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.
It was our first international title win with Alexey, achieved in his tenth professional bout, less than eighteen months after his debut. For the Ruse crowd, it was a chance to celebrate a local fighter’s rapid progress on home ground.
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.
Before the bout, Ribchev described Boreiko as ‘a good boxer, very experienced and tough’. Having studied his fights, he expected an opponent who would be difficult to stop. Winning the belt would require sustained work against a man with many 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
Ribchev maintained the pressure throughout the fight. Boreiko proved as durable as expected and reached the final bell, leaving the judges to assess ten rounds of work.
Two judges scored it 100–90 and the third 99–91 for Ribchev. The wide margins reflected his consistent control, while Boreiko’s resilience ensured he had to complete the full distance to claim the title.
Krasimir Ininski told BTA afterwards that more than a thousand spectators had been on their feet at Dunav Hall. Ruse had celebrated one of its own winning his first international belt.
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.
Ribchev defended the belt against Uruguay’s Ruben Silva Diaz on 10 September 2011. The following May, he defeated Javier Andino in Sofia to add the UBO Intercontinental title. Both opportunities followed the breakthrough against Boreiko in Ruse.
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