Remembrance event on death anniversary of boxer Garbis Zakaryan to be held in Istanbul
A remembrance event in memory of Turkish-Armenian professional boxer Garbis Zakaryan will be held on January 25 at Istanbul's Sisli Armenian Cemetery, Ermenihaber reports. The event is held on the first death anniversary of the athlete, who is fondly remembered by his fans as "iron fist" To remind, Garbis Zakaryan died in 2020 at the age of 90.
To note, Zakaryan was born in Istanbul, of Armenian descent, and studied at the local Armenian Esayan school. He began his boxing career in 1944 at the Bosporus Tournament. He became the Istanbul and Turkey champion at 48 kg in 1947 and 1948. He then represented the Turkish National Team for the first time in 1949 against Spain. He became the first Turkish professional boxer in 1951. Zakaryan retired in 1966. He then worked as a boxing trainer including of the European champion Cemal Kamaci.