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 (born Syuzanna Kentikyan on 11 September 1987) is a famous former professional boxer from Armenia and Germany. She competed in boxing from 2005 to 2016. Susi was born in Yerevan, Armenia. When she was five years old, her family left Armenia because of a war.
Susi Kentikian has lived in Hamburg, Germany, since 1996. She started boxing when she was 12 years old. She became a two-time world champion in the flyweight division. She held important titles like the World Boxing Association (WBA) and World Boxing Organization (WBO) female titles. She also held the Women's International Boxing Federation (WIBF) title twice.
In 2009, Susi was named the first-ever female Super Champion by the WBA. They even announced that this special belt would be called the "Susi Kentikian belt" for future champions. Until 2012, Susi was undefeated as a professional boxer. She won many of her fights by knockout. She became quite famous in Germany. In 2022, Susi Kentikian was honored by being added to the International Women's Boxing Hall of Fame.
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Susi Kentikian's Early Life
Susianna Kentikian was born in Yerevan, which was then part of the Soviet Union. 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 places for people seeking safety.
Because of problems there and not knowing German well, they moved to Moldova and then 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, it was unclear if Susi and her family could stay in Germany.
They were almost sent back several times. But friends, like her boxing coach Frank Rieth, helped them. They called lawyers, the media, and local politicians. This stopped them from being sent away. In 2005, Susi's family finally received a permanent permit to live in Germany. This happened after she signed a professional boxing contract.
When Susi was 16, she worked as a cleaner to help her family. 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 near her boxing gym in Hamburg.
Susi's 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 started training regularly. Susi said that boxing helped her forget her life's difficulties. She felt she could release all her energy and problems through boxing.
Susi 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 had her biggest amateur win. 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 and fought while not feeling well. Her strong, fast style and desire to always attack earned her the nickname "Killer Queen." She often used the song "Killer Queen" by the band Queen as her entrance music.
Susi Kentikian's Professional Career
Starting as a Pro Boxer (2005–2007)
Susi Kentikian was noticed as a professional boxer during an exhibition 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 15 January 2005. She won her first fight against Iliana Boneva.
Over the next 14 months, Susi won nine of her first eleven fights by knockout. Her high number of knockouts was unusual for female boxers in lighter weight classes. This started to get her attention. On 25 July 2006, she won her first championship. This was the International German flyweight title.
On 9 September 2006, Susi won her first international title. She beat Maribel Zurita for the WIBF InterContinental flyweight title. The fight stopped in the fourth round because Zurita was cut.
In her 15th professional fight, Susi fought for her first world championship. This was in Cologne, Germany, on 16 February 2007. It was also her first time being the main event of a fight night. She won by technical knockout in the ninth round against Carolina Alvarez. This made her the WBA female flyweight title holder. Alvarez was bleeding heavily, so the referee stopped the fight for her safety.
Six weeks later, on 30 March 2007, Susi defended her title for the first time. She fought in front of 19,500 people in the Kölnarena. Susi beat María José Núñez with a technical knockout in the third round. Núñez was knocked down in the second round. Susi finished the fight with strong punches that left Núñez unable to defend herself.
Susi next faced Nadia Hokmi on 25 May 2007. This was her second title defense. Hokmi was taller and had a longer reach. She was the first real challenge for Susi. Both boxers fought hard. Susi won by a split decision, which meant the judges were not all in agreement. This fight was even named one of the "Top Fights of the Year" by WomenBoxing.com.
On 7 September 2007, Susi defended her title against Shanee Martin. She won by technical knockout in the third round. Susi controlled the fight from the start. The referee stopped the fight after Martin was knocked down.
After the famous WIBF champion Regina Halmich retired, Susi added the vacant WIBF flyweight title. This happened in her hometown of Hamburg on 7 December 2007. She fought Nadia Hokmi again. Hokmi was tough once more, and the fight was close. But Susi was ahead on all the judges' scorecards and won by unanimous decision. At the end of the year, Susi was named Hamburg's sportswoman of the year.
Continuing Her Reign (2008–2010)
Susi successfully defended her titles against Sarah Goodson on 29 February 2008. She won by technical knockout in the third round. Goodson was overwhelmed by Susi's power. The referee stopped the fight after Susi landed many punches to the body. In her next title defense on 10 May 2008, Susi beat Mary Ortega with a technical knockout in the first round. Ortega was knocked down twice very quickly. The referee stopped the fight when Susi had Ortega trapped against the ropes.
