Russian boxer Sharabutdin Ataev called the European Championship the easiest tournament of his career.
On Sunday in Belgrade, the 2023 world champion Ataev beat Belarusian Alexei Alferov ahead of schedule and won the European champion belt in the weight category up to 86 kg. Alferov entered the ring and after the bell his corner threw in the towel. At the European Championships in Serbia, Ataev fought only one match: the semi-final. By the will of the draw, the Russian advanced to the quarterfinals, and at this stage the opponent gave up the fight.
— The European Championship is the easiest tournament of my career. He fought a complete fight and became the winner. In any case, there is a result; we have been preparing for the tournament for a long time. I was upset that initially we had to have two fights, there is a slight disappointment. I was just motivated to box a lot of fights, to do my best in the ring. A Belarusian athlete entered the fight and I considered him a serious opponent. I didn’t know he had problems with his arm.
Alferov came to me and told me he was withdrawing from the fight. I didn’t want to hear that because I really wanted to box. But Alexey told me again. Suddenly, the gold medal is on my neck, but I cannot fully feel like a European champion. I thought the tournament would be difficult, because I wanted to win through blood, sweat and work, ”reports correspondent, reporting Atayev’s words.
The Russian team participates in the European Championships with national symbols in accordance with the decision of the International Boxing Association (AIBA).
Watch live broadcasts of the competition on the Match! Fighter” and “Match! Country”, as well as on the sites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.
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Source : MatchTV
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
