Interview of veteran kickboxer Hafiz Bakhshaliyev, founder of "Immortal Champions" organization in England, to Idman.biz website
- You have been out of the country for some time - you live in London. How are things going?
- Yes, I have been living here for 15 years. I came to England in 2009 and everything is fine.
- You created a professional league in London. How did you come up with this idea?
- Combat sports have always had a big place in my life and I wanted to share this passion. For me, the decision to organize tournaments stems from my personal desire to bring the power and beauty of martial arts to people, as well as to create a platform for athletes to showcase their skills. It is both a hobby and an opportunity to make a positive impact on society. By organizing tournaments of Immortal Champions, I want to contribute to the development of martial arts at the local and international level.
- What kinds of sports are included in this organization?
- After finishing my sports career, we started organizing professional kickboxing competitions in London from 2018. In 2019, the Immortal Champions organization was established. Here we organize kickboxing, Muay Thai and MMA fights in one place.
- How many competitions have you done so far?
- We have organized 7 competitions. Our last tournament took place on February 4. Athletes from different countries took part in the competition.
- How do you select athletes for these tournaments? Who are the most famous athletes participating in your competitions?
- We select athletes based on their experience, the number and level of competitions they participated in, and their fighting records. Among the most famous ones, I can name Daniel Sam, the champion of Immortal Champions British Title in super heavyweight, and Kevin Ward, who is number 1 in his weight, Henrikas Vikšraitis.
- Azerbaijani athletes did not participate in it?
- Our first competition was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. 6 Azerbaijani athletes participated in London. Elkhan Aliyev represented our country in our other competitions and scored 3 knockouts in 3 fights in our tournament. Next time, a fight for the European title is planned for him.
- Who are the famous athletes you want to see in your tournaments?
- Our organization is not that big. That's why we don't think about well-known faces. I would like to see more of our athletes in our competitions. But it would be interesting to watch the world famous Muay Thai fighter Rodtang Jitmuangnon in London.
- Khayal Janiyev, who defeated the legendary Buakaw Banchamek, comes to mind when we talk about kickboxing. His invitation is not expected?
- Of course, we will be very happy if Janiyev also participates in our competitions.
- What are your plans for the next tournament?
- Currently, Chris Bayan's manager contacted us and said that he wants to participate in our competition. We will appreciate it anyway. We want our compatriot Alim Nabiyev to join our tournament.
- What is the interest in this organization in England?
- Although the country's press did not publish a special article about our competition, our event generated a wide resonance in sports social media. Points such as the performances of our participants, the level of organization and the positive impact of the event on the sports community were especially emphasized. Feedback from viewers and participants on social media motivates us to improve. When we first started, articles about our competitions were published in European countries. It was even broadcast live in more than a hundred countries.
- As a three-time European and world champion in kickboxing, a veteran athlete who lived in England for 15 years, how do you evaluate the development of sports in our country?
- I follow Azerbaijani sports closely. We have a great kickboxing school. Very talented young athletes are growing up. Sometimes I go to other countries to follow our compatriots. MMA is evolving. We have successful athletes, but few. To participate in bigger competitions, you need to work a little. Muay Thai is not exactly at the perfect level. Because it is a very new sport for us. I know that our juniors have already won a medal from the world championship. I believe that Muay Thai will develop further in our country.
Emin Aga
Idman.biz
