Real hook: what Russian boxers have taught the North Korean military

The roar of African vuvuzelas, the hail of blows, the cheers of fans and the strongest nervous tension — in such an atmosphere boxing matches of athletes of the Armed Forces of Russia and the DPRK took place. No winners were identified — the tournament concluded the first joint training camps. The cooperation will not end there — our boxers will visit the DPRK in September, and next year a number of competitions in various sports will be held on the territory of the Russian Federation.

"Great guys — funny and interesting"

At the very beginning of the ceremony, the anthems of the two countries, Russia and the DPRK, were played. Then the athletes went to their places to warm up and listen to the latest pre-match instructions from the coaches. It was felt in the audience that the match, although friendly, was approached by both sides fully armed and with a great desire to prove themselves in action.

"This is the final stage of the training camp, which has been taking place on the territory of CSKA Moscow since June 23," CSKA chief Artyom Gromov told Izvestia. — The guys from the DPRK went through a training camp, studied consistently, and our great Olympic champions conducted master classes with them. And today we will see the result they have achieved.

Artyom Gromov said that these are the first joint training camps of the teams of the two countries. The initiative to hold them belongs to Russia and was enthusiastically supported in North Korea. This cooperation will continue in the future.

"Literally in September, our national team will go to a training camp in the DPRK in order to improve their level,— explained Artem Gromov. — In addition, we have several events planned to be held in the Russian Federation next year: the wrestling championship in Novosibirsk and the climbing championship in Moscow. We will also hold rugby and sambo competitions.

According to Artem Gromov, the training sessions of the boxers were as intense and fruitful as possible.

"The team arrived very technically prepared and disciplined, and it was a pleasure to work with them at the training camp," he stressed.

These words were confirmed by our fighters who are preparing for the fight.

— We were on friendly terms at the training camp, we kept in touch, — Russian boxer Alexander Ivanov told the Izvestia correspondent. — We had a vacation together. As comrades, they are great guys, humorous and interesting. Good friends.

— But there are no friends in the ring, right?

— Of course, there are only rivals in the ring, — Alexander agreed. — And it won't be easy for all of us!

There was half an hour left before entering the ring. My interlocutor was called off by the trainer and the boxer, throwing a towel over his shoulders, went to warm up.

"That's their style, maximum activity."

In the first match, Rinata Bezel and Ri Won Joo came together in the ring. The Korean woman immediately went forward, trying to drive our athlete into a corner of the ring with a series of punches.

"That's their style, maximum activity," said the male boxers from CSKA standing nearby.

— Move, don't go into the corner, go out into the open, left-left! Our trainers started shouting at Rinata.

The girl coped — she went out into the open and carried out a series of good attacks. Then the Korean coaches began to worry and shout loudly, prompting their ward.

After the match, the referee raised his hands up to the two athletes — friendship won. Immediately after the fight, I catch Rinata and ask her how the sparring went. She hasn't recovered from the heat of the fight yet, and she's shaking a little as her body digests the excess adrenaline released into her bloodstream.

— How was the duel?

"The opponent fought desperately," Rinata says, wiping her face with a towel from sweat. — You could say I was fighting, I just had to save myself at the beginning. Then start working systematically. I'm not saying it was easy for me. It was very exciting for me.

— Was it interesting?

"I'm grateful for the match," she said. — He was very useful for us and for the Korean athletes.

Alexander Ivanov followed into the ring against Korean Rom Pom. Our boxer is noticeably taller than his opponent — this is his advantage, and, of course, the Korean athlete understood this.

Rom Pom stubbornly went forward so that his opponent could not take advantage of his height advantage — even missing punches, he tried to get closer. During the match, the boxers clinched more than once. Already in the second round, it became clear that the Korean was barely keeping up the exorbitant pace that he had set at the very beginning of the meeting.

It was Alexander's time, and he took advantage of his advantage by launching some beautiful attacks.

— The opponent is very good, shorter than me, but faster, — said Alexander. — It is clear that his technique is good. Koreans are strong guys: they are fast and technical. Of course, there are disadvantages, but they are working on them. It shows. In two weeks, they've fixed a lot in front of our eyes.

"Thank you for your military assistance in the Kursk region"

The fights aroused sincere interest, each of them ended with applause. The fans appreciated the dedication of the athletes. Everyone liked the Korean athletes.

— Thank you for your military assistance in the Kursk region, — such words of gratitude could be heard after boxing matches.

The armies of Russia and the DPRK worked closely together during the operation to liberate the Kursk region. On April 26, the head of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov, reported to the President of Russia that the region had been completely cleared of the Armed Forces. He also noted the participation of North Korean military personnel in the liberation of the border areas of the Kursk region, who, in accordance with the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement between the countries, provided significant assistance in defeating Ukrainian formations.

"Soldiers and officers of the Korean People's Army, carrying out combat missions shoulder to shoulder with Russian servicemen, showed high professionalism during the repulse of the Ukrainian invasion, showed perseverance, courage and heroism in battle," Valery Gerasimov said.

Two days later, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea officially confirmed the dispatch of army special forces to the territory of the Russian Federation.

In June, the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Sergei Shoigu, said after a visit to the DPRK that Kim Jong-un had decided to send 1,000 sappers and 5,000 military construction workers to restore the Kursk region.