Igor Vysotsky

Former heavyweight boxer Igor Vysotsky, . which we are all a bit forgotten, . in his forty-five still mighty, . but judging by appearance, . become even more Mogutnov: weight somewhere around 160 pounds, . and the ring kept themselves within ninety with a small,
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WINNER STEVENSON
- So: right-straight left - side and back straight, right. Judge opens an account, but it does not fall, leans back on the ropes, they spruzhinili - and then have it all: slipping on the floor, the deed is done.

That's recalls Igor Vysotsky on one of his most significant fights. For those who collapsed on the floor ring - none other than the legendary Teofilo Stevenson.

. - And now, Igor, when suddenly the situation would be made, would be able to defend themselves, if somebody would napalN

. - God forbid! I have the force of impact is not lost ...

. A Sound of battle
. Small and hard-bitten Zaev come on like a moth to a dark-skinned giant, and he carelessly brushed. Were colorless and rounds with Gorstkovym. The time has come Vysotsky, who, they say, Popper! Could not otherwise. Here, Ali realized that the forces he had left plenty and he can fight for real.

. - Well, and I grabbed him a couple of Splash - recalls now Vysotsky - but the same, and to direct it myself once or twice caught a good ...

. No complexes fighter without a shudder to the authorities, but because people - and all that is human is alien to him.

. - Agitated, no doubt, before the battle, though illustrative, with AliN

. - And what about N But even knew his own worth.

. - Well, who Igor Vysotsky is what found sebyaN

. - The thing I have not quite normal
. Organized in Khimki shop for smoked fish. His wife Marina helps. Big profits there, but another veteran of boxing in a position to help, so, of course, especially those who are poor.

- And where now live, IgorN

- I have the usual two-bedroom apartment on the Dmitrov highway. Cottage near Zelenograd. Guarding her dog, which very much, American Staffordshire Young, he was 3,5 years. With him peacefully coexists and even smaller dog, fight, French boxer 6 years. Farm run by mother-in-law, Valentina Ivanovna, but in general torn between Moscow and the Moscow region.


Now, again, can not do without a digression into the past. Vysotsky has never had the ring of rating developments, . as, . say, . Lev Mukhin and Jonas Chepulis, . who managed to take the silver medal at the Olympics in the heavyweight division, he was far from the national fame of his predecessors Nicholas Queen, . Algirdas Shotsikasa, . Andrei Abramov, he, . Finally, . to <home> ring remained in the shadows of the heavyweights, . a handful and Zaev,
. All true, but at the mere sound of the name Igor Vysotsky heart of Russia fan of boxing began to flutter, much of our overseas he was known and revered more than others. What happened, happened. That's why I ask:

- Which of the fighting, you held most zapomnilisN at first - on the won.

The question, I confess, sacramental. Well, . judge for yourself, . who else in the sublunary world managed to win, . not once, . but twice, . y inimitable Teofilo StivensonaN After Laszlo Poppa, . which, . however, . boxed in the less prestigious middleweight champion, . Cuban was the only boxer, . fortunate to be a three-time Olympic champion,
. Looking ahead, I will say that I led, my reporterskuyu luck, briefly talk with Stevenson at the world championship, I think, 1978 in Belgrade. When I called this name - Vysotsky, Teofilo perked up and responded in Russian: <O, Igor - a fellow!>. They, incidentally, was one coach, albeit in different time dimensions - not so long gone from us Andrew Chervonenko.
I'm not mistaken.
- Yes, - confirms Igor Vysotsky. - Perhaps the most memorable - the battle with Theo.
- There were two. What do you mean by a iduN
- Perhaps, after all the second - at a tournament in Minsk, it is in April and seventy-sixth. Before the final battle with the Cuban strongly mandrazhiroval. In the evening, even hvatanul to calm cup, 200 grams of red wine
. - How takN A rezhimN
. - Come on, Alex! I read in your same materials on Brumel, as he is in Tokyo before fight with Thomas could not sleep, so on the advice of a coach or, at least, with his blessing, had not even a glass of wine and spirits
. Insomnia was gone, and in the morning he was in the form. I, frankly, was set up well, the main thing was - to sleep.

- Well, the issue is removed ...

