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Interview with Heybat Gasimov, Azerbaijani coach of the Ukrainian national boxing team, to AZERTAC
- Could you please tell us more about yourself first…
- I was born on March 15, 1959, in the village of Khanagah, Guba region. After completing military service, I came to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, in 1982, where I entered the Sports Academy. After graduating from the Academy, I was provided with a job and a house. In Azerbaijan, I graduated from Baku State College of Communications and Transport. The main part of my boxing career has been related to Ukraine. Before coaching, I was also involved in boxing myself.
- What successes have you achieved as an athlete and coach?
- As a boxer, I participated in the Ukrainian championship. As a coach, my students have achieved successful results in international competitions. My trainee Elvin Aliyev has been a Ukrainian champion 7 times. At the same time, he is a two-time champion in the elite. He is currently one of the most famous boxers in Ukraine.
- Who do you have contact with from the Azerbaijan Boxing Federation?
- Currently, I have relations with Yadigar Mammadov, the head coach of the youth national team, Nariman Abdullayev, the senior coach of the main national team, and Agajan Abiyev, the former president of the Azerbaijan Boxing Federation. I met Agajan muallim during a tournament in Morocco.
- You mentioned earlier that your trainee Elvin Aliyev is successfully performing in Ukraine. Are there any other compatriots involved in boxing in Ukraine?
- There are Honored Coaches like Azer Mustafayev and Nureddin Alibeyli in the city of Odessa. They currently teach at the Sports Academy of the city where they are located. We are proud of them. In general, there is a lot of interest in boxing among Azerbaijanis living in Ukraine. Even in 2024, at the national championship among adults held in Lviv, three of our compatriots won gold medals.
- When was the last time you were in Azerbaijan?
- We participated in a tournament held in Baku in 2012. Regardless of where I am, Azerbaijan is my homeland. We last visited Baku before the pandemic. My relatives live there. I contact them often. My brother lives in Khachmaz.
- How would you compare Ukrainian and Azerbaijani boxing?
- The main difference is related to finances. For example, many Ukrainian athletes went to the Sports Games at the Gymnasium in Serbia at their own expense. Although we live in a war situation in Ukraine, interest in sports never disappears. In Azerbaijan, wrestling and judo are highly developed sports. Boxing also has good results. Frankly, opponents are afraid when they hear the names of Azerbaijani boxers.
- Do you have a relationship with the famous figures of Ukrainian boxing, the Vitali and Vladimir Klitschko brothers?
- Not with them, but I am close friends with their coaches. They often come and go to my house. The Klitschko brothers laid the foundation for Ukrainian boxing. Both of them have really done great things for Ukraine. I have a good relationship with Oleksandr Usyk, another famous Ukrainian boxer.
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