Igor Vysotsky was an amateur boxer from Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

, best known for twice defeating 1972, 1976, and 1980 Olympic

Summer Olympic Games

The Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an international multi-sport event, occurring every four years, organized by the International Olympic Committee. Medals are awarded in each event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that...

 Gold Medalist Teofilo Stevenson

Teófilo Stevenson

Teófilo Stevenson Lawrence or Teófilo Stevenson is a former Cuban amateur boxer. He is one of the only three boxers to win three Olympic gold medals, alongside Hungarian László Papp and fellow Cuban Félix Savón....

. He was the U.S.S.R. Heavyweight Champion in 1978 and had an amateur record of 161-24.

Vysotsky first fought Stevenson in July 1973, defeating him by a 3-2 decision. Their second and final meeting was in April 1976. Vysotsky stopped Steven in the third round.

Shortly before the 1976 Montreal

Montreal

Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

 Olympics, Vysotsky was badly cut in a sparring session, which prevented his participation in the Olympics (cuts were a problem for Vysotsky throughout his career). The Cubans didn't know about the injury and sent two heavyweights to Montreal, Steven and Milyano Romero. If Vysotsky had participated, Stevenson would have been an alternate.

In 1976, He stopped future WBA

World Boxing Association

The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...

 Heavyweight Champion Tony Tubbs

Tony Tubbs

Tony Tubbs is a retired professional heavyweight boxer who was the WBA Heavyweight Champion of the world from 1985 to 1986.-Amateur career:...

 in two rounds. The following year, he fought another future WBA Heavyweight Champion, Greg Page

Greg Page (boxer)

Greg Page was a boxer from Louisville, Kentucky. He was the World Boxing Association Heavyweight Champion from 1984 to 1985...

, losing by a split decision. Both bouts were in Las Vegas

Las Vegas metropolitan area

The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...

, Nevada

Nevada

Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...

 and were part of a series of matches between the U.S.A. team and the U.S.S.R team.

In June 1978, Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...

 went on a ten-day tour of the Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

. While there, he sparred several rounds with Vysotsky.

Vysotsky's last fight was at the 1980 U.S.S.R. National Championships. He lost to Zhenya Gorstkov due to a cut.