“It’s an insult to martial arts.” Veteran fights are already tiring everyone
Sergey Sorokin August 19, 2023, 15:01 Moscow time
Taktarov and Monson often forgot they were supposed to box.
On August 18, another tournament was held in Moscow under the auspices of REN TV Fight Club. One of their headliners was Oleg Taktarov and Jeff Monson. The organizers prepared a duel for them according to the rules of boxing. For two, the athletes are already 107 years old, so no one had any special hopes for this battle. Unfortunately, fans of the sports component of martial arts were disappointed.
We tell you all the most interesting details of this fight:
strange circus. Taktarov and Monson fought and kicked in a boxing match
From the very beginning of the fight, the idea arose that the organizers had chosen the boxing rules for this fight in vain. Movements, blows – all this hinted that Taktarov and Monson were little familiar with the culture of this sport. And the attacks themselves looked pretty toothless. Only once did Jeff seriously shake the Russian bear, but he quickly came to his senses. As for the rest, there was not even a hint that one of the rivals could fly to a knockout.
Halfway through the second round, Taktarov and Monson had forgotten that they were supposed to box. And there is a suspicion that this was done deliberately. At that moment, it finally became clear that with their boxing, the rivals would not be able to surprise either the assembled spectators or each other. So the snowman and the Russian bear began to improvise.
Then it was all: and the pass to Monson’s legs, and the pain in Taktarov’s leg. And in one of the episodes, Jeff took his back and gave him several blows to the back of the head at once. But in the end it all looks like a well produced show. And all because in the course of the fight, the rivals were ready to literally grab each other with their teeth and tear each other to the last. And immediately after the gong, they began to hug each other like best friends. All this involuntarily made me think that before the fight, Taktarov and Monson learned the skills of wrestling, not boxing.
The well-known Russian fighter Vyacheslav Vasilevsky was criticized after the fight. He was categorical and did not choose expressions.
Vyacheslav Vasilevsky
russian wrestler
“I saw that there was some kind of incomprehensible story in general. Not like boxing or MMA. Some kind of fight between drunken friends in some tavern. Initially I said it would be a pitiful show. And so it happened. Pretend instead of fighting.”
Vasilevsky did not stop there. He was tough on Russia’s first UFC champion: “It’s money, hype. You look at Taktarov. He has processed cheese on his head, he carries some kind of nonsense. It’s a joke, cheap. In my opinion, this is nothing more than an insult to martial arts. All this is a big drawback. Some kind of garbage suit. Why do it? Another garbage pit, at night in the garbage.
And in the main battle of the night, Tarzan the Red avenged his friend:
Even the judges are afraid of Datsik’s blows. Red Tarzan won quickly
Of course, the struggles of the veterans themselves are needed. But they need to be dressed in a completely different way. For example, exhibition fights are held abroad. Everyone initially knows that they do not carry a sports component. Therefore, they view such fights as a beautiful theatrical performance. And in Russia, promoters position all this as a real sport. And they even accept bets, which causes particular outrage.
