Skip to main content
Work with the NEU
The history behind Soviet-style boxing
Not only did this school of fighting create champions in Eastern Europe, it influenced boxers across the entire world, explains JOHN WIGHT
kapow: Oleksandr Usyk (left) lands a punch on Tyson Fury during ninth round of the Heavyweight Championship fight in Riyadh, May 18, 2024

THE SOVIET school/style of boxing — think Bivol, think Usyk, think Golovkin, think Kovalev, and think the Klitschko brothers — traces its roots to the famed boxing schools of the now non-existent communist state.

These were the breeding grounds for the development of the tactical acumen and technical precision within a fighter’s armoury.

It was devised as a response to the challenges posed by opponents, rather than the reliance on sheer personal toughness and determination.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
Announcer Joe Humphries raises the hand of the victor, British boxer Jack 'Kid' Berg, aka
Men’s Boxing / 21 August 2026
21 August 2026

As antisemitism spread across Europe and the United States in the 1920s and 1930s, Benny Leonard and Jack ‘Kid’ Berg became symbols of hope and resilience, writes JOHN WIGHT

 Anthony Joshua celebrates after defeating Albania's Kristian Prenga during their heavyweight title fight in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, July 26, 2026
Men's Boxing / 26 July 2026
26 July 2026
oxer Barry McGuigan, centre, celebrates after beating champion Eusebio Pedroza during the World Featherweight Championship, at Loftus Road Stadium in London
Men’s Boxing / 24 July 2026
24 July 2026

From Barry McGuigan and Carl Frampton to Tyrone McKenna and Lewis Crocker, the city’s fighters carry a complex history into the ring, writes JOHN WIGHT

 11-04-2026 of Tyson Fury
Men’s Boxing / 22 July 2026
22 July 2026