Why did the "Tashkent Tiger" lose his legs? Boxer Rufat Risqiyev in the memories of his loved ones and contemporaries

Why did the “Tashkent Tiger” lose his legs? Boxer Rufat Risqiyev — in the memories of his loved ones and contemporaries

On August 15, Rufat Risqiyev, one of the famous representatives of Uzbek boxing and the 1974 world champion, passed away at the age of 76. The athlete, known as the “Tashkent Tiger,” won a silver medal at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. He was also the winner of international tournaments held in Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia, and a two-time champion at the open championship in Cuba in 1973 and 1974. During his sporting career, Risqiyev fought 189 bouts, winning 174 of them.

Gazeta correspondent Mirolim Isajonov asked the late boxer's loved ones to share their memories of him.

**Qudratxo‘ja Risqiyev, son of Rufat Risqiyev**

I am the eldest of three children in the family: I have a younger brother and a sister. From the moment I was old enough to understand things, I grew up hearing people call my father a “world champion.” I must have been about five or six years old at the time. But as a child, you don't fully understand the true value of the status of being a champion. Only after I grew up did I realize how much hard work, hardship, and willpower it takes to achieve that. Especially someone who is involved in sports feels this differently.

In our house, my father’s Olympic silver medal, his world championship gold medal, and his trophies were kept. There were also large golden gloves he brought back from a competition in Cuba. Many boxers had signed them. In our childhood, we used to hang the medals around our necks and play with the trophies. Later, with the idea that the general public should also see these awards, my father handed them over to the museum of the Olympic Committee.

Whenever I went out on the street with my father, people would recognize him and try to talk to him. They showed respect, saying, “Rufat aka, how can I be of service?”, someone would ask for advice, while others just wanted to chat. Seeing such scenes made me proud as a child. Feeling that your father has respect among the people is a special emotion in itself.

My father always taught us honesty. “Never tell a lie, be honest and upright,” he used to say. He was not a strict father who would lay a hand on his children. If we did something wrong, he would explain it to us, saying, “Qudrat, my son, it shouldn't be like this.” When he got really angry, he would hit the table and say, “Don't let this happen again.” That alone was enough for us.

Another characteristic of my father was his deep love for books. According to him, in his childhood, he used to compete with his brothers and sisters to read the books at home. When a new book arrived, the eldest child would read it first, then pass it to the next, and my father would read it after them. In this way, he read many works. I can safely say that I haven't read as many books as my father did. He mainly read books in Russian, works of world literature, and magazines. Even after his eyesight dimmed, he loved solving crosswords. He would ask people who came to visit him to bring new crosswords. While others sat shelling sunflower seeds, my father would be solving crosswords.

He preferred to stay in a positive mood. He liked watching good events, comedies, and entertainment shows on TV. He did not like shows dedicated to war, murder, and other negative events. Regarding political programs as well, he would say, “Let's leave it, let's watch something else, let's talk about good things.” He tried to pay more attention to good words and joy rather than the hardships of life.

My father had been to many countries around the world. Nevertheless, sometimes looking at a map, he would say that there were still places he hadn't visited. However, one of the biggest regrets of his life was that he couldn't become an Olympic champion.

When talking about this, he would say that during the former Soviet era, as an Uzbek athlete, he had to fight just to go to the Olympics. Because he was Uzbek, they did not support his candidacy. There were many times when he spoke about these thoughts with sadness. My father had initially defeated one of his rivals in his weight class on points. However, when it came to who would go to the competition, their candidacy was not approved. Only after the coaches and Uzbek sports leaders intervened was it agreed to hold a repeat trial match.

At that time, my father was told that he would only go to the world championship if he beat his opponent by knockout or knockdown. My father defeated his opponent in the re-match. After that, they were forced to take him to the world championship. But even after that, he faced injustices.

As my father recalled, at the competition, his previous opponent's coach was assigned as his second, rather than his own. The advice given during the fight in the ring was also incorrect. The incorrect instructions of the second also affected the outcome of the fight. Later, he said he realized that there had been unfairness in this situation. That is why when he spoke about not being able to become an Olympic champion, he remembered it as a regret.

One of my father’s most important qualities was his generosity. If someone shared their pain and asked for help, he would treat their problem as his own. If he had the opportunity, he would try to help with money or in other ways. Saying “no” was difficult for him.

