On 27 October 2018, Yosif Panov earned the first title of his professional career. A points win over Stiliyan Kostov at Sofia’s Arena Armeec made him Bulgarian super welterweight champion — a breakthrough almost four years in the making.
Kubrat Pulev and Hughie Fury topped the bill, but for The Viper this was a defining night in its own right. The opportunity was there; now he had to turn it into his first title.
A seasoned opponent
Kostov arrived with a 21–8 record and the experience of 29 professional fights. Panov was facing a seasoned opponent, not a routine step on the way to a belt.
That experience mattered. Panov earned the title against a fighter who knew how to handle the demands of professional boxing.
The work behind every fight
Our archive records Vasko Alexeev’s matchmaking work on the Pulev–Fury card. Arranging a meaningful fight on a major event is the part of the job that the result alone doesn’t show.
Creating the opportunity was our role. Winning the fight belonged to Panov and the team who prepared him. Both are part of the story, but they are not the same achievement.
The first step towards bigger titles
His later success can make this first title easy to overlook. In 2018, though, the UBO International and world belts were still ahead. This was an important achievement in its own right.
That is why we preserve it separately in the archive. The Viper’s journey did not begin with big international names. It passed through opponents like Stiliyan Kostov and nights when the next opportunity had to be earned.
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