Mairis Briedis

Mairis Briedis
Mairis Briedis 2018.jpg
Briedis in 2018
Statistics
Nickname(s)The Latvian Punisher
Weight(s)
Height1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Reach190 cm (75 in)
NationalityLatvian
Born (1985-01-13) 13 January 1985 (age 38)
Riga, Latvia
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights30
Wins28
Wins by KO20
Losses2
Medal record
Men's amateur boxing
Representing  Latvia
Latvian National Championships
Gold medal – first place 2008 Riga Heavyweight
Gold medal – first place 2009 Jelgava Heavyweight
Gold medal – first place 2011 Jelgava Heavyweight
Men's Full-Contact Kickboxing
Representing  Latvia
WAKO European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2008 Varna -86kg
WAKO World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2005 Szeged -86kg
Bronze medal – third place 2007 Coimbra -86kg

Mairis Briedis (born 13 January 1985) is a Latvian professional boxer. He is a three-time cruiserweight world champion, having held the IBF and Ring titles from 2020 to 2022; the WBC title from 2017 to 2018; and the WBO title in 2019. Upon winning the WBC title in 2017, he became the first Latvian to hold a world boxing title. He was awarded the Order of the Three Stars in 2017. As a professional, he has fought world champions Oleksander Usyk, Marco Huck, Krzysztof Głowacki, Manuel Charr, and Yuniel Dorticos. As of November 2022, he is ranked as the world's third best active cruiserweight by The Ring magazine, BoxRec, and second by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board.

Professional career

Early career

At the age of 24, after previously serving as a Latvian State Police officer in Rīga, Briedis turned professional in 2009. He racked up multiple wins in his home country and abroad, including a second-round technical knockout (TKO) of former heavyweight title challenger Danny Williams. He captured the IBA cruiserweight title along the way. Briedis' first fight of note came in 2015, when he moved up in weight and traveled to Russia to face former heavyweight title challenger Manuel Charr. Briedis knocked out his much bigger opponent with a single punch in the fifth round. In 2016, Briedis knocked out hard-hitting Nigerian Olanrewaju Durodola in a slug fest, to capture the WBC Silver cruiserweight title. This made him the mandatory challenger for the winner of Tony Bellew and Ilunga Makabu. Briedis was ringside for the fight and congratulated the victorious Bellew in his dressing room afterwards. Briedis then fought in the UK for the first time in a stay busy fight against Simon Vallily on the undercard of Bellew's first title defence against BJ Flores. Bellew vacated his title in early 2017, meaning the vacant title would be on the line in Briedis' next fight.

Briedis vs. Huck

Due to Tony Bellew fighting David Haye instead of taking on Briedis, the WBC ordered a match for the WBC interim cruiserweight title between Marco Huck and Briedis. The winner would earn a fight with Bellew for the full WBC title or possibly be elevated to full championship status if Bellew decided to vacate and stay at heavyweight. As Bellew didn't plan to defend his title for a while, he vacated the title in March 2017. On 1 April 2017 Briedis captured the vacant WBC cruiserweight title by defeating Huck via unanimous decision (UD) (118–109, 117–110, 116–111). Huck was deducted a point after an accidental clash of heads. Briedis was able to outbox the former two-time champion and prevent him from having any success on the inside during the fight. Some boxing pundits had Briedis winning every round in the fight. The IBO title, previously held by Huck, became vacant due to Briedis not paying the sanctioning fees.

2017–18: World Boxing Super Series

On 2 June 2017 Briedis announced that he would take part in the inaugural World Boxing Super Series (WBSS), where the winner would receive a grand prize as well as the Muhammad Ali Trophy. Briedis described the bracket style tournament as the 'Champions League of boxing'.

Briedis vs. Perez

At the Draft Gala, which took place on 8 July in Monte Carlo, Briedis chose former heavyweight contender Mike Perez (22–2–1, 14 KOs) as his quarter-final opponent. Perez had been out of action for 25 months before moving down to the 200 pound limit division and won his first fight at that weight with a first-round knockout on 10 June 2017. On 22 July, the WBSS announced the fight would take place in Briedis' home country of Latvia at the Rīga Arēna in Riga on 30 September 2017. This was the eighth time Briedis fought at the arena. Briedis defeated Perez by UD over twelve rounds (116–110, 115–111, 114–112). Perez was deducted a point in round three following an accidental clash of heads. Briedis was also docked a point during round ten for excessive holding. With the win, Briedis moved on to the semi-finals to face top-seeded Oleksandr Usyk.

