Velikton Barannikov: Boxing Career and Key Results
Vilikton (Velikton) Barannikov was a Soviet lightweight who competed at the 1960 and 1964 Olympic Games. He left Tokyo with an Olympic silver medal and later won the European championship, finishing his amateur career with 228 victories in 275 bouts.
At Rome 1960, Barannikov reached the quarterfinals before losing to Argentina’s Abel Laudonio. He returned to the Olympics in 1964 and won four bouts to reach the final, where Poland’s Józef Grudzień took the gold. Barannikov became European champion in 1965.
Although he never won the Soviet national title, Barannikov finished runner-up four times. After competition, he worked as a coach and referee. His Olympic silver, European title and extensive amateur record made him one of the Soviet Union’s successful lightweights of the era.
Sources: Olympedia, Vilikton Barannikov; Amateur Boxing Results Archive, 1965 European Championships; BoxRec, Vilikton Barannikov.
The route to the Tokyo final
Barannikov began his 1964 Olympic campaign with a decision over Chile’s Luis Zuniga, then defeated Australia’s Adrian Blair. In the quarterfinals, he stopped Hungary’s Janos Kajdi, before earning a decision over Ireland’s Jim McCourt in the semifinal. The Olympic lightweight bracket records each stage of that run.
The final was held on October 23 at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall. Grudzien’s jab helped him keep the more aggressive Barannikov at distance, and the Polish boxer won a unanimous decision. Barannikov’s four preceding victories secured silver even though the final result went against him.
Domestic and international results
His four Soviet runner-up finishes came in 1960, 1961, 1962 and 1965. The contrast between those domestic results and his international medals illustrates the depth of the competition he faced. He also entered the 1967 European Championships, where Enzo Petriglia eliminated him in his first bout, before later contributing to boxing as a coach and referee in Ulan-Ude.
Sources
Olympedia, Vilikton Barannikov; Amateur Boxing Results Archive; Biographical source.
Article Tags
Velikton Barannikov, Boxing, Sports History
