Sad news on the Beltway Boxing scene. Former Beltway middleweight Emil Baku passed away on January 18 after a long bout with cancer. Baku was 43 years old.
Mr. Baku, born Emil Israfilbekov, was born in Baku, Azerbaijan and, along with his younger brother, Rufat, had solid amateur careers in the former Soviet Union before receiving political asylum in the US.
Mr. Baku (22-2, 17 KO's) competed as a middleweight from 1995-2003 and, at one time, was one of the top middleweights in the United States, ranked number 12 by the USBA.
In 2012, Mr. Baku was diagnosed with stage four Glioblastoma Astrocytoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. When BATB wrote about this situation in March of 2014, his condition had worsened and he was given only two months to live. Mr. Baku sought and received aggressive treatment in Brazil until he could not battle the disease any longer.
The funeral services for Baku will be held on Saturday, February 6 at Druid Ridge Cemetery located at 7900 Park Heights Avenue in Baltimore. The services begin at noon.
Emil Baku was a fun boxer to watch and was a fixture on cards throughout Maryland who defeated the likes of Beltway Boxers Darryl Lattimore and Kenny Blackston during his career. BATB sends its deepest condolences to the Baku/Israfilbekov family and all who knew and worked with them.
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