Disqualified boxer: "I have dedicated my life to this sport"

Azerbaijani boxer Masud Yusifzade has commented on his 36-month disqualification for violating anti-doping rules.

Idman.biz reports that he made a statement to "Report" about this.

The boxer emphasized that he had never had a problem with doping before: "I have been boxing since I was 6 years old, I have dedicated my life to this sport. I have never lost in the Azerbaijani championships so far. I am a 10-time national champion. I am a winner and medalist of the European and world championships. I have been awarded the honorary title of "Master of Sports". Every year, after the final of the Azerbaijani championship, doping tests are carried out. It has even happened that they came to my house 3 times in a month and took samples from me. I have never had a problem with doping. When I performed abroad, doping tests were also taken from me by the International Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the results were normal. How fair is it to make such a decision now?"

He stated that he was seriously injured during the competition, so he went directly to the hospital without giving a test sample, and therefore he faced sanctions: "I had a serious injury to my eyebrow in the semi-final of the Azerbaijan championship. I went to the final fight after injecting anesthetic. After the second round, I learned from my coach that the points were given to my opponent. For this reason, I protested and stopped the fight halfway. Moreover, blood was flowing from the injured area. At such a moment, they invited me to take a doping analysis. Due to the seriousness of my injury, I went directly to the hospital without changing my fighting clothes, not to take a test. They stitched my wound and stopped the bleeding. The next day, I learned that sanctions had been applied. No one from the Boxing Federation is talking. I also went to the AMADA office, explained everything, but it was useless. They have already cut off my salary."

Yusifzade said that he intends to return to boxing after his sentence expires: "I can't do anything other than boxing. I intend to come back again. After a 3-year break, I want to prove myself to everyone and then end my career. I continue training every day. When I don't train, I feel like something is missing, I'm used to it."

It should be noted that Yusifzade was sentenced to 36 months for evading sample collection, refusing, and failing to submit a sample.

Idman.biz