Before the titles, there was a debut. On 17 May 2008, Merdjidin Yuseinov “The Artist” faced Spas Genov at Sofia’s Universiada Hall. Vasko Alexeev’s personal archive records it as the first official professional bout he arranged.
The debut date appears in BoxRec. The story of how it came about comes from our archive: Tsacho Andreykovski’s request for help and Merdjidin’s decision to accept the bout. These are two different kinds of evidence — the sporting record and the memories of the people involved in organising it.
Alexey Vasilev’s idea
The idea came from Vasko’s father and coach, Alexey Vasilev. According to the family archive, he encouraged Vasko to use his English and boxing contacts to find paid professional fights for Bulgarian boxers after his own competitive career ended.
It was a new role within the same sport: helping another fighter reach the ring instead of preparing for his own bout. Arranging that first fight put the idea into practice.
Merdjidin accepted the first opportunity
Merdjidin’s debut was not a title win, and we do not present it as one. Its importance is as the start of his professional record and the first step in the work that became Alexeev Boxing.
Accepting your first professional bout means starting a record that will follow you for years. Merdjidin took that step. In our account of the beginning, his name stands beside the man who found the opportunity — because without the boxer’s decision, there would have been no fight.
After Sofia, the horizon widened
Later that year came an independently organised event in Ruse in October, followed by the first international trip with Merdjidin, to Basel in December. The photograph at the top of this page is from Basel, not the debut against Genov.
Seen from today, the beginning looks like the first point on a long line. At the time, it was simply the next real task: one boxer, one fight, one opportunity. That is where the story we continue to tell begins.
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