Alexey Egorov is a European champion, professional Russian boxer and former contender for the world title in the first heavyweight division according to the WBA. In an interview, Egorov admitted that the fight with Evgeniy Tishchenko would be very important and talked about the possibility of turning to professional boxing. Alexey also told why he envies Tyson Fury, evaluated the possible fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol and shared his opinion on the controversial blow in the fight between Alexander Usik and Daniel Dubois.
— Defeat against Arsen Gulamiryan. Did the fact that the fight was held under cancellation conditions for Russian athletes influence this in any way? — It didn’t have any impact at all, I really didn’t think about it. Of course, there was concern that I would not be allowed to leave the country, but I seemed calm in this regard, and this could not and did not in any way affect the outcome of the battle. There were other moments that radically influenced this fight.
—Did the two and a half year downtime affect that battle? You said that in the second half of the fight “your legs went up a little.” — I wouldn’t say that the layup had a great influence, the fight showed it. His legs rose not because it was simple. It’s just that, as I understand it now, I distributed the forces incorrectly. I did the installation and my legs got sour a little before. It was necessary to take a slightly different pace and increase the speed towards the end of the fight. It was clear from the fight that the layup had no effect. Furthermore, I trained actively and in general this should not affect athletes at this level.
—Have you drawn any conclusions from that defeat? Did you change or add anything to your style? —We have drawn conclusions. We understood what, how and why we did it wrong. We will try to work on these points first mentally and then in practice, in sparring. There are moments when you have to work and then we will see how all this is implemented.
Alexei Egorov
Photo: From the personal archive of Alexey Egorov.
— The last fight with Vladimir Zhigailov was visually easy. How did he feel to come back and overcome the defeat? —The fight was easy, yes. I didn’t expect to mess with that. It was necessary to come back and do it convincingly to quickly end the fight. Basically, that’s what I did. The feeling is wonderful, as always. When you’re boxing and active again and making money, it’s great. Only positive feelings.
—The fight with Tishchenko, is there a personal story behind it? You could have gone to the Olympics in 2016, but in the end you went and won there. – Well, I already talked about this situation with the Olympic Games and the fight. Of course, there are personal moments, as this specifically affected my career and me specifically. The fight has many principles.
Conversation with Alexey Tishchenko: about the main thing in world boxing
“The fist is the easiest way to make money. No skills needed.” Interview with the 2016 Olympic champion
—Will a victory over Tishchenko help you reach the title fight again? Now you are in second place in the ranking. — Any fighter in the top 15, as I already said, can become an official contender for the world title. Especially because of the position I find myself in. Yes, one of us, and most likely me, will be the official contender for the WBA world title.
– Both you and Tishchenko wanted this fight. Was this the only option at this time? — Life shows that there is always a choice. I made this decision, this is a good fight, we chose it. This is a great fight not only for Russian boxing, but also, I think, for Eurasian boxing. This weight is quite popular and for our continent it is a great fight. Boxing fans who follow my career are also looking forward to this fight. This wasn’t the only option, there was an option, but we chose it. I think this is a great fight. We definitely won’t let the fight dry out.
Alexei Egorov
Photo: RCC MMA
— Is the fact that you have not competed in the Olympic Games the main disappointment of amateur boxing? First there was Artur Beterbiev, then Tishchenko himself. —It makes no sense to talk about Beterbiev. He was the leader of the team, number one. Of course, there was talk that he might go to the Olympics. But there is no point in even remembering this story. There wasn’t even a ticket there, but in another case there was a ticket. Yes, of course, I was disappointed. Not even in amateur boxing anymore… Although yes, in amateur boxing. This is the policy. Although he was, he is and will be everywhere. Someone attracts someone, someone pays for someone. Some people are just lucky, but unfortunately, I’m not one of the lucky ones. All his life he worked hard to achieve all his victories. Everything I achieved in boxing was not because someone paid for me, someone helped me, someone bought me, etc. This did not happen. Even if I went to the Olympics, I would still turn professional. It was a natural extension of my career.
