Tokyo 2020: Olympian Hovhannes Bachkov

NEWS.am Sport presents Armenia’s athletes who will be competing at the 32nd Summer Olympics to be held from July 23 to August 8 in Tokyo, the capital of Japan.

Hovhannes Bachkov, boxer, 63kg weight category

He was born on December 2, 1992 in Gyumri.

Hovhannes Bachkov is a multiple champion of Armenia, winner of international tournaments, 2018 European champion, winner of the Minsk 2019 European Games, and bronze medalist of the 2018 and 2019 world championships.

Bachkov fights in the professional ring, too. On July 29, 2020, he signed a contract with MTK Global management company. He had his first such bout during the Rotunda Rumble IV evening of professional boxing in Dubai on October 9, 2020, where he defeated Samuel Gonzalez, 32, (Venezuela) on a unanimous decision.

His second professional fight took place on April 9, 2021 in Almaty, Kazakhstan, during the #MTKFightNight evening, where he knocked out Binali Shakhmandarov (Ukraine)—who is a Turk—in the first round.

Bachkov booked his spot for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics by way of his European ranking. He is number one in Europe in his weight class.

His Olympic qualification was approved on June 28, 2021.

Hovhannes Bachkov will enter the boxing ring in Tokyo 2020 on Sunday.