Serik Konakbaev got into sports by accident. But that did not stop him from becoming the best amateur boxer in the world in 1981. And of all his fights, he lost only six fights.
Biography
Serik and his twin brother Eric were born in 1959 in Pavlodar (Kazakhstan). The father of the boys Karimbek was a famous man in the city, had a Ph.D. in technical profile. He is also the author of the first Kazakh-language textbook Descriptive Geometry. Mother Baltugan worked at school.
Serik's childhood was in difficult Soviet times. At first, the brothers were carried away by football, still involved in athletics and swimming. And they came into boxing by chance - once Brother Serik was beaten in the street, and his father decided to give the guys to the section to his friend. Honored coach Yu Tskhai became the first mentor for the boys.
Serik Konakbaev with his first mentor, Yuri Tskhai.
Serik before classes in the boxing section and could not imagine that this sport will determine his fate for many years. He was generally a calm and conflict-free child, he tried to avoid fights and fights. His favorite subject was literature, sometimes he wrote poetry.
However, Tskhai had a peculiar approach to classes. Pupils practiced not only defensive movements, but also studied the elements of folk dances. Gradually, Serik was so carried away by training that by the age of 16 he was known throughout the Union.
Twin brothers with parents.
In 1977, a misfortune happens in the family - Father Serik died in a car accident. He always believed in his son and claimed that he would become the best boxer in the world. According to Konakbaev, he devoted all his subsequent achievements to his father.
First world victories
By the age of 18, Serik had assembled an impressive collection of medals at the country level in the youth category. He is included in the adult team. The 1979 year brought him two more significant achievements - a victory at the World Cup (New York) and the European Cup (Germany). He performed in the category up to 63.5 kg.
Olympics 80
As it turned out, this was the next step to the dream of any athlete. The 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow were approaching. S. Konakbaev was the captain of the Soviet team and was one of the favorites in his sport.
Three stages of the tournament Konakbaev was easy and confident. In the semifinals, he was expected to fight with the Cuban H. Aguilar, who knocked out two of his previous rivals. The fight for Serik was not easy, for the first time in his career he was knocked down. But he was able to survive, turn the tide of the fight and won with a score of 4: 1. This fight is still considered “alphabetical” in boxing and is shown to all novice athletes.
The final battle with P. Oliva still causes controversy among experts. The victory ultimately went to the Italian, Konakbaev received silver. Yu Tskhai claims to have reviewed the battle several dozen times and is confident in the victory of his pupil. But the judges decided differently, and Serik himself commented philosophically: "sometimes you need to lose so as not to lose touch with reality."
The best boxer in the world
In 1981, S. Konakbaev won the World Cup and European Championship in two weight categories. This happened for the first time in the history of world boxing. Konakbaev was declared the best amateur boxer in the world, after which there was a proposal for a duel with the best in the pro category (it was Ray Leonard). But politics intervened here: the world and the State Sports Committee. In the USSR at that time, professional boxing was not a recognized form, and the Soviet Union had a "cold relationship" with the United States.
Later, the boxer's career was equally successful. In 1983-1984 not a single battle was lost. Serik was preparing for the next Olympics and revenge. But politics again interfered - in 1984 the USSR boycotted games in Los Angeles.
Of the three hundred fights held, S. Konakbaev lost only six. By the age of 25, the athlete has achieved almost all the awards in sports and completed his career.
Life after sports
Having finished with active competitive weekdays, Konakbaev went to study. He has two higher educations: in the construction profile and legal. In 2006 he became a candidate of economic sciences.
Labor career went up the Komsomol ladder. He was the head of the Komsomol construction (Almaty Canal), secretary of the regional committee and city committee. Coached the Kazakh boxing team. He was among the leaders of one of the regions in Kazakhstan. Since 1992, it has been closely associated with the Boxing Federation in Kazakhstan.
From 1999 to 2011 - Member of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Konakbaev was always distinguished by responsibility and professionalism, therefore his work was marked by many awards. Among them there are medals "For Labor Valor" and "For Labor Distinction", received back in the days of the Soviet Union. There are awards issued by the Government of Kazakhstan. In addition, Konakbaev is an Honorary Citizen of Pavlodar and an Honorary Professor at the Academy of Sports and Tourism.
