"Azerbaijan boxing has always been a leader in the world. Coaches like Nariman Abdullayev, Vagif Shirinov, and Mammad Eyvazov have consistently returned from the Summer Olympic Games and World Championships with medals, experiencing the joy of victory."
According to İdman.biz, Ravshan Khodjaev, who has recently been appointed as the head coach of the men's national boxing team, shared these thoughts with the press service of the Azerbaijan Boxing Federation.
The Uzbek coach spoke about his appointment, stating, "I have participated in the last three Olympics and followed the progress of Azerbaijani boxers. They have won silver and bronze medals at the Olympics. As is well known, under the leadership of the President of the National Olympic Committee, President Ilham Aliyev, significant measures have been taken to develop sports in the country. Specifically, in boxing, I believe as a specialist that we need to increase competition in the national team and gather a broader pool of talent. We must create conditions in the regions where there are many talented young men and develop boxing in these areas for the future. I am confident that we will achieve this."
Khodjaev also discussed his work since September 2023: "Since last year, I’ve been overseeing Azerbaijani boxers' progress in various age groups, and this has borne fruit. I was invited to the Azerbaijan Boxing Federation as the technical director. My role was to oversee the national teams and participate in the preparation process. As a coach, I couldn't stay on the sidelines, so I began assisting in training boxers, especially the youth teams, and the 19-22 age group teams under Elbrus Rzayev. Together, we achieved good results at the European Championship, where we won two gold medals. We also achieved maximum results in two European Championships for the 19-22 age group in recent years. At the World Junior Championships in Montenegro, although we didn’t win gold, I believe the results were good because Azerbaijani boxers began defeating strong competitors from countries like Cuba, Russia, and Kazakhstan."
Khodjaev revealed his main goal for the national team: "The goal is to create an Olympic champion for Azerbaijan. This has never been achieved in the history of Azerbaijani boxing since independence. Of course, this can only be achieved with the help of the athletes themselves, the coaches, and the leadership of the federation."
Idman.biz
