The difficult start
A debut win, tough away fights and lessons that build discipline before the winning streak.
ALEXEEV BOXING · MIZIA 80 BOXING CLUB · BOBI BOYADZHIEV BOXING CLUB · WELTERWEIGHT
YOSIF
PANOV
28–4 · 14 KO · FORMER UBO WORLD CHAMPIONBUKOVLAK VILLAGE · PLEVEN · BULGARIAFrom Bukovlak to the gym in Pleven. From a difficult start to 25 consecutive wins, a world belt and twelve rounds at European level.
01 / 03The UBO world title · MaxFight 56 · 19.10.2023
28WINS
14KNOCKOUTS
25CONSECUTIVE WINS · 2016–2025
2023UBO BOXER OF THE YEAR
Record of 28–4 (14 KO) as of 18 August 2026 · For the current official record, follow the BoxRec link.
BUKOVLAK → PLEVEN
A bus to training. A long run home.
Getting to the gym meant a taxi from Bukovlak to Pleven, then a bus. Getting home meant walking and running six to seven kilometres after training. Yosif made that journey regularly. He had already decided boxing was worth it.
His professional debut is on 1 November 2014 at the National Sports Academy in Sofia — a points win over Trayan Dimitrov. The nickname comes naturally around the age of 19.
“The nickname chooses you, not the other way round.”THE FIRST-PERSON ACCOUNT ↗
DEBUT · TURNING POINT · RISE · EUROPE
The setbacks are part of the story.
Early fights abroad brought setbacks and a difficult choice: walk away or start again. Yosif stayed, kept working and built around the people who believed in him.
The big stage
Victory over Borislav Zankov opens the door. A year later comes the first Bulgarian title against Stiliyan Kostov.
The belts
The knockout of Moussa Gary is followed by a second Bulgarian title, the UBO International belt and a UBO world title. Years of persistence begin to earn wider recognition.
Europe and home
Twelve rounds for EBU Silver in Madrid, followed by a return before his hometown crowd after a long absence.
LATEST FIGHT · 25.04.2026
Ninety seconds. A long-awaited homecoming.
YOSIF PANOVTKO · R1 · 1:30JONIKER TOVAR
Panov’s return before his hometown crowd after a long absence ends in the first round. The most important part lies outside the statistics: he is back in the ring where it all began.
REPORT FROM PLEVEN ↗CAREER · NEWEST FIRST
A career built round by round.
Explore Yosif’s key fights, from his latest homecoming in Pleven back through his European title challenge, world championship win and first Bulgarian title.
Joniker Tovar
TKO · ROUND 1 · 1:30After a long absence, Yosif returns before his hometown crowd and finishes the bout in a minute and a half. Its significance is the homecoming — no title was at stake.
Aaron Alhambra
POINTS LOSS · 12 ROUNDSTwelve rounds for the vacant EBU Silver belt against the home fighter. Alhambra wins by unanimous decision; the European test is shown as part of the journey rather than hidden behind the titles.
Miguel Vázquez
RTD · AFTER ROUND 3The former IBF world champion with six successful defences does not come out for the fourth round. This is one of the strongest non-title wins in Panov’s career.
Sandy Messaoud
UD · 12 ROUNDSScores of 117–114, 116–114 and 115–113 bring the vacant Universal Boxing Organization (UBO) world welterweight title.
Victoriano Antonio Santillan
UD · 8 ROUNDSA unanimous victory and The Viper’s first international professional belt — UBO International at welterweight.
Angel Emilov
UD · 10 ROUNDSAt the boutique event at Hotel International, Panov wins the vacant Bulgarian super welterweight title for the second time.
Moussa Gary
TKO · ROUND 6 · 1:49Against the Frenchman, who enters with a 10–2–2 record, Panov finishes the bout with a heavy right hand. The knockout is ranked third among the most spectacular Bulgarian knockouts of 2020.