- Had a good sleep - that's for sure, splendidly! I step into the ring in modestly. And he - as an artist, jump over the ropes. One word - professional, even, like, like me, a lover. Tribune roar, there were too many Cuban students, we have received an education! I immediately went aggressively, he says, I'm going, I show that I can defend themselves, and then plunges, and the slopes. In the second - I get redirected to his body, he told me in the head. To be honest - were knocked down by a slight. But he and I stood on my feet. Well, in the third I got it: a technical knockout. The first Cuban's career, which up to 98 times that he sent the opponents in the knockout.

- He is afraid of you, IgorN After all, it was your second fight. And first, too, has not brought the famous champion schastyaN

- I think that Teofilo never feared no one. But the first fight, I suppose, he remembered.

- A tyN Especially as he passed, if memory serves, in Cuba, in July 1973 godaN

- Exactly. At the tournament in memory of the Cuban revolutionary and boxer Giraldo Cordova Cardin. I arrived just a champion of the USSR among young. Teofilo was already an Olympic champion, the Cup Barker. Before our meeting I had packed two Cubans. So I was teryatN Maybe I lost the first round, but the second came into force. Sekundiroval me Rafik Mehrabyan. It instructs: <Come on, work!>. I started to be honest, simply to beat Teofilo. I, of course, prevented - and the referee, and Cuban coach: what they say, should Teofilo glove correct, then what else, just to stop my attack. Nevertheless, in points, with a complex 3:2, the victory gave me a note, the battle went to Santiago de Cuba, in the judiciary of the jury, except German, Bulgarian and ours were the two Cuban. This is worse than any knockout.

- Well, if not after the first, at least after two failed to Stevenson's brilliant fighting your personal relationships, it is easy to assume podysportilisN

- Not in the least. We met so as not to lie, in Moscow, at the world championship in 1989. It just is not embraced, sat, took on a glass.

Now that the word had - I immediately offered to Igor Vysotsky raise for the memories of the lamps, especially since the rumors about him go - say, no stranger to this Russian custom. Igor waved his hands: in any case, I have long ceased to be the case. You should work and not be distracted.

- All right, Igor, we spoke about your happiest moments in the ring. And if you reminisce about the most pechalnyhN

- There are countless. I do not know how and to allocate. Ide who won outright, for example, Jimmy Clark, and then cut eyebrows. Where should we do - shoot me, and his hand raised.

- And what about statistikiN

- Accounting I did not lead. It seems to me that the fighting 190, I was - about thirty lost. Of the remainder, many won by knockout, but how much - just do not tell.

. - From heavyweight boxer of your generation - whom you could vydelitN

. - Probably, Viktor Ivanov, much has been given to him, but he did not fully materialize.

. Here, perhaps, it's time to retreat from the box and turn to the sources
. Ros Igor Vysotsky in <capital of Kolyma> - Magadan, on the same light appeared in the village of Berry, familiar to common people all over the reading of books Barlaam Shalamov, where reach cons. Boxer's father, Yakov Antonovich, served in those places link. And then, consider, lightly, not put behind barbed wire after the war. He fought in the Baltic Fleet, 9 times taken prisoner, ran 8 times. And after the great battle him for it and punished - a reference to the Kolyma. Even took up boxing there, was a champion of the edge in the heavyweight, his last fight, hundredth of its kind, held the day of his 50 years.

Mom Igor - Metta Iogannovna in Russian and the words did not know: Estonians, too, exiled from their ancestral territories in the Far North. He currently lives in Tallinn with the sister of Igor. Second sister existed in Stavrovo, under Vladimir, works on carburetor plant manufacturing wheelchairs. Igor's - two nephews.

Yakov Antonovich began to teach his little son boxing when he was still quite immature.

- I do not like - honestly, Igor. - I would poshlyatsya the street with friends, posheburshitsya. And my father, he learned that I have classes in the Boxing section of absenteeism, and took it under its control. Where then should we do - even though I was only a 12 years old, but realized that the force strength ache. Obeyed. He began to engage seriously and did not notice how got a taste. Father me, boy, made a hammer drive the stumps in the ground, and working out the force of impact with both hands. He made his debut on the big ring of eighteen, I remember my first fight at junior championship CA <Work> 1971, in Alma-Ata. I went up against national champion Vladimir Volkov. I beat him on points. It went.
- And when the latter took boyN So to say - farewell to ringomN

- It seems that in the eighties. In the semi-final championship of the Union was working with Zhenya Gorstkovym, all developed well, but again it is, curse dissection.

