Chelyabinsk boxers played a basketball match against Chelbasket

An unusual meeting took place as part of the “Boxing unites” project

For boxers, the “symbolic team of the Chelyabinsk region” included both active athletes and coaches, directors of sports schools. From Chelbasket’s side, the players of the main team took part. The struggle turned out to be stubborn, and the forces were almost equal. The name of the winner in an unusual friendly match is in the material of MK-Chelyabinsk.

The boxing team included more than 20 people. For example, on the parquet that day one could see the European champion and world championship medalist Eduard Abzalimov, the winner of the Russian championships and international tournaments Edmond Khudoyan, as well as Anton Kudinov, Tamerlan Kasymov and many other famous South Ural boxers.

As the fighters noted, basketball is absolutely not a foreign sport for them. For example, at the training camp, boxers are happy to throw the ball into the basket. According to the head coach of the Chelyabinsk region team Farigat Kasymov, a boxer must be comprehensively developed, so team sports are also used in training.

“If you take basketball and boxing, then these two types are somewhat similar. Both here and there the necessary explosive speed, lightning-fast reaction, the ability to think and instantly make the right decisions. Boxers in the period of preparation for tournaments have always used and use game training. This is very important, ”the coach shared.

The teams had to play four game segments of ten minutes of “dirty” time. And the boxers managed to impose a fierce struggle on the professional players: they carried out the shifts quite competently, moved well and took the ball away from the basketball players well. The gap in the score was noticeable at first, but then the boxers were able to close the gap, and in the end they almost pulled out a victory. As a result, Chelbasket outplayed their opponents by only two points – 68:66.

Head coach of BC Chelbasket Aleksey Mironov said that at present the team had a short break, it was important for the guys to arrange a “reset”, so the club gladly supported the idea of ​​holding a friendly match.

“Well-trained athletes from two sports met on the site. But it is clear that boxers know how to play basketball. They include both nimble guys and heavyweights – players under two meters (Daniil Statov, Artyom Kamaletdinov). I’m sure that’s all – both we and the boxers got the maximum of emotions, ”added Alexei Mironov.

It should be noted that this is not the first experience for boxers from the Chelyabinsk region when they change their usual ring and gloves for other sports. For example, before that, the fighters had already tried their hand at judo, Greco-Roman wrestling, athletics, and football. They even played water polo with Dynamo-Uralochka.

“Soon we plan to go to ballroom dancing again. Why ballroom dancing? I always say – the one who knows how to dance can also box,” said the coach of the Chelyabinsk region team Farigat Kasymov.

In addition, the boxers have important international and zonal competitions ahead, which will serve as a selection for the Russian Championship.