Translated material
Alexander Lebzyak: We still have to work and work
The answer to this very difficult question remained unclear until last Sunday evening. Everyone was so looking forward to the face-to-face meeting between the Russian and Cuban national teams that they completely forgot about the existence of other teams. But in vain. In the semi-finals, the Kazakhstan team almost spoiled the main intrigue of the tournament. If she had won one fight against the Cubans, she would have had to watch a completely different ending. We don’t know whether fortunately or to some great chagrin, but a miracle did not happen. Everyone saw exactly the ending they originally expected. Its result is 7:4 in favor of the Russian team. The victory is pleasant and well-deserved, but at the same time it requires serious analysis and comprehension. Vremya Novostey correspondent Sergei MALYUK learned about how it worked out and what else he will have to work on directly from the head coach of the Russian national boxing team, Alexander LEBZYAK, for whom, like many of his students, this tournament was his debut.
- Tell me honestly, were you worried?
-What do you think? It’s just that fear mobilizes some and paralyzes others. Therefore, I tried to remain calm, although everything was bubbling inside, like in a furnace. Everything was like in the Time Machine song about a fire. Whoever saved it lived to see warm days. And when he lived and shared a piece of fire with others, everyone became much warmer. But the responsibility was such that I could hardly restrain myself.
— I suppose you wanted to get into the ring yourself?
- And you know, it would have been much easier and better than me standing and worrying about the guys near the ring.
— How did you feel when the score was 0:3 in the final and when did you really believe that a turning point was coming?
“Probably after our heavy artillery entered the battle.” Oleg Komissarov won (weight category up to 64 kg), then Andrey Balanov (up to 69 kg), and it became much easier to breathe. And before that it was quite difficult. 0:3 was an unpleasant score in all respects, and I tried to help the guys correct it in our favor. It was clear that it was difficult for them, that at first not everyone was able to control their emotions, some had a desire to get involved in an outright fight. The audience always likes it, but it often doesn't do the boxers any good. You can fight, but don't forget to breathe properly. So we have a lot to work on.
-- Despite the difficulties in the semifinals, the Cubans were able to prepare themselves well for the decisive battles. Was this a surprise to you?
- No, I assumed that this is exactly how it would be. Thanks, of course, to the Kazakhs, who pretty much exhausted the Cubans, but it would be a big mistake on our part to count on the fact that they will not provide us with strong resistance after this. Cubans are good at the art of recovering, gathering and preparing for decisive battles. They always know their strength and worth.
The master of Cuban boxing, Alcides Sagarra, before the start of this tournament, in a conversation with me, said that there are two strong boxing powers in the world - Cuba and Russia. So if Cuba takes first place at the World Cup and Russia takes second, it will still be very honorable. To which I immediately replied: “We agree to take second place, but not in this tournament.”
— Did the idea of inviting Cubans to Chekhov for a joint training ultimately play a positive role in the preparation of the Russian team?
- Yes, we saw how the Cubans work, how many lefties they have, how much time they spend in sparring. Although they only showed us a small part of their iceberg. They tried to hide the rest from prying eyes. But we agreed to meet more often. We will visit them as guests and invite them ourselves. Regardless of who will win more often during such meetings. We have a lot to learn from them. It seems to me that the time has come to finally get rid of the Cuban syndrome complex and develop, develop a winner’s complex.
- How would you evaluate your contribution to the overall victory and what rating would you give yourself?
- I would rate it a four. I was the coordinator of this work, and the personal trainers bore the main burden. Their merit and contribution to the overall victory is very high. Personally, I would like to thank them all very much for this.
— How are you going to build your future work in the main team of the country?
- We will give those who competed at the World Cup a little rest. None of the guys will compete at the Russian Championship. They will all go to the sea to recover and gain iodine. But everyone will still have to fight for tickets to the World Championships, regardless of ranks and titles. Personally, I still find it difficult to say who will make it to China, but I can assume that the composition of the national team will change by 30-40 percent. In particular, Alexander Maletin (weight category up to 64 kg) and captain of our team Evgeniy Makarenko (up to 81 kg) will not go to this world championship at the insistence of doctors. You know that Zhenya was my backup for a long time, then he took the place of number one in the weight category up to 81 kg. And during all this time I never rested. Worked like a well-oiled machine. But cars sometimes need inspection and maintenance. The same can be said about Maletin, who took a time out to heal his sores and improve his health. They will prepare according to individual plans, and for everyone else we have also planned a training camp in Kislovodsk, and the last one in Vladivostok, where there is a good base and where China is just a stone's throw away.