October 2020 – Begench Nurmuhammedov
Our Contender of The Month for October 2020 is Begench Nurmuhammedov, known as Bega, who has been with Contenders for two years. Bega is a hard worker with a humble attitude, and well-liked by our members who have had the opportunity to work with him in classes.
Here is the Q & A with Bega.
Q: What made you want to learn boxing?
A: I had never tried boxing prior to joining Contenders. When I had basketball training camps (Bega was a professional basketball player in Europe before moving to Canada), there were bunch of athletes there, and only boxers played ball with us all the time. Probably they wanted cardio. And I really liked how they played, not offensively but defensively, speed, foot work, stealing, jumping, strength, and stamina. This is when I noticed the sport of boxing, and had a thought “man they are really good at my sport. What if one day I try theirs”.
Later when I moved to Canada and was playing basketball with my friends at a community centre, there was a dude who played exact same way I had seen before, and he turned out to be a boxer. I remembered my old thoughts about trying boxing, and after that I watched a couple of Youtube videos and went to Contenders.
Q: What do you like about doing boxing?
A: COORDINATION, head movement and foot work. Avoiding punches and controlling your body at the highest level when somebody is trying to hurt you?!?! It is pure beauty!
Q: Which is your most favourite class at Contenders?
A: Fundamentals. Everything starts from fundamentals. I want to get to the point where I am able to execute small details that are involved in punching and other movements in boxing with flow, without even thinking about them.
Q: What is your goal in boxing?
A: My goal is to see how much I can learn from this sport starting late. My goal is to learn, and I hope other things will come as a bonus.
Q: What is your weakness in boxing you are trying to improve?
A: I am not quite sure how to answer this because I have a lot of weaknesses, but things that I am super excited to work on and wish to improve are defensive skills such as head movement, footwork, and blocking. I want to see what’s coming and read it.
Q: Who/what inspires you to keep training?
A: I am very passionate about boxing. I enjoy it a lot, so it’s not difficult to keep training. I watch boxers like Roy Jones jr, Bernard Hopkins, Lomachenko, and Mayweather. Of course, it’s awesome to be healthy and in good shape, but this comes as a bonus when you truly enjoy training.
Q: Tell us something about you that most of us don’t know.
A: This one is a funny one. I am scared of small dogs. Probably it comes from my childhood. I panic around small dogs.
Q: What do you like to do in your free time other than boxing?
A: I like to play some games on PS, draw something, and watch boxing and basketball.
Q: What is your advice for those who are new to boxing?
A: My advice is to keep doing what you do and enjoy the process! You are in good hands!
