Garbis Zakaryan

Garbis Zakaryan (Armenian: Կարբիս Զաքարյան), (June 2, 1930 – 25 January 2020) was a Turkish and European welterweight boxing champion of Armenian ethnicity. He was the first Turkish professional boxer.[1] He was nicknamed "Demir Yumruk" ("Iron Fist").[2]

Garbis Zakaryan
Statistics
Nickname(s)"Demir Yumruk" ("Iron Fist")
Weight(s)Welterweight
NationalityTurkish
BornArmenian: Կարբիս Զաքարյան
(1930-06-02)2 June 1930
Died25 January 2020(2020-01-25) (aged 89)
Istanbul, Turkey

Life and career

Zakaryan was born in Istanbul, of Armenian descent, and studied at the local Armenian Esayan school.[3] His father couldn't work because of poor health and his mother would make the entire household living from knitting.[1] He left school at 5th grade and began working as a newspaper salesman.[1] He began his boxing career in 1944 at the Boğaziçi Turnuvası (Bosporus Tournament).[3] He became the Istanbul and Turkey champion at 48 kg in 1947 and 1948. He then represented the Turkish National Team for the first time in 1949 against Spain. He became the first Turkish professional boxer in 1951. Zakaryan retired in 1966. He then worked as a boxing trainer including European champion, Cemal Kamaci.

Zakaryan went on to lose his European champion title in March 1957. He was Middle-East champion in 1964.

Zakaryan died on 25 January 2020 at the age of 89 in Istanbul, Turkey. He was interred at Şişli Armenian Cemetery after the religious funeral ceremony at Surp Yerrortutyun Armenian Church (Armenian: Սուրբ Երրորդութիւն Եկեղեցի, Turkish: Beyoğlu Üç Horan Ermeni Kilisesi).[2]

Record
28 Wins (6 knockouts), 8 Losses (1 knockouts), 5 Draws[4]
Res. Record Opponent Type Date Location Notes
Draw32-13-6 Franco Nenci PTS1966-04-15 Istanbul, Turkey
Win1-1 Piero Morgia TKO1965-12-09 Istanbul, Turkey
Win0-1 Maroun Jeres PTS1965-08-14 Beirut, Lebanon
Win5-5-3 Abdulha Mohamed Djen Doubi TKO1965-03-20 Istanbul, Turkey
Win4-6 Jean-Claude Labreuille PTS1964-12-02 Istanbul, Turkey
Win2-1-2 Lothar Kremer PTS1964-09-17 Paris, France
Win2-1-2 Lothar Kremer PTS1964-09-17 Paris, France
Win0-0 Maroun Jeres KO1964-06-08 Istanbul, Turkey Middle Orient Middleweight Title
Win3-17-6 Mario Della Corte PTS1964-04-09 Istanbul, Turkey
Win39-29-11 Rene Brunet PTS1963-11-18 Istanbul, Turkey
Win66-65-20 Jean Ruellet PTS1963-08-19 Istanbul, Turkey
Win38-26-10 Rene Brunet TKO1963-03-27 Istanbul, Turkey
Win1-0-2 Charles Attali PTS1960-10-12 Istanbul, Turkey
Draw1-0-1 Charles Attali PTS1960-03-18 Istanbul, Turkey
Win0-1-0 Mohammed Salah Mousri PTS1959-10-08 Istanbul, Turkey
Loss38-15-4 Paulo Sacoman PTS1957-11-22 São Paulo, Brazil
Win11-7-6 Brahim Kettani PTS1957-11-10 Paris, France
Loss34-2-2 Martiniano Pereyra TKO1956-10-20 Buenos Aires, Argentina
Loss44-1-2 Cirilo Gil PTS1956-09-22 Buenos Aires, Argentina
Loss48-7-2 Idrissa Dione PTS1956-08-18 Istanbul, Turkey
Win14-3-2 Ousmane Cisse PTS1956-04-08 Beirut, Lebanon
Loss7-0-0 Jacques Nervi PTS1956-03-17 Granville, France
Win16-1-0 Michel François PTS1956-03-03 Paris, France
Win22-6-2 Ziyaris Taki KO1955-07-30 Istanbul, Turkey Turkish Welterweight Title
Win22-6-2 Ahmed Belarbi II PTS1955-06-05 Istanbul, Turkey
Draw0-1-0 Jan Papadopulos PTS1955-05-15 Alexandria, Egypt
Win19-7-8 Karl Oechsle PTS1955-03-27 Istanbul, Turkey
Win Emmanuel Lambidis PTS1955-02-27 Istanbul, Turkey
Win Jan Papadopulos PTS1954-11-02 Beirut, Lebanon
Loss34-2-0 Idrissa Dione PTS1954-02-05 Beirut, Lebanon
Loss33-2-0 Idrissa Dione PTS1954-01-23 Istanbul, Turkey
Win Brahim Kettani PTS1954-01-12 Istanbul, Turkey
Win22-30-7 Emmanuel Clavel RTD1953-10-03 Istanbul, Turkey
Win15-3-2 Ziyaris Taki PTS1953-08-18 Istanbul, Turkey Turkish Welterweight Title
Win9-22-4 Robert Astoine PTS1953-04-30 Paris, France
Draw16-15-31 Freddi Teichmann PTS1953-04-17 Berlin, Germany
Win22-8-4 Charles Dhery PTS1953-03-14 Istanbul, Turkey
Win8-18-4 Leandre Mateos PTS1953-01-13 Istanbul, Turkey
Win8-18-4 Michel Lambidis PTS1951-12-23 Istanbul, Turkey
Win5-0-0 Ziyaris Taki PTS1951-05-02 Istanbul, Turkey Precise date is uncertain. This fight is from a record provided by Leo Vollnhofer, Vienna.
Loss2-0-0 Ziyaris Taki PTS1951-03-10 Istanbul, Turkey Precise date is uncertain. This fight is from a record provided by Leo Vollnhofer, Vienna.
Draw5-6-2 Ali Amrane PTS1950-10-18 Istanbul, Turkey

See also

References
  1. SOYKAN, TİMUR (21 October 2012). "Türkiye'nin ilk profesyonel boksörü BÜYÜK GARBİS". Posta (in Turkish). Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  2. "'Demir Yumruk'a bayraklı veda". Hürriyet (in Turkish). 30 January 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  3. İstepanyan, Torkom (1967). Hepimize bir bayrak: Hâtırat--inceleme (in Turkish). Tarla. p. 118. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  4. Professional Boxing Record. Boxrec. Retrieved on 2012-05-19.
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