Actor Hovik Keuchkerian

Hovik Keuchkerian

1972 (52 года)
Hovik Keuchkerian Burgui (born November 14, 1972, in Beirut, Lebanon) is a Spanish actor of Armenian descent. He was born to an Armenian father and a Spanish mother and moved to Madrid at the age of three due to the outbreak of the civil war in Lebanon. In his youth, Keuchkerian pursued professional boxing, twice becoming the champion of Spain in the heavyweight division. After retiring from sports, he turned to the arts, beginning a career as a writer, stand-up comedian, and actor.

Growing up in Alpedrete, he worked as a waiter in his father's restaurant during his teenage years. At 20, he moved to Madrid and opened his own gym, "HK," in 1995, located in the Hortaleza district, which operated until late 2015. Following his boxing career, he became a stand-up comedian and published four books, the latest being titled Resilient. His role as a boxing coach in the 2013 film The Lover Scorpion earned him a nomination for the Goya Award for Best New Actor.

After suffering an ankle injury while playing basketball, Keuchkerian took up martial arts, specifically kickboxing. He won the national kickboxing championship in 1996 and became the champion of Spain in amateur boxing in the heavyweight category the following year. He turned professional in 1999 and was crowned the heavyweight champion of Spain in 2003 against David Blanco, successfully defending his title in 2004 against Marcelo Ferreira. By the end of that year, disillusioned with the professional boxing organization, he retired with a record of 16 wins (15 by knockout) and one loss.