Beibut Shumenov

Beibut Amirhanuly Shumenov (Kazakh: Бейбіт Әмірханұлы Шүменов; born 19 August 1983) is a Kazakh former professional boxer. He is a former world champion, who held the WBA light-heavyweight title from 2010 to 2014. He also held the WBA (Regular) cruiserweight title twice between 2016 and 2021

Shumenov’s mother was a schoolteacher and his father a chief accountant. Both worked long hours and Shumenov was left with two aunts to look after him. Shumenov nearly died as a baby, after severe complications from consuming spoiled milk while in the care of his aunts. Even though he eventually recovered, the lingering effects of his health scare stuck with him throughout childhood.

Shumenov developed a love for combat sports while watching Bruce Lee films and began practicing numerous martial arts disciplines as he matured.

As a young man Shumenov earned a law degree and clerked for a judge at the same time he was honing his skills as a fighter.

Shumenov represented Kazakhstan in the 2004 Summer Olympics. His results were:

He had qualified for the 2004 Athens Games by winning the gold medal at the 2004 Asian Amateur Boxing Championships in Puerto Princesa, Philippines. In the final he defeated PR of China's Lei Yuping.

Shumenov moved to the United States and based himself in Las Vegas where he turned professional in March 2007. In his debut in North Carolina, he defeated Walter Edwards with a knockout (KO) in the first round. He followed this up with another two KO wins within four months.

In March 2008, he returned to Kazakhstan to fight Donnell Wiggins for the vacant WBC Asian and WBA-PABA interim light-heavyweight titles. Shumenov quickly dispatched the experienced Wiggins with a second-round KO and the next month beat former US national Golden Gloves champion Lavell Finger in the first round to add the vacant WBO Asia Pacific title to his WBA-PABA interim and WBC Asian titles.