Boxing Cyprus
The chance of Cyprus being represented at the Olympics in the boxing ring is slim, despite the fact that amateur boxing on the island is growing in popularity
Despite having a real love for most sports, I had very little idea about boxing – and wasn’t even aware there were two types: amateur and professional – and I usually changed the channel whenever boxing appeared on TV. Like many others, the first thing that came to mind whenever I heard the word boxing was Sylvester Stallone in Rocky.
Boxing can be regarded as one of the most well known sports in the world, and amateur boxing is one of the most illustrious Olympic sports. When boxing first arrived in the Athens Olympic Games the tools of the trade were long strips of leather wrapped around boxers’ fists. The fight continued until one man or the other went down, or conceded.
When the modern Games resumed in 1896, the Athens organising committee omitted boxing, deciding it was too dangerous. The sport reappeared in 1904 in St. Louis, thanks to its popularity in the United States, and then disappeared again in 1912 at Stockholm because Sweden’s national law banned it. Only in 1920 did boxing return to the Olympic Games to stay.
Walking into the gym where I was set to meet Andreas Ioannou, a boxing coach and one of the founding members of the Cyprus Olympic Boxing Federation, the number of children probably dreaming of being the next Muhammad Ali or Lennox Lewis was overwhelming.
The scene at the gym was a mixture of children simply enjoying themselves, with their coach trying to teach them the fundamentals of the sport, teenagers who saw boxing as an opportunity to vent their frustration and others who appeared focused and dedicated to their task.
The most interesting scene to observe was the young children, who looked so eager to listen to what their coach had to say to them so that they could learn enough to have bragging rights over their friends that they knew how to throw a punch.
Despite this, Olympic boxing is not a popular sport in Cyprus. For a child looking to learn a martial art, he now has a wide array of choice, whether it is called karate, judo, kickboxing, taekwondo, capoeira, or even jujutsu.
So the first question I posed to Ioannou as we mulled over the problems the Amateur Boxing Federation were experiencing, was given the number of people who are taking up sports and martial arts, why was it that so many overlooked boxing?
“To be honest, most people are not really aware of what amateur boxing is about. All they know is from what they see on television and in the movies. Everyone knows of the Rocky films and they associate boxing with the movie, something which is not representative in any way.
“In a way, therefore, the media damages our sport. Not many parents will want to send their children for boxing lessons because they are scared due to the reputation the sport has developed.”
The first surprise for me came when Ioannou said there was actually a very strict set of laws in amateur boxing. As we went over the rules of a fight, it became apparent that amateur boxing was much more than getting in the ring and throwing a few wild punches trying to knock someone out. In both amateur and Olympic boxing, protective head gear is mandatory for competitors, while there is a point scoring system rather than physical damage or knockouts.
“Each fight consists of four rounds of two minutes each. There are very harsh rules and referees will stop the game after a hit. The contestant is given 10 seconds to relax. The victory is then decided on points. Professional boxing is so much different with many more rounds.”
Ioannou came to Cyprus from Australia in 1979 and was approached by a friend who had boxed in Athens. He knew that Ioannou had boxed in Australia and as there was no boxing federation on the island, they attempted to make the dream of Olympic boxing in Cyprus a reality.
“We started in 1982 with a movement to write up boxing clubs in Nicosia, Latsia, Limassol, Larnaca and Paralimni. The organisation was initially called COPY and we held fights in just one boxing ring. We functioned until 1986 and held local fights between competitors from the Latsia boxing club.
“In 1990, after a political issue arose, the Cyprus Sports Federation (CSF) finally began helping us. They called in around five coaches and we set up the organisation and became official members of the European Federation. In the same year, the European Boxing Congress took place in Cyprus.”
According to Ioannou, at the moment there are nine amateur boxing clubs throughout the island, including two clubs, the ones in Lythrodontas and Troodos, which are on ‘trial’. Things are picking up for boxing in Cyprus with some 650 members across all boxing categories, while some Cypriots have even become international referees.
“The biggest achievements by our athletes up to now have been in Mediterranean and Commonwealth games. Rudik Kazajian, who retired in 2002, got three bronze medals. At the moment our greatest prospect is Ovidiou Bobirnat. He won the silver medal at the 2005 Mediterranean games in Almeria in Spain, while he also finished in fifth position in the European games of 2004.
“At the moment the selection for European and international events goes through performances at the national level. Performances are judged and points are amassed from national championships and the standard for international events is set.
“We also had some success in the women’s game as we won two bronze medals in the First European Cup in 1999 in Sweden.”
