Boris Nikonorov

Boris Nikolayevich Nikonorov (Russian: Борис Николаевич Никоноров, 25 January 1939 – 30 August 2015) was a Russian amateur boxer who won a silver medal in the featherweight division at the 1963 European Championships. He competed in the 1960 Summer Olympics, but lost in the third bout to the eventual winner Francesco Musso in a close decision (2:3). He withdrew from the 1964 Games due to an injury.

Nikonorov had to shed 10 kg of bodyweight for the 1960 Olympics and consequently felt dizzy through most of the games. He fainted after his first bout, despite winning it. At those games he was befriended by the American gymnast Doris Fuchs and later exchanged letters and gifts with her. Nikonorov spoke no English and was assisted by an interpreter. They met again in 1963, when American gymnasts visited Moscow for a Soviet-U.S. meet. Soviet authorities and the KGB intercepted and suppressed their mail, threatening Nikinorov with repercussions if he didn't stop communicating with Fuchs. After a long struggle, he was forced to oblige. Nikonorov still hoped to see her at the 1964 Olympics, but could not attend – a month before he broke his toe in a friendly football game. Later in 1989, when the Soviet union was crumbling and its citizens were finally allowed to leave the country, he traveled to the United States, but didn't meet Fuchs, as both were married by the time.