On 29 August 2008, Susi defended her titles against Hager Finer. This fight was tough and turned into a brawl. Susi took control from the fifth round by landing cleaner punches. She won by unanimous decision. On 5 December 2008, Susi faced Anastasia Toktaulova. This was a more tactical fight. Susi controlled her opponent from the center of the ring. All three judges scored the fight for Susi. 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.
Susi kept her WBA and WIBF titles with a unanimous decision win over Elena Reid on 20 March 2009. Reid was mostly passive, and Susi controlled most of the fight. Reid did not win a single round on the official scorecards. On 4 July 2009, Susi fought Carolina Gutierrez Gaite. Susi used her speed and combinations to dominate her opponent. She won every round on the judges' scores.
Susi ended 2009 by fighting the undefeated Julia Sahin on 10 October. This was for the vacant WBO female flyweight title. Susi overwhelmed Sahin with her high number of punches. Sahin spent most of the fight trying to block Susi's attacks. Susi won by unanimous decision, adding the WBO title to her collection.
Now holding the WBA, WBO, and WIBF titles, Susi defended all of them against Nadia Raoui on 24 April 2010. This fight was very close. Susi won by a split decision, meaning two judges scored for her and one for Raoui. On 17 July, Susi defended her championships again against Arely Muciño. Susi started strong, but then she got a cut from an accidental clash of heads. Susi could not continue the fight. It was declared a no contest, and she kept her titles.
Later Career and Retirement (2011–2016)
Susi Kentikian defended her WIBF flyweight title again on 26 March 2011 against Ana Arrazola. She won by unanimous decision. Arrazola even lost a point in the sixth round. Later that year, on 21 October, Susi 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 then tried to defend her WBO and WIBF flyweight titles on 16 May 2012 against Melissa McMorrow. Susi lost this fight by majority decision. This was her first professional defeat. The WBA title was not on the line, so she remained the WBA champion. On 1 December, Carina Moreno challenged Susi for the WBA title. Susi tried to fight aggressively, but Moreno landed many punches. The fight was decided by majority decision after 10 rounds. Moreno won the WBA title. Susi had suffered her second loss in a row.
On 1 February 2013, Susi fought Sanae Jah for the vacant WBA Interim female flyweight title. Susi took control by staying close to Jah and putting pressure on her. In the seventh round, Susi knocked Jah down. Even though Susi got several cuts near her right eye, she finished the fight. She won by unanimous decision.
Susi then had a rematch against Carina Moreno on 6 July. She won by unanimous decision and got her WBA title back. Susi defended her title against Simona Galassi on 7 December. She won this fight too.
Susi's next title defense was against Dan-Bi Kim on 31 May 2014. Susi won by technical knockout in the ninth round. On 8 November 2014, Susi 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 being away for 11 months. She fought Susana Cruz Perez. Susi got a cut in the second round, but she won most rounds. She won by unanimous decision, earning the WIBF flyweight title. On 30 July 2016, Susi defended her WIBF title against Nevenka Mikulic. She won by unanimous decision. This was her most recent fight. By 2017, Susi's WBA title was no longer hers.
Susi in the Media
When Susi started her professional career, she was mostly in local news in Hamburg. Sometimes, she appeared in national German newspapers. Her difficult childhood and uncertain status as someone seeking safety interested the press. People compared her story to the boxing movie Million Dollar Baby. Her height of 1.54 meters 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 popular as the retired German boxing star Regina Halmich. Susi also wanted to achieve this goal.
In 2007, Susi became much more well-known. 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 even did a four-round practice boxing session with the show's host, Stefan Raab. Susi also took part in the competitive event World Wok Championships. She teamed up with famous athletes and won the four-person competition.
Her first world title defense, fighting María José Núñez, was seen by 4.69 million TV viewers. This was her most-watched fight. A camera crew followed her for a year before her first world championship fight. A documentary about her aired in June 2007. A shorter version with English commentary was shown internationally. By 2010, Susi Kentikian became a spokesperson for a charity called Lebensbaum Armenien (Armenia's Tree of Life).
On 1 August 2019, Susi was revealed to be the Monster on the German TV show The Masked Singer.
Susi Kentikian's Boxing Record Summary
Susi Kentikian had a great professional boxing career. She fought 39 times in total.
- She won 36 fights.
- 17 of her wins were by knockout.
- She lost only 2 fights.
- One fight was declared a "no contest," meaning it didn't count as a win or loss.
| 39 fights | 36 wins | 2 losses |
| By knockout | 17 | 0 |
| By decision | 19 | 2 |
| No contests | 1 | |
Images for kids
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Susi Kentikian (right) in her rematch with Nadia Hokmi, December 2007
See also
In Spanish: Susi Kentikian para niños
