Vyacheslav Uzelkov dead at 45: Former boxing champ and TV star passes away months after having heart surgery

Ukraine’s boxing federation paid tribute to him and said in a statement that "Ukrainian boxing has suffered a heavy loss - Vyacheslav Uzelkov has passed away. "His name will forever remain in the history of sports, and his example of strength, resilience and dedication will inspire future generations."

During his boxing career, Vyacheslav Uzelkov was the WBA Inter-Continental, IBO International and Inter-Continental light heavyweight champion before moving into a career in television. 

Boxing Scene reported that “In 2012 Uzelkov lost to the then EBU champ Eduard Gutknecht on points. He later won and lost the WBO Intercontinental title and retired in 2014 after an upset loss to Geard Ajetovic at home with a record of 30-4 (19 KOs). By then, he had also boxed and defeated the likes of Jaidon Codrington, Julio Cesar Dominguez and Gabriel Campillo.”

According to the Daily Mail, “He also momentarily flirted with a career in politics three years ago when he ran to become mayor of a small city in central Ukraine but ultimately losing out.

“Uzelkov required heart surgery at the start of the year and was recovering from the operation in Ukraine when he died after suffering complications.”

Tributes have been pouring in for the former boxing champion Vyacheslav Uzelkov and one fan said: “Rest in peace Champ.” Box News took to their Instagram to report on Vyacheslav Uzelkov’s passing and wrote: “Former world boxing champion, Vyacheslav Uzelkov, dies aged 456 after heart surgery: Vyacheslav Uzelkov, a former world boxing champion, has died aged 45, with reports from his native Ukraine suggesting he passed away while recovering form heart surgery.”