Alexander Doroshenko

Alexander (Sasha) Doroshenko is a member of the church we attend here in Ukraine. He owns a small auto parts store and serves as a member of the board of the MCC-sponsored loan fund in our congregation. He never misses an opportunity to sing and play his guitar in church; rarely a Sunday goes by when he is in attendance and does not have a song to sing.

He is also an avid sports enthusiast, and loves hockey and soccer. He often tells me what’s happening in the NHL. Looking at him, however, I never expected boxing to be a part of his story. He looks nothing like Dolph Lundgren’s character “Ivan Drago” in Rocky IV (in my opinion the only Rocky movie worth watching).

From the ages of 13-20, Sasha was an amateur boxer in the former Soviet Union. In his own, disjointed storytelling style, he told me about living in trains, planes, and hotels for the majority of these years. He began boxing in the lowest weight category, 47 kilograms, but spent most of his career in the next class up, 51 kg. This is also where he experienced his success. In 1978, he participated in the USSR junior boxing championship in Riga, Latvia, losing the championship by decision to a Russian who would go on to become the champion of Europe. The following year, he again participated in the junior championship, this time winning the 51 kg division.

I could not get him to tell me his amateur record, but he was quick to point out that he never really liked boxing. His real love was soccer, but the region where he grew up in Western Ukraine did not have a serious coach. He became a boxer by default.

He spent his two mandatory years in the army in the sports academy, but upon release decided to hang up his gloves. He went to music school and learned to play the guitar. He joined a band and played, mainly at wedding ceremonies, while attending business school. He talks about these two degrees with a bit of pride, since he never really finished high school. He now has a grown daughter and is an active participant in our church.

Dave