**With the first President of Uzbekistan, Islom Karimov.**

I saw this in my childhood too. One day my father left the house wearing a good coat. When he returned, his coat was gone. When my mother asked where he left it, my father said that while sitting somewhere, he saw a poorly dressed man in the cold and gave him his coat. He couldn't just stand by and watch that man without helping. This is just one of the examples I know. If someone approached him in need of money, my father would help within his means. Unfortunately, there were also cases where some of his acquaintances took advantage of this open-heartedness and abused his trust. Such events deeply hurt my father.

After the 90s, there were also difficulties in my father's life. Distance from sports left him alone with himself many times. This situation also had a heavy psychological impact on him. I remember him smoking more during those times. In 2011, he underwent surgery due to a problem with the blood vessels in his legs. The doctors then warned that if this situation repeated, the leg might have to be amputated. After that, my father quit smoking abruptly.

However, over time, the problems in his legs worsened again. In September 2016, after a check-up, a serious problem in his blood vessels was identified. Doctors explained that if blood circulation was not restored, tissue would die, posing a threat to the entire organism. Because the chances of saving the leg were slim, my father agreed to the amputation. His right leg was amputated that year.

Then the issue of fitting a prosthesis arose. However, because my father weighed over 100 kilograms, the load and pain on the amputated side during the process of adjusting to the prosthesis caused difficulties. Therefore, giving up this method, he began moving around mainly in a wheelchair. As movement in his second leg decreased, problems related to blood circulation appeared there as well. In 2022, they were forced to amputate it too.

After independence, there were also periods when my father's services to sports were not given enough attention by the state. He tried to set up various endeavors with his acquaintances, but did not engage in large-scale business or commerce. Many people used my father's reputation to ask for help in solving their own issues. My father, to the best of his ability, would assist them.

During those times, his close friends and acquaintances in the sports field also supported him. In particular, he had good relationships with G‘ofur aka Rahimov and Salim aka Abduvaliyev. They had known my father since their youth and respected his athletic career. They also helped when he faced difficulties.

When my father's one leg was amputated in 2016, I don't recall much attention being shown by the state either. G‘ofur Rahimov contacted the doctors during the surgery process and asked what help was needed. After 2018−2019, attention toward my father increased somewhat. Assistance was provided in renovating the house in the yard and with other matters. Bahodir Maqsitov, who works with the leadership of the Olympic Committee and sports veterans, helped resolve certain problems.

But the most important thing for me is that even when the government forgot my father, the people did not forget him. People who recognized and valued my father came to visit and check on his health. After he lost his legs, initially relatives, friends, journalists, and many people who knew him would come to ask about his well-being. Over time, although visits decreased, people who loved and respected my father did not forget him.

In the final years of his life, my father spent more time at home. Solving crosswords, watching TV, and talking with loved ones became his daily activities. He also had health problems. Especially after his legs were amputated, his blood pressure would rise. A cataract had also formed over one of his eyes, blurring his vision.

Despite this, I would sometimes suggest taking him to the places where his youth had passed. My father wanted to see the places where he practiced boxing and the streets connected with his childhood memories. When passing Navoiy Street, he would sometimes ask me to stop the car and recall: “Our house used to be right here, I used to play here.” After indulging in memories for a bit, he would feel happy and tell me to continue on the way.

My brother and I both practiced boxing. But we didn't reach the professional level. My father didn't put pressure on us in this regard. “If you choose sports, I am not against it, I will help as much as I can,” he would say. However, my mother believed that having one athlete in the family was enough. My father often used to say the phrase, “Priroda na detyakh otodykhaet” [Nature rests on the children]. That is, he emphasized that talent in one generation might not repeat in the next, but perhaps a champion might emerge among the grandchildren or great-grandchildren.

I also saw the hardships of sports through my father's life. He received various injuries in boxing, and many parts of his hands were broken. Until the last years of his life, the pain in his hands bothered him. Sometimes when I sat next to him, he would ask me to massage his hands.

**At the “Stars of the Motherland” award ceremony.**

I learned boxing mostly for myself. After starting a family and as household concerns increased, I did not continue with professional sports. I didn't have a strong passion to stay in this field myself either.

My father didn't talk much about boxing in front of us. Wherever he went, people would start the conversation about boxing. My father, on the other hand, wanted to talk about other topics too. Therefore, I later heard much of the information about his sports career from his conversations with others.

