Former Russian heavyweight contender Denis Boytsov has died at the age of 40 in his hometown of Oryol, Russia. His father, Nikolai Boytsov, told Russian news agency TASS that his son died from a detached blood clot and that his death was sudden.

According to his father, Boytsov was at home with his wife when he suddenly became seriously ill. Emergency medical personnel were unable to save him.

Born in Oryol in 1986, Boytsov was once considered a promising heavyweight contender. He captured the WBC youth heavyweight title in 2006 and later won WBA and WBO regional titles.

He finished his professional boxing career with a record of 36 wins and one defeat, including 27 knockouts.

Boytsov’s death at just 40 brings a sad end to the life of a fighter whose promising career was cut short by devastating injuries.

David Price’s Sad Reminder of Denis Boytsov’s Lost Power: “He Only Hit the Top of My Head”

David Price didn’t post it for likes. He didn’t shove it into a promo reel. He just quietly reminded the boxing world of something brutal: the scariest puncher he ever stood in front of is now barely remembered, and barely alive.

“I sparred a Russian called Denis Boytsov in Germany once,” Price told Daily Star Sport. “He only hit the top of my head, but he was a powerful puncher.”

That’s all it took. Not a looping right. Not a clean uppercut. Just a glancing shot to the crown and Price, who’s taken punches from the division’s heaviest hitters, still can’t forget it. That says everything.

Let’s not sugar-coat it. Price’s career turned into a highlight reel for other people’s rise. He got flattened by names plastered across belts, posters, and DAZN deals. But the man who left the deepest mark wasn’t any of them.

It was Boytsov.

And you barely hear his name anymore.

He was 36-1. He had the momentum. He had the hands. He was lined up for a world title shot. Then he vanished. In May 2015, he was found unconscious between two Berlin train stations. Skull fractured. Brain swollen. Medically induced coma. Seven weeks.

They said it was an “accident.”

Berlin police had the gall to call it an “accident.” Meanwhile, Boytsov’s own website said it was linked to years of threats. His wife called it mob revenge.

Price didn’t mince words: “He got absolutely battered by a gang of Russian fellas and left for dead. He couldn’t fight again.”

And he never did.

Boytsov dropped over 30 kilos in hospital. Couldn’t speak. Couldn’t walk. Initially treated in Berlin, he was later transferred to a rehabilitation clinic in Hamburg. In August 2021, Boytsov was moved back to his native Russia for continued care. . He’s still under 24-hour care, unable to speak, and continues to require assistance for daily activities.

All while the sport moved on, pretending he never existed.

The hype went to safer hands. The belts went to ticket sellers. The world never saw what Boytsov could’ve been. He was buried under a system that never wanted him near a title.

No comeback story. No redemption arc. No one crying into a mic about how he “overcame adversity.” He just disappeared.

And next time someone starts listing who punched the hardest…Tyson this, Wilder that, remember who David Price named.

It wasn’t the poster boys. It was the one who never got his shot.

And we’ll never know what he could’ve done.

What a sad, sorry waste.