Dilshod Mirzaev: “Set goals and achieve them”

The Thai Boxing Federation, or, as the professionals call it “Muay Thai”, has existed since 2019. Its founder and president is the head coach of the fighting club “Flint” Dilshod Mirzaev.

World champion, master of sports of international class, holder of the intercontinental belt – over the sixteen years of his sports career, Dilshod has won many different titles, regalia and awards. A fighter not only in his specialty, but also in spirit – he never succumbs to difficulties and teaches all his pupils to believe in victory and move only forward.

“Without faith in victory, it is pointless to do something”

Dilshod Mirzaev was born in Uzbekistan, in a family of dentists. He was taught sports from childhood.

– At the age of nine, my grandfather, a respected biologist, took me to the martial arts section. I became interested in this sport. He began his sports career with boxing under the guidance of the master of sports of the USSR Boris Yunusov. Then he became interested in kickboxing and muay thai.

Over time, the hobby has grown into a life’s work. Dilshod graduated from Andijan State University with a degree in physical education teacher.
He continued his sports career by moving to Russia.

“I trained three times a week. Two of them went to Moscow. It took all day. At some point, I stopped having time to combine work with training in the capital and was forced to stop them.

– At the same time, you have not abandoned the sport?

– I started training alone – I ran through the local fields, forests. In the suburbs, especially in Serpukhov, nature is very beautiful.

— Who became your mentor in Serpukhov?

– One of my mentors was the honored coach of Russia Sergey Volkhovsky. He taught me a lot, and later advised me to gain experience with Alexei Galeev. At first I was modest and did not talk about my merits in sports. But Alexei Mikhailovich, looking at my work at the beginning of training, called me and asked me everything in detail. Upon learning of my accomplishments, he told me to enter the ring with one of his champions. It was a test of strength – a sparring partner showed all my weaknesses. I got it well then, but I am grateful for this lesson.

Tell us about how your journey as a coach began?

— I started training children when I finished my career in sports. At first there were many nuances and difficulties. In fact, I had to start everything from scratch, but this is not a reason to stop. Difficulties are always there and always will be. And they can be solved only when you can see something bright behind all this. Without faith in victory and optimism, it is not only difficult, but, it seems to me, pointless to do something.

“Be human in every situation”

Do girls also do Thai boxing?

— Yes, girls are also actively involved in Muay Thai. I must say right away that they are in no way inferior to the guys. Nowadays it is very important to be able to stand up for yourself. Moreover, our sport is aimed at self-defense, strengthening of all muscle groups. Therefore, Muay Thai has become one of the most popular and favorite destinations for many people.

By the way, parents of children are also actively involved in Thai boxing – including mothers!

– What impact does Thai boxing have on the upbringing of teenagers?

– In any sport, a lot depends on the coach and his approach. I can safely say that in our Muay Thai Federation, the influence of Thai boxing on the upbringing of teenagers is extremely positive! First of all, children become disciplined, responsible, self-confident. They communicate, support each other, work in the same team: sparring, general strength training. And they spend most of their time together. No wonder they say: the tougher the sport, the stronger the friendship.

– How is it that power sports do not contribute to the manifestation of aggression, but, on the contrary, they teach friendship, discipline and mutual respect?

“Violence and aggression have no place in sports. I always tell my students about this. I teach them self-defense. They must be able to stand up for their families. If we talk about competitions, then defend the honor of the country. They win, lose and learn many important things that will be useful later in life.

What are you doing now and what are your plans?

– First of all, I educate young athletes, future champions, I train adults. At the same time, I deal with organizational issues, as I am the president of the Muay Thai Federation of the city of Serpukhov and, since 2023, I have been the vice president of the Muay Thai Federation of the Moscow Region. I develop the Big Brother project from the United Russia party, participate in charity, study, and develop my own programs. This is not the whole list of my directions, but the main one. There are many plans for the future ahead, but I prefer not to talk about them until I have implemented them.

What would you like to wish our readers?

– Always exercise, eat right, be a worthy example for others. Set goals for yourself and achieve them. But at the same time, in any situation, remain human.
I want to wish the kids a good study, to please their parents, to be grateful, to defend the honor of the country in competitions. All sports!

Published in the newspaper “Moskovsky Komsomolets” No. 26 dated June 21, 2023

Newspaper headline:
Difficulties build character