By Mark Vester
According to a report in the Worcester Telegram, Andrey Nevsky, a southpaw 24-year-old super middleweight prospect who came from Rostov, Russian and lives in East Boston, has been charged as being part of an international drug ring. Nevsky is managed by Bret Hallenbeck, who also has Matt Godfrey and unbeaten Matt Remillard. Nevsky was undefeated, piling up a 7-0, 4KOs record.
Nevsky and 12 others were charged as part of a two-year investigation that the DEA called “Operation Iron Curtain." Nevsky and nine of the defendants are charged with conspiracy with intent to distribute more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana, conspiracy to import more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. He was arrested Tuesday during a sparring session in North Carolina. He is in a federal holding cell in Raleigh awaiting transfer to Albany, New York. The DEA is seeking forfeiture of $25 million in funds from the alleged drug traffickers.
Nevsky started wrestling at age 14 in Russia and started to box by age 18. He fought on June 27 at the Roxy in Boston, scoring a fifth-round TKO over Roberto Burgess.
“I’m stunned, absolutely stunned,” Hallenbeck said. “As a boxing manager, he just has so much potential,” Hallenbeck added. “I watched him fight two weeks ago, and the improvement he’s made… I was just getting ready to talk to a couple of promoters about (representing) him.
“In my mind, I’m hoping and praying he was just along for the ride on a couple of the trips. Who the hell knows? None of this fits his character. I was paying him a salary by the week to live. If he had that kind of money coming in, I didn’t see it.”
The news stunned many who knew him. They said Nevsky had nothing and lived a very poor lifestyle.
"He lived really poor. He didn’t have a bed. He slept on a mat with a pillow. He didn’t have anything,” One friend said. Another said Nevsky often “walked around in rags."
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