Azerbaijani boxer Emili Rzayeva (65 kg) won the gold medal at the international "Zayed Sports Tournament" held in Abu Dhabi.
After returning to Baku, the athlete told Idman.Biz about the difficulties of the tournament and the lack of support.
Emili Rzayeva noted that this traditional tournament is held within the framework of a program dedicated to the month of Ramadan.
"Since there were no participants in my native weight of 60 kg, I competed in the 65 kg weight category, which I considered unusual. The competition was unique: in the semi-final, local athlete Naztaran Fathi refused to enter the ring against me. As a result, I went straight to the final, where I defeated Brazilian Andrea Sedira. In my feelings, the opponent was even heavier than the 65 kg limit.
I was the only athlete representing Azerbaijan in the women's tournament. I would especially like to emphasize that I went there at my own expense and did not receive any support from the federation.
By the way, after the final, I offered Naztaran Fathi, who is considered a local star here, to hold a six-round fight at a professional level. But her team refused again," said Emili Rzayeva.