The difficult start
A debut win followed by difficult away bouts: the early lessons before his long winning run.
ALEXEEV BOXING · MIZIA 80 BOXING CLUB · BOBI BOYADZHIEV BOXING CLUB · WELTERWEIGHT
YOSIF
PANOV
28–4 (14 KOs) · FORMER UBO WORLD CHAMPIONBUKOVLAK VILLAGE · PLEVEN · BULGARIAFrom Bukovlak to the boxing gym in Pleven, then through a difficult professional start to 25 consecutive wins, a UBO world title and an EBU Silver challenge.
01 / 03The UBO world title · MaxFight 56 · 19.10.2023
28WINS
14KNOCKOUTS
25CONSECUTIVE WINS · 2016–2025
2023UBO BOXER OF THE YEAR
Record as of 18 August 2026: 28–4 (14 KOs). See BoxRec for his current official record.
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.
Panov made his professional debut on 1 November 2014 at the National Sports Academy in Sofia, outpointing Trayan Dimitrov. He acquired his nickname at around nineteen.
“The nickname chooses you, not the other way round.”HEAR HIS STORY ↗
DEBUT · TURNING POINT · RISE · EUROPE
The setbacks are part of the story.
Early defeats abroad left Yosif considering his future in boxing. He chose to continue, working with the people who believed in him to rebuild his career.
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 long-awaited homecoming fight in Pleven.
LATEST FIGHT · 25.04.2026
Ninety seconds. A long-awaited homecoming.
YOSIF PANOVTKO · R1 · 1:30JONIKER TOVAR
Panov stops Tovar in round one on his return to Pleven. Beyond the result, it is a chance to reconnect with the hometown crowd that supported his early years.
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 · 1:30Panov stops Tovar in ninety seconds on his long-awaited return to Pleven. It is a homecoming win in a non-title bout.
Aaron Alhambra
POINTS LOSS · 12 ROUNDSPanov goes twelve rounds with Aaron Alhambra for the vacant EBU Silver title in Spain. Alhambra wins by unanimous decision in front of his home crowd.
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-decision win brings Panov his first international professional title: the UBO International welterweight belt.
Angel Emilov
UD · 10 ROUNDSAt the International Hotel in Golden Sands, Panov defeats Angel Emilov for the vacant Bulgarian super-welterweight title, becoming a two-time national champion.
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 ROUNDSPanov outpoints Borislav Zankov on the Kubrat Pulev–Kevin Johnson undercard, at Sauerland’s second event in Bulgaria. A strong performance before a large crowd marks an important breakthrough.
Trayan Dimitrov
PTS · 4 ROUNDSAt eighteen, Panov begins his professional career with a points win. Difficult away bouts and early defeats follow, but he stays committed to the sport.
19.10.2023 · MAXFIGHT 56 · ARENA SOFIA
12ROUNDSTwelve rounds to a world title.
Panov goes twelve rounds in a title fight for the first time, defeating Sandy Messaoud by unanimous decision for the vacant UBO world welterweight belt. Conor McGregor presents it in the ring.
117–114JUDGES’ SCORES
116–114JUDGES’ SCORES
115–113JUDGES’ SCORES
THE PEOPLE IN THE CORNER
One fighter. Support at every step.
MANAGER · ALEXEEV BOXING
Vasko Alexeev
Career planning, matchmaking and negotiations behind Panov’s Bulgarian titles, UBO campaigns and European title opportunity.
HEAD COACH · BOXING ACADEMY
Borislav Boyadzhiev
Leads Panov’s current training programme.
LONG-TIME COACH · MIZIA 80 BOXING CLUB
Aleksandar Vladimirov
The Pleven coach who guided Panov through much of his rise.
COACH · CAMPS AND AWAY BOUTS
Blagoy Sokolov
Supports Panov at international training camps, away bouts and key professional events.
CUTMAN
Evgeni Vasilev
Provides cutman support and between-round care in the corner.
LONGSTANDING TEAM SUPPORT
Georgi Minkovski
A long-standing supporter who has offered practical advice on training routines and nutrition, introduced contacts and helped with preparation, including supplying food for some camps.
TRAINING · CORNER WORK · TEAM
The team through the years.
The people who have supported Panov in the gym and on fight night, pictured at different stages of his career.
INTERVIEWS · FULL FIGHTS
Interviews, training and full fights.
Discover Panov’s story through documentaries, interviews, training footage and full recordings of his key fights.
THE JUNGLE OF SPORTS
After his homecoming in Pleven
FULL FIGHT · EBU SILVER
Yosif Panov vs Aaron Alhambra
BALKAN BEAST · 38 MINUTES
From Bukovlak to championship boxing, 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.
Fight reports, features and official records documenting Panov’s career, titles and homecoming.
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.
