Dmitry Bivol is not your usual boxer. The WBA light heavyweight champion is a quiet boxer who rarely takes the storm with his verbal warfare. He employs the same principle inside the boxing ring, as he tries to make his fights look classy and effortless instead of going to war. It’s a lesson that he learned from his father. It helped him attain success not only in his amateur career but also clinch the top spot in the light heavyweight division after he turned pro.

So, whenever the Russian steps into the ring, there is a natural tendency to know about his early life and how he picked up the sport of boxing. The curiosity also extends to his family and his parents. As Bivol is a man of few words and a private person, he doesn’t often reveal his personal life to the fans. But you can scroll down and get to know his parents, who sacrificed a lot to ensure their son reached the pinnacle of boxing.

Who are Dmitry Bivol’s parents? Where are they from?

The 34-year-old was born on December 18, 1990, to Yuri Bivol and Yelena Bivol in Tokmok, Kyrgyzstan, when it was still part of the Soviet Union (Kirghiz SSR). Interestingly, his father and his mother both were born in the USSR, but his father was really born in present-day Moldova and could only speak Moldovan till he was 10. His mother, of Korean descent, was born in Kazakhstan before her family relocated to Kyrgyzstan. After both his parents completed their studies, they met in Russia, got married, and eventually settled in Kyrgyzstan, at his mother’s home. It was here where Bivol was born and lived for the first 11 years of his life.

While Bivol grew up, his parents took farming, and it wasn’t long before Bivol fell in love with combat sports. The Jackie Chan movie he saw early in his life left a lasting impression on him, as he first picked up wushu. However, he soon realized he wasn’t fond of kicking, and at 6, his father took him to a boxing gym. Life in Tokmok was particularly hard, and despite struggles for equipment, Yuri made sure he was there for his son’s training sessions and tournaments.

More about Dmitry Bivol’s origin and early life

Yuri, once in an interview, recalled how his advice to his son formed the basis of Bivol’s fighting style. He declared, “I have always told my son, don’t show the spectators the snot, the blood, busted lips, and nose. Create beautiful, classical boxing.” The Bivols’ life changed when they finally decided to move to Russia in 2002 to ensure their son got better opportunities to grow as an athlete.

In Saint Petersburg, the Bivols had to do with limited resources where nine people shared a two-bedroom flat. Yuri took up the job of a shuttle bus driver to meet the ends and feed his family. It wasn’t long before Bivol burst into fame, as he became a European school’s champion. By the time he turned 18, he had already racked up the senior national championship twice, and after that, he never looked back.

Soon the other titles followed, and he built his professional career on the bedrock of this amateur career when he turned pro in 2014. Within two years, he became the WBA champion we know today. But behind his success are his parents, who moved countries to make their son a world champion.

What do you make of these details about Dmitry Bivol’s family and parents? Which details about his earlier life surprised you? Let us know in the comments below.