Susi Kentikian facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Susi Kentikian |
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Kentikian in 2018
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| Statistics | |
| Real name | Susianna Levonovna Kentikian |
| Nickname(s) | Killer Queen |
| Rated at | Flyweight |
| Height | 1.55 m |
| Nationality |
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| Born | 11 September 1987 Yerevan, Armenian SSR, Soviet Union (now Armenia) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 39 |
| Wins | 36 |
| Wins by KO | 17 |
| Losses | 2 |
| No contests | 1 |
Susianna Levonovna Kentikian (Armenian: Սյուզի Կենտիկյան; born on 11 September 1987) is an Armenian-German former professional boxer. She competed from 2005 to 2016. Susi was born in Yerevan, Armenian SSR, which is now Armenia. When she was five years old, her family left their home because of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. Kentikian has lived in Hamburg, Germany, since 1996. She started boxing when she was 12.
Susi Kentikian is a two-time world champion in the flyweight division. She held the top titles from the World Boxing Association (WBA) and World Boxing Organization (WBO) between 2007 and 2012. She also held the WBA title again from 2013 to 2017. Additionally, she won the Women's International Boxing Federation (WIBF) title twice. In 2009, the WBA named her the first-ever female "Super Champion." They even said this special belt would be called the "Susi Kentikian belt" for future champions.
Until 2012, Kentikian was undefeated as a professional boxer. She won 16 of her first 30 fights by knockout. Her fights were shown on German TV, making her quite famous in Germany. She hoped to become as popular as the German boxing star Regina Halmich. In 2022, Susi Kentikian was honored by being added to the International Women's Boxing Hall of Fame.
Contents
Early Life and Moving to Germany
Susianna Kentikian was born in Yerevan, Armenian SSR. When she was five, her family had to leave Armenia. This was because her father was called to serve in the military during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. In 1992, her family first moved to Berlin, Germany. They stayed in homes for people seeking safety.
Because of problems there, they moved to Moldova and then to Russia. Susi went to school for a short time in Russia. In 1996, the family returned to Germany and settled in Hamburg. They continued to live in government places for people seeking safety. For almost ten years, Susi's family did not know if they could stay in Germany.
They were almost sent away several times. But friends, like her boxing coach Frank Rieth, helped them. They called lawyers, the news, and local politicians. This stopped them from being sent out of the country. In 2005, her family finally got permission to live in Germany permanently. This happened after Susi signed a professional boxing contract, which gave her a steady income.
When Susi was 16, she worked as a cleaner to help her family with money. She finished high school in 2006. In June 2008, she became a German citizen. She was also allowed to keep her Armenian citizenship. Susi lived with her family in an apartment close to her boxing gym in Hamburg.
Amateur Boxing Journey
Susi Kentikian found her love for boxing when she was 12 years old. She went with her brother to his boxing training and decided to try it herself. She trained regularly and said boxing helped her forget her life's difficulties. She felt she could release all her energy and problems through boxing.
Kentikian won the Hamburg Championships for junior boxers from 2001 to 2004. She also won the Northern German Championships for juniors in 2003 and 2004. In October 2004, she achieved her biggest amateur success. She won the International German Women's Amateur Championships in the featherweight division for juniors.
It became hard for Susi to find opponents in amateur boxing. Few boxers wanted to fight her. Also, because she was seeking safety, she could not box outside Hamburg. Susi Kentikian's amateur record was 24 wins and only one loss. She later said her only loss happened because she was too eager. She fought even though she had health problems at the time.
Her aggressive style and fast punches earned her the nickname "Killer Queen." She always wanted to attack until she knocked out her opponent. She often used the song "Killer Queen" by the band Queen as her entrance music.
Professional Boxing Career
Starting Strong: 2005–2007
Susi Kentikian was noticed as a professional boxer during a special fight. In early 2005, she signed a three-year contract with Spotlight Boxing. This company focused on young athletes. Her coach was Magomed Schaburow. Susi started her professional career on January 15, 2005. She won her first fight against Iliana Boneva. This fight was before a main event featuring Regina Halmich.
Over the next 14 months, Kentikian won nine of her eleven fights by knockout. This was unusual for female boxers in lighter weight classes. It started to get her a lot of attention. On July 25, 2006, she won her first championship. This was the International German flyweight title, which she won against Daniela Graf.
In her first international title fight on September 9, 2006, Kentikian beat Maribel Zurita. The fight was stopped in the fourth round because Zurita was cut. This win gave Susi the WIBF InterContinental flyweight title.
In her 15th professional fight, Kentikian fought for her first world championship. This was in Cologne, Germany, on February 16, 2007. It was also her first time being the main fighter of the night. She won by knockout in the ninth round against Carolina Alvarez. This made her the WBA female flyweight champion. Alvarez was bleeding badly, so the referee stopped the fight to protect her.
Six weeks later, on March 30, 2007, Kentikian defended her title for the first time. She fought in front of 19,500 people in the Kölnarena. She won against María José Núñez in the third round. Núñez was knocked down, and Susi finished the fight with a series of punches.
Kentikian then faced Nadia Hokmi on May 25, 2007. This was her second title defense. Hokmi was taller and had a longer reach. She was the first real challenge for Susi in her professional career. Both boxers fought hard. Kentikian won by a split decision, meaning the judges were not all in agreement. This fight was named one of the "Top Fights of the Year" by WomenBoxing.com. On September 7, 2007, Kentikian defended her title again. She won against Shanee Martin in the third round. Susi controlled the fight from the start.
After the famous WIBF champion Halmich retired, Kentikian won the vacant WIBF flyweight title. This happened in her hometown of Hamburg on December 7, 2007. She fought Hokmi again. This second fight was also very close, just like their first one. Susi started better, but Hokmi scored more points later in the fight. This time, all three judges scored the fight in Susi's favor. At the end of the year, Kentikian was named Hamburg's sportswoman of the year.
