Serik Konakbayev got into sports by accident. But that didn't stop him from becoming the best amateur boxer in the world in 1981. And of all his fights, he lost only six fights.
Biography
Serik and his twin brother Erik were born in 1959 in Pavlodar (Kazakhstan). The boys' father, Kerimbek, was a well-known person in the city, had a Ph. D. in a technical profile. He is also the author of the first textbook in the Kazakh language "Descriptive Geometry". Mother Baltugan worked at the school.
Serik's childhood fell on difficult Soviet times. At first, the brothers took a great interest in football, they also went in for athletics and swimming. And they came to boxing by chance - once Serik's brother was beaten on the street, and his father decided to send the guys to the section to his friend. Honored coach Yu Tskhai became the boys' first mentor.
Before training in the boxing section, Serik could not even imagine that this sport would determine his fate for many years. He was generally a calm and non-conflict child, he tried to avoid fights and fights. His favorite subject was literature, sometimes he wrote poetry.
However, Tskhai had a peculiar approach to his studies. The pupils practiced not only defensive movements, but also studied the elements of folk dances. Gradually, Serik was so carried away by training that by the age of 16 he was known throughout the Union.
In 1977, a misfortune happens in the family - Serik's father died in a car accident. He always believed in his son and claimed that he would become the best boxer in the world. According to Konakbaev, he devoted all his subsequent achievements to his father.
First world victories
By the age of 18, Serik had amassed an impressive collection of medals at the national level in the youth category. He is included in the adult team. 1979 brought him two more significant achievements - victory at the World Cup (New York) and the European Cup (Germany). He performed in the category up to 63.5 kg.
Olympics-80
As it turned out, this was the next step towards the dream of any athlete. The 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow were approaching. S. Konakbaev was the captain of the Soviet national team and was one of the favorites in his sport.
Konakbaev passed three stages of the tournament easily and confidently. In the semifinals, he faced a fight with Cuban H. Aguilar, who knocked out his two previous rivals. The fight for Serik was not easy, he was knocked down for the first time in his career. But he was able to withstand, turn the tide of the fight and won with a score of 4: 1. This fight is still considered "alphabetical" in boxing and is demonstrated to all novice athletes.
The final battle with P. Oliva is still controversial among experts. In the end, the victory went to the Italian, Konakbaev received silver. Yu Tskhai claims that he has watched the fight several dozen times and is confident in the victory of his pupil. But the judges decided otherwise, and Serik himself commented on this philosophically: "sometimes you have to lose in order not to lose touch with reality."
Best boxer in the world
In 1981 S. Konakbaev won the World Cup and European Championship in two weight categories. This happened for the first time in the history of world boxing. Konakbayev was declared the best amateur boxer in the world, after which an offer was made to fight the best in the pro category (it was Ray Leonard). But here politics intervened: world politics and Goskomsport. In the USSR at that time, professional boxing was not a recognized type, and the Soviet Union had "cold relations" with the United States.
In the future, the boxer's career was just as successful. In 1983-1984, not a single battle was lost. Serik was preparing for the next Olympics and revenge. But politics got in the way again - in 1984 the USSR boycotted the games in Los Angeles.
S. Konakbaev lost only six out of three hundred fights. By the age of 25, the athlete has achieved almost all awards in sports and completed his career.
Life after sports
Having finished with active competitive days, Konakbaev went to study. He has two higher educations: in the construction profile and in law. In 2006 he became a candidate of economic sciences.
Labor career went up the Komsomol ladder. He was the head of the Komsomol construction site (Almaty Canal), the secretary of the regional and city committee. Coached the Kazakh boxing team. Was among the leaders of one of the regions in Kazakhstan. Since 1992, he has been closely associated with the Boxing Federation in Kazakhstan.
From 1999 to 2011 - Member of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Konakbayev has always been distinguished by responsibility and professionalism, therefore his work has been marked with many awards. Among them are the medals "For Labor Valor" and "For Labor Distinction", received back in the days of the Soviet Union. There are awards given by the Government of Kazakhstan. In addition, Konakbayev is an Honorary Citizen of Pavlodar and Honorary Professor at the Academy of Sports and Tourism.
Personal life
Serik Konakbayev has been married since 1982. His wife Sholpan Isatayevna defended her thesis on the topic "Medical intelligentsia of Kazakhstan". For the anniversary of the athlete in 2019, her book was published, describing the life and achievements of her husband.
The couple have three children - daughters Ayala, Alua and son Amanat. The eldest daughter now heads the SK Boxing school, while she herself is engaged in this sport.
The renowned boxer has experience in filming a movie. He can be seen in the films "Pirates of the 20th Century" and "Secrets of Madame Wong".
