Only a couple weeks ago, news broke of the tragic death of boxer Boris Stanchov. The 21-year-old Bulgarian had been using the identity of his cousin – pro boxer Isus Velichkov – to compete in professional boxing matches, going 0-6 over a year under the scheme—before his tragic death after a TKO loss to Ardit Murja.
The latest case of a fighter using a falsified identity in combat sports is far less tragic, but somewhat stranger, and every bit as cautionary.
On October 6th, in Samara, Russia, Batuhan Akduman faced off against debuting featherweight Rafael Abrahamyan.