Briedis vs. Usyk

Briedis had the next fight against Usyk (13–0, 11 KOs), following the latter's win over Marco Huck. In November 2017, it was reported the fight would take place on 27 January 2018 in Riga, Latvia, a week before Gassiev vs. Dorticos would take place. Arēna Rīga was confirmed as the location by Comosa's Chief Boxing Officer Kalle Sauerland. Usyk came in at 199.5 pounds and Briedis weighed 199.1 pounds. Usyk moved on to the final of the tournament after defeating Briedis via majority decision (MD). With a high work rate, Usyk controlled most of the fight with his jab, putting on pressure when needed. Briedis was credited with landing the harder punches. The opening four rounds where closely contested and Usyk was cut from a head-butt over his right eye in round three. From round five, Usyk became busier and took control of the fight, although he was still hit with some hard shots to the head from Briedis. One judge scored the fight 114–114, whilst the remaining two judges scored the fight 115–113 in favour of Usyk. After the fight, Usyk stated it was the hardest fight of his career. According to CompuBox stats, Usyk landed 212 of 848 punches thrown (25%) and Briedis was more accurate, landing 195 of his 579 thrown (33.7%). Usyk landed 40% of his power punches. Many boxers and pundits praised the fight.

Reserve fight

On 28 June 2018, Briedis began training for his next bout, which was speculated to take place on the undercard of the WBSS final on 21 July at the Olympic Stadium in Moscow. His opponent was later announced to be French boxer Brandon Deslaurier (11–1–1, 1 KO). Briedis was also confirmed as the WBSS final substitute in case either Usyk or Murat Gassiev could not compete. The bout with Deslaurier was scheduled for ten rounds. Briedis went the ten round distance, defeating Deslaurier via UD. All three judges scored the fight 100–90.

2018–19: World Boxing Super Series

In August 2018, Briedis, along with Yuniel Dorticos, entered a second edition of the WBSS. Unlike the inaugural tournament, there was no world champions, as Usyk had unified all the titles. Mateusz Masternak, Krzysztof Głowacki and Maxim Vlasov were other top contenders to join.

Briedis vs. Gevor

As the #1 seed, Briedis chose to fight German boxer Noel Gevor (23–1, 10 KOs). Gevor was ranked at #14 by the WBC. On 26 September, it was announced that the Briedis vs. Gevor bout, along with the Głowacki vs. Vlasov would take place as a doubleheader on 10 November at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, US.

Briedis vs. Głowacki

On 15 June 2019 Briedis won the WBO cruiserweight title in a controversial fight against Głowacki (31–1, 19 KOs). Briedis won by TKO in the third round but appeared to intentionally foul his opponent with an elbow strike after being hit on the back of the neck in the second. The WBO's report on the fight also stated that the referee Robert Byrd made "multiple errors" in officiating the fight and ordered a rematch. Briedis was later stripped of the title after refusing to defend it in a direct rematch fight with Głowacki rather than proceeding with the WBSS tournament Final.

Briedis vs. Dorticos

Briedis was scheduled to face Yuniel Dorticos on 26 September 2020 at the Plazamedia Broadcasting Center in Munich, Germany, for the WBSS tournament final. Mairis Briedis beat Yuniel Dorticos by majority decision in their 12-round contest on Saturday 26 September 2020 at Plazamedia Broadcasting Center in Munich. The scorecards were announced as 111-117, 114-114, 111-117 in favor of winner Mairis Briedis. The fight took place over rounds in the Cruiserweight division, which meant the weight limit was 200 pounds (14.3 stone or 90.7 KG). This was the final of the World Boxing Super Series. This was a unique fight as there were almost no spectators because of the corona virus precaution in the EU.

Briedis vs. Mann

Briedis was booked to defend his IBF and The Ring cruiserweight titles against the former WBO International titlist and one-time IBO Cruiserweight title challenger Artur Mann. The bout was scheduled for 16 October 2021, at the Arena Riga in Riga, Latvia. Briedis made quick work of his opponent, beating him by technical knockout near the end of the third round. The stoppage was preceded by two knockdowns, one coming with 10 seconds left in the second round, while the second came 39 seconds before the knockout itself. Briedis called out the reigning WBO cruiserweight champion Lawrence Okolie in his post-fight interview, stating: "Eddie Hearn, give Okolie the money, and we’ll make the fight. If this happens, it will be a mega fight in the UK".

Briedis vs. Opetaia

Briedis was scheduled to make his second IBF and The Ring title defense against the undefeated mandatory title challenger Jai Opetaia on 6 April 2022, at the TBD venue in Australia. The bout was postponed on February 16, as Briedis tested positive for COVID-19. The bout was rescheduled for 11 May, and was expected to take place at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre in Broadbeach, Queensland, Australia. The bout was once again postponed on April 8, as Opetaia suffered a rib injury, and rescheduled for July 2. Briedis lost the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 116–112, 116–112 and 115–113. He had a late surge in the fight, during which he managed to break Opetaia's jaw, but was unable to win enough rounds on the judges' scorecards.

