Azerbaijan national boxing team manager: Lorenzo Sotomayor promised to return - INTERVIEW

Baku. 31 January. REPORT.AZ/ Report News Agency presents an interview with the head coach of Azerbaijan national boxing team Leonid Loivsky.

- What do you think about the level of the ongoing Azerbaijani championship and competition?

- In the early days, competition was not high. Because there were many weak boxers. The strongest athletes should fight in the Azerbaijani championship. We held the open championship in Baku last November. It would be better if four boxers join from there, four from other regions and the completion is held among eight participants in each weight category. But now there are 30 boxers in each weight category and four of them are worthless. But if 30 boxers compete in each weight category, four of them worth something.

- Do you think that it is due to absence of leading boxers?

- We made all the leading boxers to fight in the Azerbaijani championship except for Kamran Shahsuvarli and Mahommedrasul Majidov. Because 2017 has been very difficult. Taking into account the fact that they participated in Islamic Solidarity Games, European and world championships, we have given them rest. However, Shahsuvarli and Majidov will join training camps and international tournaments. The rest of them had to prove by fighting that they deserve to compete in Azerbaijan team. Some of them caught cold, some got sick, others were not in shape. These are their own problems.

- What can you say about the 2015 world champion Elvin Mamishzada's absence? 

- Mamishzada could not join the republican championship last year. He justified that with his pains. In the "Great Silk Road" tournament, he did not fight because of his excess weight. We have created opportunity to show himself at the European Championship, but he lost during his first fight. Since that he did not show up anymore. This is a matter of dependence on his condition, health and desire. Mamishzada is a good, boxer with a good technique. But it has remained in the past. Now he has to fight and prove himself. There is no other problem with him.

- But in his interview to Report he told that you are misinformed...

- The first priority issue for me is the ring. In this case, I do not hear other comments. Why he does not fight today? Everything depends on the athlete himself. We once removed him from the national team. Because when we were defining the team for Islamic Games, Mamishzada did not participate because of excess weight. He had a weight problem. The parents of Massoud Yusifzadeh who competes in the same weight category said that Mamishzada cannot take part in the tournament. Every success requires hard efforts. The world champion must be a strong and prominent boxer. To prove this, you need train hard and be stronger. Because if you were not known before, after becoming world champion you gain popularity and you train harder. Those who ignore that, punishing themselves without waiting for our punishment.

- There will be no serious competition this year. How will you set up your preparation plan in such a situation?

- According to the calendar program of the International Boxing Association, we have no serious competition this year. But that does not mean we should stop at our place. We will test our boxers at 5-6 selected international tournaments. We have to hold serious camp training sessions. We need to throw our burden at the expense of hard training so that to be ready for the next European and world championships, licensed tournaments for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games. If someone does not participate in the Azerbaijani championship without a good reason, this is a very bad situation.

- Do you see new names in the team?

- I cannot say yet. The finals of the Azerbaijani championship will show that. But the young boxer Khazar Aliyev, whom I already know for a long time, came here from Ukraine. At the same time, we have boxers like Massoud Yusifzade, Kamran Shahsuvarli, Javid Chalabiyev, Magomedrasul Majidov, who have already proved themselves.

- What do you think of Lorenzo Sotomayor, the silver prize winner of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympic Games?

- He must also prove himself. Lorenzo was in the national team last year but now he does not participate in the Azerbaijani championship. Because currently he is in his homeland, Cuba and one of his relatives died. There are certain issues with him. The leadership of the Azerbaijani Boxing Federation can be more precise about that. For me, whoever in the ring and fights, he is a potential candidate for the invitation to the team.

- Will he return to Azerbaijan?

- He has promised and vowed that he will return. He said after getting rid of excess weight he will defeat all rivals in his weight category and become number one boxer. He had trained with us last year and participated in the European and world championships. But last year, before Continental championship he went to Cuba saying someone from his relatives passed away. But at the time he was able to participate in the competition held in Kharkov city of Ukraine.