Women’s boxing has undergone some major problems in the 20th century, with most nations banning it. It had appeared in the 1904 Olympics at a demonstration bout, with its revival pioneered by Swedish Amateur Boxing in 1988. The British Amateur Boxing Federation sanctioned its first boxing competition for women in 1997 and the First European Cup took place in 1999. Women’s boxing however will not be at the 2008 Olympics while it is also very unlikely to become an official sport at the 2012 Olympics.
With the Beijing Olympics in 2008 not that far off, is there was any chance for Cyprus to be represented in the ring?
“Well, who knows? We do have three or four hopefuls and we are placing most our hopes on Bobirnat to be honest as he is our most experienced boxer. He has been involved in 200 to 300 fights. Something that very few people would be aware of is that he has actually taken part in Olympic Games before, representing Romania, not Cyprus, in the Sydney 2000 Olympics.”
“However, we cannot get ahead of ourselves. We have started preparations and training and we definitely need plenty of that. In order for one of our athletes to qualify for the Olympic Games it will be a long and hard road. The first qualifying round is the International Championship taking place in September in Russia. They need to have had a few fights before that before these events begin coming thick and fast so that they are ready. There are a total of 11 categories and four athletes from each group will gain qualification. After the championship in Russia there are two more qualifying rounds, we would hope to have at least one person representing us in the Olympics. We are wishing that this could possibly be our chance.”
Ioannou, who is one of the current coaches of the national team and very involved in the preparations, said “it would me an absolutely massive achievement. It is definitely not something simple or easy by any means.”
The results for such an achievement would propel the sport to a new level. “The profile of the sport would be raised immensely. At the moment, nobody actually comes in contact with boxing in Cyprus. The media do not advertise it, nothing is televised and nobody sees a proper boxing fight so
that they can see what actually goes on. Therefore how can the average Cypriot recognise it and fall in love with the sport?
“If something like this does happen though it could have the same sort of effect that Marcos Bagdhatis’ performances had for raising the status of tennis.”
With the prospect of something of that magnitude unlikely, it does appear though that amateur boxing in Cyprus is on the up. Any sort of success in a major championship or even a Cypriot presence in the Beijing Olympic Games would certainly not go amiss.
One liners
Muhammad Ali, possibly the greatest-ever professional boxer, will not only be remembered for his abilities in the ring, but also for his legendary one-liners and witty as well as arrogant comments:
‘I’m not the greatest; I’m the double greatest. Not only do I knock ’em out, I pick the round.’
‘It’s just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up.’
‘I done wrestled with an alligator, I done tussled with a whale; handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder in jail; only last week, I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalised a brick; I’m so mean I make medicine sick.’
‘I’m so fast that last night I turned off the light switch in my hotel room and got into bed before the room was dark.’
‘I’m the best. I just haven’t played yet.’ (On playing golf)
‘A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.’
‘Frazier is so ugly that he should donate his face to the US Bureau of Wildlife.’
‘Joe Frazier is so ugly that when he cries, the tears turn around and go down the back of his head.’
(Comments before his fight against Joe Frazier)
‘Why, Chump, I bet you scare yourself to death just starin’ in the mirror. You ugly bear! You ain’t never fought nobody but tramps and has beens. You call yourself a world champion? You’re too old and slow to be champion!’
(To Sonny Lisbon before their fight in 1964)
On the silver screen
The release late last year of the latest Rocky film, Rocky Balboa, brought both the sport and the franchise back into focus.
The release of Rocky in 1976 was the stepping stone that turned Sylvester Stallone from an unknown actor into a world-wide star. The hero of the screenplay, which was penned by Stallone himself, also became a champion in the hearts and minds of millions of people around the world.
Rocky won three Academy Awards in 1976 for Best Picture, Directing and Film Editing. Rocky ranks among the greatest movies of all time, with the latest release, Rocky Balboa, finding its way to the top of both the UK and US Box Office charts.
In December 2006, Rocky Balboa made even more history by donating some of the famous items from the movie to the National Museum of American History. The items that joined the museum’s entertainment collection include the boxing robe Stallone wore to his fight against Apollo Creed in Rocky, the signature black hat and a pair of autographed boxing gloves from Rocky II (1979); and a pair of boxing shorts and shoes from Rocky III (1982).
The National Museum of American History collects and preserves American heritage in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific and military history. The memorabilia from Rocky will be in good company at the museum as they join items from Indiana Jones, Star Wars and The Wizard of Oz.
