Mikhail Aloyan

Mikhail Surenovich Aloyan (Russian: Михаил Суренович Алоян; born 23 August 1988) is a Russian professional boxer of Kurdish origin, who challenged for the WBO bantamweight title in 2018. As an amateur flyweight, Aloyan won gold medals at the 2010 European Championships, the 2011 and 2013 World Championships, and bronze at the 2009 World Championships and the 2012 Olympics.

Aloyan was born on 23 August 1988 in the village of Bambakashat, Armenian SSR, Soviet Union (now Armavir Province, Armenia) to a Kurds–Yazidi family. In 1997, his family moved to Novokuznetsk, Russia. He later moved to Novosibirsk.

At Moscow 2010, he beat Nordine Oubaali, Vincenzo Picardi and Khalid Saeed Yafai to win the European Championships.

At Baku 2011, he added a World title by defeating Rau'shee Warren and edging Welshman Andrew Selby 13–12.

At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he beat Samir Brahimi and Jeyvier Cintron before losing to Nyambayaryn Tögstsogt in the semifinal. He won another medal four years later in Rio 2016, a silver.

On 8 December 2016, he was stripped of the silver medal in 52 kg boxing won at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics after testing positive for tuaminoheptane.

Aloyan made his professional debut against Yader Cardoza on 11 May 2017, in a fight for the vacant WBA East Asia super-flyweight title. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Aloyan next faced Marvin Solano for the vacant WBC Silver super-flyweight title on 22 July 2017, and won the fight by unanimous decision. Five months later, on 9 December 2017, Aloyan was scheduled to face Hermogenes Elizabeth Castillo for the vacant WBA International bantamweight title. He won the fight by split decision. Aloyan made his first, and only, WBA International title defense against Alexander Espinoza on 3 February 2018, and won the fight by split decision.

Aloyan participated in the 2018 World Boxing Super Series bantamweight tournament. He was scheduled to face the WBO World bantamweight champion Zolani Tete in the tournament quarterfinals, on 13 October 2018. Tete won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 114-111, 114-111 and 114-110. Both fighters were deducted a point for excessive holding, Tete in the eleventh and Aloyan in the twelfth round.