defeated by Oleg Maskaev in 1993 in Maskaev's first pro fight: a TKO in the third round. Miroshnichenko's cornermen later told that he entered the bout with his arm fractured. Miroshnichenko retired after the bout.

Upon his retirement from competition, he opened a state-sponsored boxing school for youth, and worked as a chief boxing coach of the Kostanay Region in 2000-2002. He also helped to establish the school of martial arts at the Kostanay State University (the only martial arts higher education unit in Kazakhstan,) which he headed as a dean until his death.

Miroshnichenko died under unclear circumstances in 2003, aged 39, after supposedly falling down nine flights of stairs at his apartment building in his hometown.^[5] Rumours initially circulated that his death was related to his testimony in the trial of a local judge, but local prosecutor's office later ruled his death was most probably accidental, and case was closed.

Alexandr Miroshnichenko Memorial annual junior boxing tournament has been established in his hometown of Kostanay.