Alexey Ribchev won his first international title in front of his hometown crowd on 20 February 2011. At Ruse’s Dunav Hall, he outpointed Latvia’s Juris Boreiko over ten rounds to become UBO International middleweight champion.
For Alexeev Boxing, it was the first international championship success in our collaboration with Alexey. For him, it was his tenth professional fight, less than a year and a half after his debut. The night brought together his rapid development, support at home and the chance to finish such a bout with a belt around his waist for the first time.
Boreiko: experience against momentum
Juris Boreiko had been a professional since 2000 and arrived with more than a decade of experience. His nickname, “The Stone”, suited the test he represented: a boxer accustomed to difficult bouts and capable of remaining dangerous even when the other man was ahead.
Alexey knew that side of him. Before the fight, he described him as “a good boxer, very experienced and tough”. He had watched his bouts and expected an opponent who would be difficult to break down with punches. To take the title, Ribchev had to impose his superiority long enough against a man with far more professional rounds behind him.
Preparation without a holiday break
In his pre-fight interview, Alexey said he had known about the bout since late December and had kept training through the holidays. He had also completed a six-round fight in Switzerland in December. His career was gathering speed, and the stakes in Ruse demanded another step forward.
Riba spoke about his speed and physical strength, his work with uppercuts and pressure that should still be felt in the late rounds. At the same time, he did not rush into grand promises: before that night, he had only nine professional bouts. The international title was the specific goal before him.
Ten rounds to Ribchev’s first international title
In the arena, Ribchev turned intention into a convincing result. He maintained the pressure, while Boreiko lasted until the final bell. There was no quick finish to spare him the remaining distance. The Bulgarian had to complete all ten rounds.
Two scorecards read 100–90 and the third 99–91 in his favour. The margin shows how consistently Alexey built his advantage. After the bell, the title belonged to the man from Ruse, while the hard-to-break opponent had stayed in the fight long enough to make the victory a test of endurance too.
More than a thousand spectators were on their feet at Dunav Hall, Krasimir Ininski told BTA afterwards. For the city, victory had a face and a name: its Alexey had won his first international belt at home.
The road after Dunav Hall
The event gave us a platform for more title fights in Bulgaria. With Ribchev now an international champion, we could begin planning the next opportunities. That run of championship nights started in Ruse.
On 10 September that year, Ribchev defended his title against Uruguay’s Ruben Silva Diaz. In May 2012 in Sofia, he defeated Javier Andino to add the UBO Intercontinental belt. More preparation and bouts lay between those nights, but the first step remained the one before the Ruse crowd: ten rounds against Boreiko and an international belt from which the next chapter began.
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