Ruslan Chagaev

From 2005, Chagaev’s fights were placed on cards televised by ZDF. Chagaev started 2005 with a fight against [[Sherman Williams (boxer)|Sherman Williams]] on 26 March at [[Erdgas Arena]]. The fight was scheduled for eight rounds. Williams had a record of 25–9–2, 15 KOs coming into the bout, most notably beating [[Samson Po’uha]] (20–4–1, 18 KOs) and [[Al Cole]], and had only been stopped once in his professional boxing career. Chagaev won by unanimous decision, with scores 80–72, 79–73 and 78–74.<ref name=s-williams-record>{{Cite web|url=https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/14256|title=Professional boxing record: Sherman Williams|access-date=21 November 2021}}</ref><ref name=chagaev-s-williams-bout>{{Cite web|url=https://boxrec.com/en/event/436094/909616|title=Bout: Ruslan Chagaev vs. Sherman Williams|access-date=21 November 2021}}</ref><ref name=chagaev-s-williams-event>{{Cite web|url=https://boxrec.com/en/event/436094|title=Event: Ruslan Chagaev vs. Sherman Williams|access-date=21 November 2021}}</ref>

From 2005, Chagaev’s fights were placed on cards televised by ZDF. Chagaev started 2005 with a fight against [[Sherman Williams (boxer)|Sherman Williams]] on 26 March at [[Erdgas Arena]]. The fight was scheduled for eight rounds. Williams had a record of 25–9–2, 15 KOs coming into the bout, most notably beating [[Samson Po’uha]] (20–4–1, 18 KOs) and [[Al Cole]], and had only been stopped once in his professional boxing career. Chagaev won by unanimous decision, with scores 80–72, 79–73 and 78–74.<ref name=s-williams-record>{{Cite web|url=https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/14256|title=Professional boxing record: Sherman Williams|access-date=21 November 2021}}</ref><ref name=chagaev-s-williams-bout>{{Cite web|url=https://boxrec.com/en/event/436094/909616|title=Bout: Ruslan Chagaev vs. Sherman Williams|access-date=21 November 2021}}</ref><ref name=chagaev-s-williams-event>{{Cite web|url=https://boxrec.com/en/event/436094|title=Event: Ruslan Chagaev vs. Sherman Williams|access-date=21 November 2021}}</ref>

Dimitrenko then agreed to face Jucimar Francisco Hipolito (10–3, 3 KOs) on September 28, 2005 as part of the card dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of former world heavyweight champion [[Max Schmeling]], with the main event of the night being the [[WBO]] world heavyweight title fight between [[Luan Krasniqi]] and [[Lamon Brewster]].<ref name=event-krasniqi-brewster>{{Cite web|url=https://boxrec.com/en/event/463806|title=Event: Krasniqi vs Brewster|access-date=16 May 2020}}</ref> The fight card had seven boxers from the former [[Soviet Bloc]] scheduled to fight – Chagaev, [[Alexander Dimitrenko]], [[Denis Boytsov]], [[Taras Bidenko]], Valeriy Chechenev, Bagrat Ohanyan and [[Alexei Mazikin]], with the latter being forced to pull out due to injury. Despite coming in at 236 lbs, the heaviest in his professional career and nine pounds heavier than in his previous bout, Chagaev made a quick work of Hipolito, dropping him twice in the first round before before Hipolito’s corner threw in the towel.<ref name=event-krasniqi-brewster/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sport-express.ru/newspaper/2005-09-30/8_1/|title=СЕАНС МАГИИ ОТ Дона КИНГА|access-date=16 May 2020|language=Russian}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://allboxing.ru/archives/2005-09-29_01_47.html|title=Бойцов, Чагаев, Биденко и Димитренко одержали победы|access-date=21 November 2021|language=Russian}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gazeta.ru/sport/2005/09/a_444774.shtml|title=Брюстер испортил немцам юбилей|access-date=21 November 2021|language=Russian}}</ref>

Dimitrenko then agreed to face Jucimar Francisco Hipolito (10–3, 3 KOs) on September 28, 2005 as part of the card dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of former world heavyweight champion [[Max Schmeling]], with the main event of the night being the [[WBO]] world heavyweight title fight between [[Luan Krasniqi]] and [[Lamon Brewster]].<ref name=event-krasniqi-brewster>{{Cite web|url=https://boxrec.com/en/event/463806|title=Event: Krasniqi vs Brewster|access-date=16 May 2020}}</ref> The fight card had seven boxers from the former [[Soviet Bloc]] scheduled to fight – Chagaev, [[Alexander Dimitrenko]], [[Denis Boytsov]], [[Taras Bidenko]], Valeriy Chechenev, Bagrat Ohanyan and [[Alexei Mazikin]], with the latter being forced to pull out due to injury. Despite coming in at 236 lbs, the heaviest in his professional career and nine pounds heavier than in his previous bout, Chagaev made a quick work of Hipolito, dropping him twice in the first round before before Hipolito’s corner threw in the towel.<ref name=event-krasniqi-brewster/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sport-express.ru/newspaper/2005-09-30/8_1/|title=СЕАНС МАГИИ ОТ Дона КИНГА|access-date=16 May 2020|language=Russian}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://allboxing.ru/archives/2005-09-29_01_47.html|title=Бойцов, Чагаев, Биденко и Димитренко одержали победы|access-date=21 November 2021|language=Russian}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gazeta.ru/sport/2005/09/a_444774.shtml|title=Брюстер испортил немцам юбилей|access-date=21 November 2021|language=Russian}}</ref> Three weeks later, Chagaev took on Mark Krence (21–4, 6 KOs), dropping him twice in fourth and once in fifth before the bout was stopped, declaring Chagaev the winner by 5th-round KO. With a record of 18–0–1, 15 KOs, Chagaev was ranked No.8 by the [[World Boxing Organization|WBO]] and No.14 by the [[World Boxing Association|WBA]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wboboxing.com/rankings|title=WORLD BOXING ORGANIZATION RANKING DECEMBER 2005|access-date=20 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wbaboxing.com/?page_id=2513|title=World Boxing Association Ranking for December – 2005|access-date=20 May 2020}}</ref>

Chagaev slowly but steadily climbed up the heavyweight ranks, first avenging the no-contest with a brutal second-round knockout of Calloway.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://ringside24.com/en/bout/1001/ |title=Ruslan Chagaev – Rob Calloway |work=ringside24.com|access-date=2017-09-28}}</ref>

Chagaev slowly but steadily climbed up the heavyweight ranks, first avenging the no-contest with a brutal second-round knockout of Calloway.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://ringside24.com/en/bout/1001/ |title=Ruslan Chagaev – Rob Calloway |work=ringside24.com|access-date=2017-09-28}}</ref>