Continuing Success: 2008–2010
Kentikian successfully defended her titles against Sarah Goodson on February 29, 2008. She won by knockout in the third round. Goodson was not used to fighting in this weight class and was overwhelmed by Susi. In her next title defense on May 10, 2008, Kentikian beat Mary Ortega in the first round. Ortega was knocked down twice very quickly. The referee stopped the fight to protect Ortega.
On August 29, 2008, Kentikian fought Hager Finer. Finer was Halmich's last opponent before she retired. The fight was tough, and Finer scored well in the first half. But from the fifth round, Susi took control with cleaner punches. She won by a unanimous decision. On December 5, 2008, Kentikian faced Anastasia Toktaulova. Susi controlled the fight from the center of the ring. All three judges scored the fight for Kentikian. In December 2008, she was named Germany's female boxer of the year. She also won the WBA Best Female Boxer award for 2007–08.
Kentikian kept her WBA and WIBF titles by winning against Elena Reid on March 20, 2009. Reid was well-known in Germany. Susi controlled most of the fight, and Reid did not win a single round. On July 4, 2009, Kentikian fought Carolina Gutierrez Gaite. Susi used her speed and combinations to dominate her opponent. She won every round on the judges' scorecards.
Susi ended 2009 by fighting the undefeated Julia Sahin on October 10. This fight was for the vacant WBO female flyweight title. Kentikian was much more active than Sahin. Sahin spent most of the fight trying to block Susi's punches. Kentikian won by a unanimous decision, adding the WBO title to her collection.
Now holding the WBA, WBO, and WIBF titles, Kentikian defended all of them against Nadia Raoui on April 24, 2010. The fight was very close, as Raoui landed more punches in most rounds. After ten rounds, Kentikian had a small lead on two of the three judges' scorecards. She won by a split decision. On July 17, Kentikian defended her championships again against Arely Muciño. Susi used quick attacks in the first few rounds. But then she got a cut from an accidental clash of heads. Kentikian could not continue the fight. The fight was declared a no contest, so she kept her titles.
Later Career: 2011–2016
Kentikian defended her WIBF flyweight title again on March 26, 2011, against Ana Arrazola. She won by unanimous decision. Arrazola lost a point in the sixth round. Later that year, on October 21, Kentikian won another unanimous decision. This was against Teeraporn Pannimit, and she kept her WBA, WBO, and WIBF titles. She controlled the fight easily.
Susi was undefeated with 29 wins. She tried to defend her WBO and WIBF flyweight titles on May 16, 2012, against Melissa McMorrow. Kentikian lost this fight. It was her first professional defeat. The WBA title was not on the line, so she remained the WBA champion. On December 1, Carina Moreno challenged her for the WBA title. Kentikian tried to fight aggressively, but Moreno landed many punches. Moreno won the WBA title. This was Kentikian's second loss in a row.
On February 1, 2013, Kentikian fought Sanae Jah for a vacant WBA Interim female flyweight title. Susi took control by moving close to Jah and putting pressure on her. In the seventh round, Kentikian knocked Jah down. Even though Susi had cuts near her right eye, she finished the fight. She won by unanimous decision.
Kentikian then had a rematch against Moreno on July 6. Susi won by unanimous decision and got her WBA title back. On December 7, she defended her title against Simona Galassi. Susi won this fight as well.
Kentikian's next opponent was Dan-Bi Kim on May 31, 2014. Susi won by knockout in the ninth round. On November 8, 2014, Kentikian fought Naoko Fujioka and won by the judges' decision. After starting her own boxing company, Kentikian Promotions, she fought again in October 2015. This was after an 11-month break. She fought Susana Cruz Perez. Kentikian got a cut in the second round, but she won most rounds. She won by unanimous decision, earning the WIBF flyweight title. On July 30, 2016, Kentikian defended her WIBF title against Nevenka Mikulic and won by unanimous decision. This was her most recent fight. By 2017, Kentikian's WBA title had become vacant.
In the Media Spotlight
When Susi started her professional career, she was mostly in local news in Hamburg. Sometimes, she appeared in national German newspapers. People were especially interested in her difficult childhood and her uncertain status as someone seeking safety. This led to comparisons with the boxing movie Million Dollar Baby.
Her height of 1.54 m (5 ft 1 in) also got attention. She was called "Germany's smallest professional boxer." Early on, Susi was seen as a big talent in German boxing. The media thought she could become as famous as the record world champion Halmich. Susi also wanted to achieve this goal.
In 2007, Susi Kentikian became much more famous. This was thanks to a partnership between the German TV station ProSieben and her promoter. Her fights were shown live on "ProSieben Fight Nights." She also appeared several times on the popular TV show TV total. She had a four-round practice fight with the show's host, Stefan Raab. She also took part in the fun event World Wok Championships. She teamed up with famous athletes and won the four-person competition.
Her first world title defense, against María José Núñez, was seen by 4.69 million TV viewers. This was her most watched fight ever. A camera crew followed her for a year before her first world championship fight. A documentary about her aired in June 2007 on German TV. A shorter version with English commentary was shown by Deutsche Welle in October 2007. By 2010, Kentikian became a spokesperson for a charity called Lebensbaum Armenien (Armenia's Tree of Life).
On August 1, 2019, she was revealed to be the Monster on the German TV show The Masked Singer.
Images for kids
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Kentikian (right) in her rematch with Nadia Hokmi, December 2007
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Kentikian before her fight against Sarah Goodson on 29 February 2008
See also
In Spanish: Susi Kentikian para niños