I understand, of course, that the life of the Soviet professional boxer, even though they went, would say as my late friend, the European champion Valery Frolov, in the rank of <amateur>, was solid napryazhenkoy. Moreover, poorly paid. But there were in fact, probably, and the bright moments. What could recall in this regard Igor VysotskiyN

- Young were fond fool tumble. Once in New York, at the match of the USSR-USA, we ventured to the training Slava Filling seems to be answered by a serious fight, the spectators, it was no less than the competition. Vlad, I must say, was fighting in the category up to 51 pounds, close to me - chicken. And simulate: if he gets - I'm knocked. Sensation, as the same - David topples Goliath! Morning on the subject and the press walked. We have not denied. And in the ring I theirs guy seemed to have lost respect for me, easily outplayed.

From the same opera, and many more jokes. She walked once in Tushino Conference officiating, and along with training camp. Leave us in sparring with my fellow countryman, magadandtsem Valentin Kutulginym in advance, by itself, by agreement. 57-kg boxer recallable to me, <tyazhu>, heartily. I lay down, but so naturally that even the great Shotsikas, to be present, concluded: clean, they say, a knockout, was a blow, he saw - the head came off. And nahohotalis we then! Similar scenes played out with Victor Savchenko ...

- Well, here in the knockout it was easy to believe: for Victor, though middleweight this was the Splash - a bull can throw.

- Yes, but I do not miss. In general, such fun helping to relax, which then worked for the cause.

- Igor, and the ring, I suppose, it was not until shutokN

- And there happens to funny moments. However, I particularly remember the episode when I'm not acted as a buffoon, and, conversely, my opponent. Superiority CA <Work>, Ordzhonikidze, 1978-th year. Against me, and I was already a strong master, came pervorazryadnik. I conduct a blow, he responded, jumped, and my arm continues to move, and I see - is just pleased him below the belt. I managed to stop the strike, but the guy does not fool lip, grabbed his groin, groaned and fell to the floor. Of course, I was removed from the ring for violation of rules. Long afterward tried by jury and appealed all the same has come to a correct conclusion: the simulation. These are the jokes were.
. Naturally, . I could not resist the question - what he thinks Igor Vysotsky on the prospects of Russia boxing today, . Do not pass it, . his view, . former battle positions - that's at the last Olympics was our only one gold medal, . from Oleg SaitovaN Igor honestly, . he had too much trouble for, . that too closely monitor the developments taking place in the ring,
. Although, of course, it happens sometimes and the championships of Russia, when invited, and could come to the conclusion that the promising children abound.
. - Among the heavyweights - tozheN
. - Here too, what is not - that not.
. - And why takN
. - No comments.
. With some apprehension approached one of the last, I have harvested in advance of issues - a sensitive issue
. Even slippery. Yet, finally, resolve:
- Igor, boxers, alas, often beaten on the head, and heavyweight, for their power, especially goes. To hide, we both know that it affects the health, psyche. Even through the years after the end of athletic career. Suffice it to recall the same Ali. And in our memory a lot of sad examples. But look at you - a clear head and energy over the edge ...
. - Home - says Igor of conviction - time to leave, do not pick up extra Splash.
. - And you are left with the ring quite osoznannoN When Silenok was still navalomN
. - I have already talked about this - a situation made
. Increasingly, started losing, and not because he was weaker, and over again - cut eyebrows. Whether arc eyebrow at me too unreliable, or something else.
- And where initially sent stopyN
- I went to the furniture store as a loader, not far from home - at Kakhovska. Job handy. And earned on 50-100 rubles per day, where as more than when I was a sports star.
I asked and the problem of free time. It turned out that O'Henry - one of the favorite writers Vysotsky, even Jack London, Arthur Hailey. Loves and music, gathered a rich collection of records. In the house - a box with tools. Averse pomasterit what is and repose of the routine, and pleasure. Hands - gold, problem fixes itself in the car, like a real mechanic.
- When you, Igor, in the country - how to conduct dosugN
- If it can be called leisure ... I have a 12 hectare plot, and all the berries, fruits. Even got a cultivator, as messing about in the land of my heart.
That's a famous boxer and lives, a great and good man. He lives modestly, in the work and worry and, of course, honestly.