Photo pro-box.ru
For Maskaev, this is far from the first meeting with Moscow journalists in the rank of world champion. But Okhello, who arrived in Moscow two days ago, was, in fact, the premiere on Russian soil.
A boxer from Uganda, permanently residing in Japan and training in the USA, appeared in the conference room of the Arbat Fight Club rather unexpectedly and surprisingly modestly - he pulled a black panama over his eyes and lowered his head. Before the opponent arrived, he decided not to take a seat at the table, but humbly hid behind one of the columns. So the presence of a candidate for the world title at first was noted only by the most attentive journalists.
- And why doesn’t he take off his hat in the room? Someone asked in an undertone.
- Maybe shy? There are no hairstyles. Bald ... - there was someone's answer.
- But is he like a serious boxer?
- They say serious. Only now he has a funny nickname - Vanka-vstanka. Who invented this?
Maskaev was not there. And the reason for being late was trivial - traffic jams on the streets. Before one of the previous press conferences, they detained the world champion for an hour and a half, now - for forty minutes, which is also a lot. Trend ... The battle promoter thoughtfully wandering around the hall, Vladimir Khryunov, apparently worked out the most convenient route for the metro trip in his head in case the capital’s roads delay one of the rivals on the day of the battle.
Having finally arrived at the meeting place, Oleg Maskaev reported the latest news about his preparations:
- Despite the fact that I spent October and November in the States, in Moscow I have finally acclimatized and I feel completely ready for battle.
- Under what flag will you enter the ring?
- Under the Russian. I can already officially declare that all the difficulties with obtaining my citizenship have already been overcome and I will go out against Ohello, having a passport of a Russian citizen.
- Are you going to win by knockout?
- It is impossible to predict. Any victory will suit me. After all, Ohello is a very strong boxer.
Hearing the translation of these words, the Ugandan shook his head in the affirmative and even decided to slightly raise the panama from his eyes.
“Yes, I’m going to give Oleg a fight and take the championship belt to Uganda,” the applicant said.
He was quite ready to rip off his headgear, but again thought better of it and became quiet when he heard the formidable Maskaevsky:
- Will not give it back.
However, the most interesting was the informal supplement to the press conference. The interlocutor of the journalists was Oleg's father, Alexander Nikiforovich.
- After all, no one really knows how Oleg began to engage in boxing, - he opened up. - Would you like to tell? When he was in fifth grade, the teacher said that Oleg did not have lunch at school. We were surprised at the family - after all, every day they gave him money for lunch. Conducted an investigation. It turned out that high school students took money from their son. Although he was tall, he was painfully modest and quiet. Then I took his hand and took him to the boxing section. There he learned to fight. But still he remained the same modest. Now that I need to piss him off a bit before the fight, I call and remind this story ...
Andrey IVANTSOV