Dimitri Kirilov

Dmitry Dmitrievich Kirillov, known as “The Baby”, is a retired Russian professional boxer who competed principally at super-flyweight and bantamweight before finishing his career in the featherweight and super-featherweight divisions. Born in Leningrad, now Saint Petersburg, on November 24, 1978, the orthodox boxer stood 5ft 4in and possessed a reach of approximately 64½in. His final professional record was 31 victories, seven defeats and one draw from 39 contests, with nine wins inside the distance.

Kirilov’s amateur career included a bronze medal at the 1996 Russian junior championships and victories in the Saint Petersburg championships in 1996 and 1997. He turned professional on May 2, 1998, defeating Gennadi Sukmanov over four rounds at the Navy Sport Club in Kronstadt. Kirilov developed quickly, boxing not only in Russia but also in Belgium, Spain and England. In September 1999, he outpointed Christopher Denicker to win the vacant WBC youth super-flyweight title, which he subsequently defended against Julio de la Basez and Junver Halog.

The early part of Kirilov’s career was built upon movement, accurate straight punching and steady application rather than exceptional power. He won his first 20 contests before challenging Spend Abazi for the European bantamweight championship in Denmark in March 2002. Abazi defeated him by unanimous decision over 12 rounds, giving Kirilov his first professional loss. He rebuilt with three victories and received his first world-title opportunity against Masamori Tokuyama, the experienced WBC super-flyweight champion, in Osaka on January 3, 2004. Tokuyama retained the championship by unanimous decision, but Kirilov completed the distance and demonstrated that he belonged among the division’s leading challengers.

Four further victories followed, including a decision over Marsel Kasimov for the vacant Russian bantamweight championship. Kirilov then earned a second world-title chance against IBF super-flyweight champion Luis Alberto Perez in Worcester, Massachusetts, on May 6, 2006. The Russian produced a disciplined performance and finished strongly, but Perez retained his title by split decision. The verdict was disputed at ringside and Kirilov requested a return contest, although no immediate rematch took place.

The IBF championship became vacant the following year, bringing Kirilov a third opportunity. He met former United States Olympian Jose Navarro at the Khodynka Ice Palace in Moscow on October 13, 2007. It was a close, technical contest between Kirilov’s measured orthodox boxing and Navarro’s quicker southpaw combinations. Kirilov scored the decisive moment in the third round when a counter right caused Navarro’s glove to touch the canvas. The knockdown proved essential. Kirilov won by unanimous decision, with scores of 116-112 and 114-113 twice. Without the extra point produced by the knockdown, the two narrow cards would have been level.

Kirilov made his first defence at New York’s Roseland Ballroom on February 28, 2008, against Mexico’s Cecilio Santos. The rounds were closely contested, and Santos suffered a severe cut over his left eye in the ninth. One judge favoured Kirilov by 116-112, while the other two returned scores of 114-114, producing a majority draw. Kirilov retained the title, although the decision attracted some disagreement.

His reign ended in his second defence against Vic Darchinyan at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington, on August 2, 2008. Darchinyan, a former IBF flyweight champion and a particularly forceful southpaw, controlled the contest with his jab and straight left. Kirilov remained too square in front of him and struggled to move his head away from the line of attack. All three judges had Darchinyan ahead 40-36 after four rounds. A five-punch combination dropped Kirilov in the fifth, and a straight left put him down again. He remained on one knee as referee Earl Brown completed the count at 1 minute 5 seconds.

Kirilov did not box again for nearly five years. He returned in Saint Petersburg in May 2013 and recorded two victories, but the later campaign took place well above the division in which he had enjoyed his finest results. He was retired after eight rounds by Marco McCullough in Belfast in September 2014, lost a decision to Dennis Ceylan in Denmark and was knocked out in the eighth round by Evgeny Chuprakov in Yekaterinburg on September 26, 2015. The defeat to Chuprakov, in a contest for the vacant WBO European super-featherweight title, was Kirilov’s final appearance.

After retiring, Kirilov remained closely involved in boxing as a trainer. He established a boxing club bearing his name and later worked as one of the coaches in Dmitry Bivol’s training team, while acknowledging Gennady Mashianov as Bivol’s head trainer. Kirilov’s own career was defined by sound technique, balance and persistence. He was not a damaging puncher, but he was sufficiently skilled to contest four major world-title bouts and to hold the IBF super-flyweight championship from October 2007 until August 2008.