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December 2023 | Раиса Ханукаева

Alexey Alekhin: “Boxing is a portal to another dimension”

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Is it possible to write about boxing for years without burning out? Spoiler: you can, if you notice even the small nuances of combat, are interested in the subculture and see a whole biography behind the shoulders of each athlete.

Sports journalist and Ultimatum Boxing ambassador Alexey Alekhin has been talking about boxing and boxers for many years, but he shared his own story exclusively for our community. Read about how boxing resembles an adventure novel, how training experience helps in your work, and where to look for inspiration outside of the ring in his monologue.

About Me. I am a person who makes a living from writing, including those related to boxing and fighting. Before coming to this, I tried myself in different professions for ten years, and writing was my hobby. By the age of 30, I realized that texts are what I do best and what I want to do next.

Of course, I like to write not only about fights. I’ll say more: if I switch to something else and then return to boxing, it turns out more interesting. It’s easier to make money on other topics, but it’s impossible to escape boxing. It’s like with painting: an artist can depict a lot of things, but there are some things, for example, horses, that he is especially good at and particularly likes. So do I: writing about boxing is a special inspiration for me.

I have a cat, Razor, whom my wife and I love very much. We have helped animals in trouble more than once. For example, we gave homes to homeless kittens. The idea that “little brothers” should be treated with kindness is one that I want to broadcast to the outside world. So, if you decide to take home a cat or dog, you don’t have to buy it, but pick it up from a volunteer or from a shelter. I don’t force my opinion on anyone, but it’s important for me to remind you of this.

Cat Razor, Alexey's pet

About sports experience. I've been watching fights since 2001. And I was involved in boxing for about five years: I trained, sparred and performed in the open ring. This helps to notice and appreciate some important moments of battles, which means it makes my texts better. Just like even a little experience in grappling training helps me write about MMA.

About the perception of boxing. For me, this is a portal to another dimension, where everything happens completely differently than in the usual world. The laws of ordinary life do not apply in it. But this dimension is next to ours and you can get there. Remember the stories about Sherlock Holmes: here he and Watson are sitting at home by the fireplace, and then a client comes to them, and they go out to investigate the case in London, where there is Professor Moriarty, the Union of Redheads, and the cut off ears are sent in parcels. This city is completely different from the one that ordinary people see. In the first case, we have ordinary life in front of us, in the second, an adventure.

It’s the same in boxing: unexpected events happen here, heroes act as if from the pages of adventure novels, and very strange characters. For me it's not really a sport. Firstly, only in combat sports causing physical harm to an opponent is a goal. Secondly, boxing began as a fairground entertainment, and therefore when they say that “real boxing” is dying and turning into a show, I find it a little funny. In fact, it has always been a show. And they have been talking about the death of boxing since at least the 20s of the last century.

Sherlock Holmes himself, by the way, was also not averse to boxing. In the photo, Vasily Livanov plays the role of the famous detective .

About training. For me, boxing training was a escape from everyday life, and an activity in which you need to be focused and dedicated. I liked the aerobic exercise and the adrenaline from sparring, which is exciting, even if you take unpleasant blows.

Different people come to boxing with different reasons. For some, brutality is important, for others, joining a subculture is important. Some people come to learn how to fight, while others want to get in shape. And everyone faces their own mythology. Sometimes fitness is sold to clients under the name “boxing”, only with a jump rope and gloves. And on the one hand, this is not very good, because students don’t get boxing skills that way. On the other hand, not everyone actually needs real boxing with blows to the head. Here it is important to decide on your own goals and find the right balance in training - between the healthy and brutal poles of this sport.

Boxing gear. Anyone who has been boxing long enough has inevitably encountered a dude who beats you with stone gloves: either cheap ones or so bottomed out that you can feel his knuckles on your cheekbones. After this, the thought that the gloves must be in order quickly comes to all more or less adequate people. It is very important that gyms have a common and correct understanding of safety regulations. I sparred quite a bit with head gear on and now I regret it. Of course, I made the decision to spar without it myself, but after that I want the rule of sparring with head protection to be part of the general culture of gyms.

About hobbies. Since I am a writer, I read a lot. I have been interested in fiction since childhood, and about eight years ago I discovered English-language non-fiction about boxing, MMA and professional fights. This became an important part of my development. There is a whole layer of books in English about the martial arts industry with its own traditions and quality standards. You won’t find such depth of immersion in Russian yet. And if you write on a certain topic, then I think it’s important to know how others do it, so I continue to read good texts about fighting, both fiction and non-fiction. Lately, though, I’ve slowed down, as I’m finishing my first book. And yes, it will be non-fiction about Russian fighting sports. Seems to turn out pretty crazy.

Also, in addition to books about boxing and fiction, I read manuals on literary skills. My job is to tell stories, so all my hobbies revolve around that in one way or another. Like most people I know, I watch movies and TV shows, but what really gets me interested is when the authors surprise me and I learn something new about storytelling and how to tell stories.

And for several years in a row I have been running channels on social networks dedicated to fights and more. Therefore, when I learn something interesting, I immediately think whether a post will come out of it.

About inspiration. It’s cool to be fueled by good fights and interesting stories that unfold before your eyes. When you watch boxing matches for decades, it is important to see some new moments and new stories in them. This is the only way not to get bored.

Good authors and their works also inspire me. A well-written text can inspire your own ideas, and sometimes you start playing with other people’s findings and you end up with something of your own. When I saw how Bret Easton Ellis, author of the novel American Psycho, was on Twitter (now renamed X, ed)*, I wanted to do Instagram stories** in a similar vein. I wrote on other topics, but was inspired by his uncompromisingness, roughness and intelligent anger.

About idols and role models. Different people can motivate in different ways. I once watched the MMA series “Kingdom”, loved it very much, and my wife gave me the idea of doing an interview with the leading actor. This is how the text about Frank Grillo appeared. If we talk about literature, for example, at different periods of my life I liked different authors and books, but if I am asked about my favorite novel, I name “American Tabloid” by James Ellroy.

In addition to being a wonderful writer, Ellroy is also an interesting person. An orphan from a young age, he wandered and used drugs, but managed to pull himself together, become a good author and achieve success. The example of a person who was at his lowest point, but thanks to his will and intellect, took his fate by the throat, cannot but inspire. The text about him is one of my favorite things I've written.

About triggers. We are all disappointed by more or less the same things, such as deception and double standards. But besides this, bad taste and stupidity irritate me.

About personal influence. Let people from the outside judge my influence on the world. If you look in the opposite direction, then life is infinitely diverse, so I can’t answer better than Neil Gaiman. When asked how he perceives the world, the writer replied: “A maniac sees potential victims, I see stories.” So the world for me is a source of incredible characters and stories that inspire, horrify and give rise to a lot of emotions.

_____

*Blocked in the Russian Federation

**Part of Meta, an organization banned in the Russian Federation

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