CRAVING NEW VICTORIES

Azerbaijani boxer Ali Ismayilov retained his WBO-Latino title by knocking out Argentine Alejandro Alvarez.  The evening of professional boxing, held at the H. Aliyev Sports and Concert Hall, turned out to be a successful one in every sense and culminated in a decisive victory for the home boxer, already the eleventh of his career.  So now Ali has earned the chance to fight for the championships of other boxing federations.

Important victory

It is not just a question of skill and tactics: physical fitness is also important in professional competitions because this gives boxers the stamina to stand and fight in multi-round matches.  A participant in two Olympics, Ali was better than Alvarez in every area, although Alvarez's record was no less impressive.  In these types of fights, experience is an important factor, and Ali, who boxed confidently throughout the fight and drew a spectacular line under it in the ninth round, proved to have accumulated more.

Before the fight, Ismailov stressed that he would try to knock his opponent out, and he kept his word.  Knockouts have become the Azerbaijani boxer's trademark of late - he had won seven victories by a knock-out before this one.  Ali decided not to drag his feet this time too, and won in the ninth round.  Alvarez became the second Latin American to be beaten by Ali - in his first fight for the WBO-Latino title, he defeated Luciano Torres, a Brazilian.

After the fight, Ismayilov could not control his emotions and said that the victory was one of the most important of his career.  "My dream has finally come true, and I have managed to demonstrate my skills before my home audience.  After all, my professional career began in Baku, and it was very important for me to defend my title with the support of my countrymen.  They were a great help, and I dedicate this victory to everyone who has supported me," Ali stressed.

Ismailov also noted that a number of fights are scheduled for next year; they will take place far overseas - not just in the rings of Moscow or St Petersburg.  "There are offers to organize fights in the Netherlands, Finland, Denmark and other countries. So, right after the New Year holidays, my manager and I will certainly consider them.  But for now, I will take a short time-out, after all, I have had many important fights, so I need some rehabilitation now," Ali concluded.

In general, every sportsman is faced with an option at least once in his career. A. Ismailov faced just that kind of a dilemma when, after the Athens Olympics, he decided to test himself in professional boxing.  That his decision was the right one became apparent after his very first fight in the new environment.  "Initially, I was very anxious, I was worried about my first performance, especially as my opponent in the first fight, Russian Vladimir Rumyantsev, had had a few years' experience in professional boxing, whereas I had only had experience of amateur fights.  But to my surprise, it turned out to be not too bad and, essentially, just one well-aimed blow, which knocked out my opponent, proved decisive to the outcome of the fight," Ali reminisced.

Ali knew about the differences between the two disciplines even before he left amateur boxing.  These include the different numbers of rounds, their duration and, most importantly, the huge physical exertion.  Whereas before, his exercise drill lasted for an hour and a half, now it is two and a half to three hours.  "True, you can get serious injuries here, including cranial injuries.  In other disciplines, sportsmen get fractures, bruises on their arms or legs, but all that comes and goes, and those things soon heal.  But an injury to the head from boxing can have consequences, and I understand this full well.  But I am trying to play it safe, and hopefully, I will avoid serious injuries," A. Ismayilov said.

Magic rob

The opinion in boxers' circles is that for Ali's fight to be successful, he has to be made angry, otherwise the fight may not turn out so well.  "In general, I am the kind of a person who needs some time to get up to 'full speed.'  I have to be in the right state of mind to enter the ring - then the opponent cannot handle me. From round to round, I get increasingly excited, my blows grow stronger, and strength, drive, and sportsmanlike anger all burst out.  My coaches know the specifics of my training, which is why they insist on following a proper routine.  After all, when I am in the wrong mood and set out to fight, the fight does not go well and ends up being not particularly spectacular.  Of course, opponents are different, which is why I have to control my anger.  But at the same time there are certain patterns I follow all the time during the preparations for a fight," A. Ismayilov noted.

It is curious that none other than Muhammad Ali himself is a fan of our boxer, and this is no exaggeration at all. The living legend is A. Ismailov's idol, but many specialists say that only their names, and not their styles, are similar. "My style is closer to Mike Tyson's boxing, emphasizing strength and aggression, whereas what made Muhammad Ali so prominent was his boxing technique and improvisation. It is significant that I was born in 1974, when the legendary boxer's career reached its peak.  Just at that time he was fighting his memorable matches with Joe Frazier, George Foreman and Ken Norton, which have become true classics.  I followed all of Muhammad Ali's matches, and even remember his visit to Moscow in the mid-1980's," - A. Ismayilov reminisces.

Our professional boxer has already met his idol twice: The first meeting took place in 1999 in Houston, during the World Championship. "When he found out that he had a namesake in the Azerbaijani national team, he met me and gave me his boxer's robe as a souvenir. By the way, the championship in the United States was quite successful for me: I came back with the bronze medal. And a year later, I met Muhammad Ali during the Sydney Olympics, where we talked for 10 minutes. That meeting made an unforgettable impression on me, and I still have warm feelings from our meetings to this day," A. Ismayilov admitted.

As for the robe which Muhammad Ali presented to Ali, his friends and coaches told him to wear it for his first fight in the professional ring.  "I think, however, that I have to wear that robe for a truly historic fight.  At first, I thought I should try it on for the final fight of the Olympics, but alas, I did not make it to the decisive fight back then.  I think that I will wear the robe only after I earn my first professional title and continue wearing it afterwards.  And when I achieve my goal, I would like to meet Muhammad Ali once again," A. Ismayilov stressed.

In the mean time, professional boxing implies making a reputation last for a few years because the Azerbaijani professional boxer is already in his mid-thirties.  There is a flipside to that too, however.  "When promoters from Spain came to Baku to investigate the possibility of signing the contract, they admitted that they had been monitoring my career for two years.  And when I reminded them of my age, they tapped me on the shoulder and said that professional boxing starts precisely after you are 30.  If you have noticed, many of the leading athletes who have achieved success in the ring are quite mature.  Konstantin Tszyu, the Klichko brothers, Mike Tyson, Oscar De La Hoya - none of them is a 20-year-old kid.  While under 30, boxers gain experience, and then they fire off.  Their words relaxed and inspired me," A. Ismailov said.

All in all, Ali made the right choice when he decided to try out as a pro, after all, he has achieved the first significant results, and his ratings keep improving.  Who knows, maybe at some point we will see Ali in the ring in Las Vegas or another capital of international boxing.  Everything is possible…