**Muhammadqodir Abdullayev, Honored Athlete of Uzbekistan**

When Rufat aka became a world champion in 1974, I was a one-year-old child. At that time, like many Uzbek fathers, my father also dreamed of making his son a boxer. I later heard a lot about Rufat Risqiyev's place in sports. Over time, after I started boxing myself, I got to know him more closely. Our relationship began to form around 1996.

Even after I turned professional in 2000, I would come to Tashkent and train in the boxing gym at the "Dinamo" stadium. We used to invite Rufat aka too. Reminiscing about his youth, he would show boxing techniques to me and Ruslan Chagayev. At that time we were young, and Rufat aka, as an athlete with great experience, did not hold back his advice. My manager Toymuraz Niyozov also respected him.

Later, I became a world champion, won the Asian Games and the Asian Championship, and won the World Cup. My biggest dream was to become an Olympic champion. Having achieved this goal, I brought the first Olympic gold medal to Uzbekistan. On this path, I received Rufat aka’s blessings. At boxing gatherings and events, we tried to meet and talk with him.

Since I lived in Andijan, I didn't always have the opportunity to see Rufat aka. But my colleague Nabijon Ismonov frequently checked on him. He brought him necessary things and assisted him.

In 2023, through Nabijon Ismonov, Umar Kremlev, the president of the International Boxing Association (IBA), also learned about Rufat aka. They helped take him to the hospital for a medical check-up. Umar Kremlev gave Rufat aka 10,000 dollars, and then began providing financial assistance of 1,000 dollars every month. Two weeks later, a car was presented as a gift.

Later, a two- or three-room apartment was also provided.

This assistance was provided after information about Rufat aka's condition and his need for help was conveyed through Nabijon Ismonov. Once Umar Kremlev learned who he was and his services to boxing, he decided to support him. When the world championship was held in Tashkent in 2024, we also took Rufat aka to the meeting and tried to receive his blessings.

In my opinion, the reason Rufat aka earned the title "Tashkent Tiger" was his results in boxing and his willpower. By winning the world championship in 1974, he made a great contribution to making Uzbek boxing recognized internationally.

I have also heard about Rufat aka breaking his hand in the final match. They say he did not inform his coach about his injury and continued the fight. If he had reported his broken hand, he might not have been allowed into the ring. Therefore, he continued to fight with his left hand, and only after becoming the world champion did he make his injury known.

In my view, one of the aspects that led to him being called a "tiger" was just that — despite the pain, he did not back down from his goal. Of course, I never asked Rufat aka himself about the origin of this name. This is my personal opinion. But his sports results, fortitude, and making Uzbekistan known to the world show that he was worthy of this name.

Since I was interested in boxing from a young age and wore gloves, I really admired Rufat Risqiyev. I heard from my family that he became a champion during the Soviet era, but I didn't know much about where he was from or his life path. Nevertheless, I was a fan of his.

Later, after entering the field of art, I met him for the first time at the "Stars of the Motherland" award ceremony. Back then, wherever Mirzabek aka went, I often walked beside him. Rufat aka gave positive feedback on my performances backstage. Knowing my interest in sports, he didn't hold back advice in this regard either.

When thinking of Rufat Risqiyev, the word fortitude comes to my mind first. He was truly a man of fortitude. Even stepping into the ring with gloves on while having a broken hand is commendable. That alone demonstrates his willpower and courage.

Even when he fell ill, Mirzabek aka and I went to check on his health. We tried to cheer him up. Rufat aka himself was also a very humorous person. In telling jokes and joking around, he could leave many comedians behind.

We visited his house several times. Once Mirzabek aka joked: "Don't think I came to see you again, we came to take your car away." Then Rufat aka looked at Mirzabek aka and joked: "Mirza, save me from this trouble, take this car away. Otherwise, even after you, many people will come to see me." When I remember these words of his, I recall what a subtle sense of humor he possessed.

Talking with Rufat aka was very interesting. Even when we went planning to drop by, ask about his health, and leave, we would end up staying for hours. He drew people in with his words and jokes. He had an answer for everything, and he cracked jokes right on point. Rufat aka was not only a great athlete, but also a person of fortitude, sincerity, and a unique sense of humor. I remember him precisely for these qualities.