Great interview with Artur Beterbiev
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“I will not run after Bivol. His team is joking.” Frank interview with Beterbiev
—Who could be considered the strongest boxer in his weight category? Maybe Ghulamirian, Badu Jack, Opetaia, Billam-Smith? “I know Gulamiryan, he is a strong guy. I watched Badu Jack’s fight with Makabu, but he somehow didn’t sell me on the fight. I won’t say that he is some kind of supernatural boxer. Makabu may be getting older or may have underestimated Badu Jack. Opetaia defeated Mairis Briedis in Australia. As far as I know the situation from the inside, although this is no excuse for defeat, of course, Briedis was sick, but he went out to fight. He was defeated in a difficult fight. I neither disparage nor praise Myris, and in the same way I do not praise Mairis. Briedis is a tough boxer, one of the best, whether he has a title or not. Well, Opetaya is champion today, but not tomorrow. I trained with Billam-Smith literally a year ago. He is a strong and tough boxer, but I won’t say he is the best either. I answer vaguely because I can’t point to anyone. I can do it myself. I won’t say I’m the best. Why not? I am one of the best boxers in our weight class, this is 100%. And of them… Briedis, Makabu, Gulamiryan are good boxers, but I don’t want to single out anyone. And you have stood out.
— In your opinion, will the fight between Dmitry Bivol and Beterbiev take place? You previously assessed that their chances were equal, has anything changed? Some say that Arthur has aged. – We all age, Bivol also ages. Although he is a little younger. There is a theme in which fights are “dried up” to await decline and old age. This happens. This is probably one of the factors. We communicate well with Dima, but with Arthur we don’t communicate at all, we only know each other from the national team. They are both great boxers, different styles, different visions and perceptions of boxing. This is a very interesting fight and, again, it’s 50 vs. 50. I’m not going to give anyone an advantage, I’m not going to give anyone a disadvantage. They are both tough boxers. Beterbiev is in good condition, he is not old for a light heavyweight, he doesn’t drink alcohol, he doesn’t smoke, he is a very strict guy. I think he can box for a long time. Well, he also depends on the body, on its sensations. During the battles, I didn’t realize that he was drowning somewhere. Arthur is dangerous in every round, every second. Dima is younger. The sooner they fight, the more interesting their fight will be. I hope, of course, that they fight. We wait and wait.
Arthur Beterbiev
Photo: MIKEY WILLIAMS/GETTY IMAGES
—Usik and Dubois. Was it a low blow? — I didn’t see the fight, I’m not interested at all. I saw the images after the fight. It seems that the blow was in the waist, well, again and again. He’s leaning over something there. It may have hurt a lot, but it was a blow to the waist. It seems that everything is within the rules. If we compare it to the Ward-Kovalev fight, there was a knockout. There is nothing more to say. Question for the judges or boxers.
– Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou. What do you think about this story? Do you share the opinion of Fury, who directly says that after Ngannou he too will prefer a fight for money instead of unifying the belts? “I recently found out that this fight is going to happen because his press conference was on the news. Well, I look good. Great fight, it’s not entirely clear how it will go. Ngannou is not a basic boxer at all, he is an MMA fighter. It seems to me that Fury will destroy him and there is no chance. But the kids make money, that’s the most important thing. Tyson is promoting the fight, in general he is handsome in this sense. I really envy him with white envy, I wish I could do that too. But I’m a Russian person, I was raised differently, the culture is different, that’s not how we do things. We have what we have. As for his plans, for the love of God, he can do whatever he wants. To condemn or not to condemn in any way is not our business at all, he simply does what he wants. You can choke on the drool and bile, but he makes money, I support him 100%. This is his personal life, his career, he manages it the way he wants. It’s not our business, we just have to keep an eye on his talent. He is a talented person, a talented athlete. You just need to continue and enjoy, enjoy both his press conferences and his fights.
— Fedor Emelianenko and boxing. What are the prospects? What do you think of his potential fight with Mike Tyson? — I haven’t heard of this story at all. I don’t particularly follow martial arts news, I rarely watch it. Especially lately. Well, Emelianenko and boxing… Tyson is already an old man. As for media coverage, yes, it is fashionable now to hold exhibition fights. I don’t know if Fedor will agree to this. He is a radical person in this sense.
—How do you generally assess the fact that many MMA fighters come to boxing? – Well, I can’t evaluate it at all. They want to move, and if the rules do not prohibit it, the commissions allow it, they give them a license, which means that everything is within the rules, they can act. Taxi drivers can act, some other Papuans can do it, so why can’t an MMA fighter, a professional athlete? Well, if he’s a good drummer. Again, why do they go to boxing? To earn more, in MMA they earn less per fight.
