Tihomir Georgiev, 43, known as “Tisho the Boxer” was on Interpol’s “most wanted’ list after fleeing his home country where he is suspected of murder, according to The Sun. According to the British newspaper, police were tipped off by its investigators about the gym.
Georgiev is a former colleague of another Bulgarian gangster and drug dealer, Zlatomir Ivanov, known as ‘The Beret,’ the lead defendant in a Bulgarian trial of 21 defendants accused of running an organized crime ring that engaged in prostitution, drug trafficking, money laundering and murder. Georgiev was part of the trial, but tried to escape charges by testifying against Ivanov. He “gave chilling evidence of how he had butchered double-crossing drug dealers for his boss,” writes the paper.
Georgiev told the court in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia that Ivanov and his gang trafficked marijuana, heroin, methamphetamines and cocaine in addition to performing contract murders.
In Bulgaria, he is known for slicing off the fingers and ears of his rivals. But in South London, Georgiev was sleeping in the streets until the owner of the gym where he was eventually arrested took him in, unaware of his criminal background.
Georgiev was given a room nd a chance to box with gym members. He also participated in formal boxing matches, including one at London’s posh Ministry of Sound” dance club.
The gym’s owner, John Rooney Jr., whose wife is Bulgarian, told The Sun, "He was homeless and approached me in mid-November wanting a bath.”
Georgiev entered the UK in 2007, after Bulgaria joined the European Union and citizens were able to travel throughout the 27-member union without visas.