Professional boxing record

30 fights 28 wins 2 losses
By knockout 20 0
By decision 8 2
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
30 Loss 28–2 Jai Opetaia UD 12 2 Jul 2022 Gold Coast Convention Centre, Broadbeach, Queensland, Australia Lost IBF and The Ring cruiserweight titles
29 Win 28–1 Artur Mann TKO 3 (12), 2:59 16 Oct 2021 Arēna Rīga, Riga, Latvia Retained IBF and The Ring cruiserweight titles
28 Win 27–1 Yuniel Dorticos MD 12 26 Sep 2020 Plazamedia Broadcasting Center, Munich, Germany Won IBF and vacant The Ring cruiserweight titles;
World Boxing Super Series: Cruiserweight final
27 Win 26–1 Krzysztof Głowacki TKO 3 (12), 0:27 15 Jun 2019 Arēna Rīga, Riga, Latvia Won WBO cruiserweight title;
World Boxing Super Series: Cruiserweight semi-final
26 Win 25–1 Noel Gevor UD 12 10 Nov 2018 UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. World Boxing Super Series: Cruiserweight quarter-final
25 Win 24–1 Brandon Deslaurier UD 10 21 Jul 2018 Olympic Stadium, Moscow, Russia
24 Loss 23–1 Oleksandr Usyk MD 12 27 Jan 2018 Arēna Rīga, Rīga, Latvia Lost WBC cruiserweight title;
For WBO cruiserweight title;
World Boxing Super Series: Cruiserweight semi-final
23 Win 23–0 Mike Perez UD 12 30 Sep 2017 Arēna Rīga, Rīga, Latvia Retained WBC cruiserweight title;
World Boxing Super Series: Cruiserweight quarter-finals
22 Win 22–0 Marco Huck UD 12 1 Apr 2017 Westfalenhallen, Dortmund, Germany Won vacant WBC cruiserweight title
21 Win 21–0 Simon Vallily TKO 3 (8), 2:36 15 Oct 2016 Echo Arena, Liverpool, England
20 Win 20–0 Olanrewaju Durodola TKO 9 (12), 2:58 14 May 2016 Arēna Rīga, Rīga, Latvia Won WBC Silver cruiserweight title
19 Win 19–0 Danie Venter TKO 2 (12), 2:05 21 Feb 2016 Arēna Rīga, Rīga, Latvia Won vacant IBF Inter-Continental cruiserweight title
18 Win 18–0 László Hubert TKO 2 (6), 2:42 6 Nov 2015 Palais, Frankfurt, Germany
17 Win 17–0 Manuel Charr KO 5 (10), 2:55 22 Aug 2015 Akhmat-Arena, Grozny, Russia
16 Win 16–0 Emre Altintas TKO 2 (6), 1:35 28 Jun 2015 Fruchthalle, Kaiserslautern, Germany
15 Win 15–0 Björn Blaschke TKO 4 (6), 1:45 10 Apr 2015 Kongress Und Sportzentrum, Hessen, Germany
14 Win 14–0 Ismail Abdoul UD 12 14 Nov 2014 Olympic Hall, Liepāja, Latvia Retained IBA cruiserweight title
13 Win 13–0 Csaba Faur KO 1 (6), 1:45 26 Sep 2014 Palais, Frankfurt, Germany
12 Win 12–0 Joey Vegas TKO 9 (10), 1:09 26 Jul 2014 Ķīpsala Exhibition Centre, Rīga, Latvia Won vacant WBC Baltic cruiserweight title
11 Win 11–0 Luboš Šuda RTD 5 (12), 3:00 22 Nov 2013 Olympic Hall, Liepāja, Latvia Won vacant IBA cruiserweight title
10 Win 10–0 Jérémy Ouanna UD 8 5 Jul 2013 Olympic Hall, Porto Carras, Greece
9 Win 9–0 Jonathan Felton TKO 2 (6), 2:41 14 Jun 2013 The Ritz, Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.
8 Win 8–0 Danny Williams TKO 2 (6), 1:09 23 Mar 2013 Arēna Rīga, Rīga, Latvia
7 Win 7–0 Marko Angermann TKO 2 (6), 2:38 20 Oct 2012 Arēna Rīga, Rīga, Latvia
6 Win 6–0 József Nagy TKO 2 (6), 1:07 16 Jun 2012 Sports Complex Majori, Jūrmala, Latvia
5 Win 5–0 Ruslan Siniavskij TKO 1 (6), 2:50 24 Mar 2012 Arēna Rīga, Rīga, Latvia
4 Win 4–0 Andrejs Naglis KO 2 (6), 0:25 8 Oct 2011 Arēna Rīga, Rīga, Latvia
3 Win 3–0 Josip Jalušić TKO 1 (6) 2 Jun 2011 Arena Riga, Rīga, Latvia
2 Win 2–0 Gábor Zsalek TKO 1 (6), 3:00 12 Jun 2010 Hala Sportowa, Krynica Zdrój, Poland
1 Win 1–0 Raulis Racilauskas UD 4 11 Oct 2009 Rīga Hanza Secondary School, Rīga, Latvia

See also


This page was last updated at 2023-04-16 14:19 UTC. Update now. View original page.

All our content comes from Wikipedia and under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.


Top

If mathematical, chemical, physical and other formulas are not displayed correctly on this page, please useFirefox or Safari