Stiliyan Kostov
UD · 10 ROUNDSThe first professional title comes in the final undercard bout before Kubrat Pulev vs Hughie Fury. Panov wins with scores of 97–94, 98–95 and 98–94.
Borislav Zankov
UD · 6 ROUNDSThe first major breakthrough comes at promoter Sauerland’s second event in Bulgaria — on the undercard of Kubrat Pulev vs Kevin Johnson. In front of a large crowd, Panov wins on points and shows he is ready for the bigger stage.
Trayan Dimitrov
PTS · 4 ROUNDSAt eighteen, Yosif Panov begins his professional journey with a points victory. Tough away bouts and early losses lie ahead, but he does not abandon his path.
19.10.2023 · MAXFIGHT 56 · ARENA SOFIA
12ROUNDSTwelve rounds to a world title.
Against Sandy Messaoud, Panov fights the longest championship bout of his career and wins the vacant UBO world title by unanimous decision. Conor McGregor presents the belt in the ring.
117–114SCORECARD
116–114SCORECARD
115–113SCORECARD
THE PEOPLE IN THE CORNER
One fighter. Support at every step.
MANAGER · ALEXEEV BOXING
Vasko Alexeev
Career management behind the national titles, UBO campaigns and European title opportunity.
HEAD COACH · BOXING ACADEMY
Borislav Boyadzhiev
Leads Panov’s current training programme.
LONGTIME COACH · MIZIA 80 BOXING CLUB
Aleksandar Vladimirov
The Pleven boxing tradition and the coach alongside Panov through much of his rise.
TRAVELLING COACH
Blagoy Sokolov
Part of the staff for international camps, away bouts and important professional nights.
CUTMAN
Evgeni Vasilev
Provides cutman support and between-round care in the corner.
LONGSTANDING TEAM SUPPORT
Georgi Minkovski
Alongside Yosif over the years with practical guidance on routine and nutrition, ideas, contacts and support during preparation, including food for some training camps.
PREPARATION · CORNER · SHARED JOURNEY
The team through the years.
From daily gym work to title nights — photographs from different stages of the shared professional journey.
INTERVIEWS · FULL FIGHTS
Interviews, training and full fights.
Documentary conversations, national media interviews and full recordings of key bouts follow the person, the work and the results. YouTube loads only after you press play.
THE JUNGLE OF SPORTS
After returning before the Pleven crowd
FULL FIGHT · EBU SILVER
Yosif Panov vs Aaron Alhambra
BALKAN BEAST · 38 MINUTES
The story from Bukovlak to the big ring — in his own words
MAX FIGHT · FULL FIGHT
Yosif Panov vs Miguel Vázquez
NOVA
The boy from Bukovlak who became a world champion
FIGHTCLUB · FULL FIGHT
Yosif Panov vs Sandy Messaoud for the world title
PRO BOX PROMOTIONS · FULL FIGHT
Yosif Panov vs Angel Emilov for the Bulgarian title
PHOTO ARCHIVE · 2020–2026
Fights, belts and people along the way.
International titles, a world championship, a European challenge and a homecoming in Pleven — the moments captured along the way.
MEDIA AND OFFICIAL SOURCES
From Bukovlak to the European stage.
Official organisations, national media and specialist publications follow the journey, titles and comeback.
BTA
“I enter the ring to give my all” — before the night in Pleven
READ MORE ↗
ESPABox
Twelve rounds for EBU Silver in Madrid
READ MORE ↗
SPORTAL
Yosif Panov is an honorary citizen of Pleven
READ MORE ↗
UBO
Yosif Panov — UBO Boxer of the Year 2023
READ MORE ↗
NOVA
The boy from Bukovlak who became a world champion
READ MORE ↗
SPORTAL
The first Bulgarian title after victory over Stiliyan Kostov
READ MORE ↗PARTNER WITH THE VIPER
A fighter’s story. A connection for your brand.
A decade of dedication, a strong connection to Pleven and a story that has reached national audiences. Work with Yosif on fight-week campaigns, training content, brand appearances or initiatives for young people.
