Translations by Ms. Suad Salimova
In my opinion there are two major groups of great fighters: Powerful tough guys who through shear will-power alone keep going forward, slugging it out toe to toe, no matter the cost, though possibly with some weaving and bobbing thrown in because they’re usually not idiots; and tactician/strategists who usually specialize in counter fighting. They also slip, weave and bob, but as part of set-ups to extraordinary counter attacks. When they do attack, one never knows which is the real attack and which is simply feigned. In fact, such is their art that one rarely sees the real attack coming. Both groups are awesome, both worthy of high esteem.
Into the latter category I’d put artists like “Gentleman” Jim Corbett, Mohammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Bruce Lee, Giorgio Petrosyan, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and only a few others. But here I’d like to add one more to that list.
Though most people in the U.S. don’t know Ramil Allahverdiyev of Baku, Azerbaijan, his record winning Gold at 19 World Championships and 8 European Championships is unprecedented in the hard-hitting Sanda world. He is respected and honored as a super-champion in China, the rest of Asia and Europe. His nickname in China is “Professor of the Ring.” Earning that title in China is no joke. It’s a serious, very high-level compliment.
I first met Ramil three years ago at the International Wushu Championships in Beijing sponsored by Mr. Fu Biao of Beijing Shaolin and the Chinese Wushu Association. At that time I knew he was an extraordinary fighter, but then his whole team was just – freaking – amazing. Their standup fighting tested – ferociously – the best in the world, and their wrestling takedowns were sheer poetry.
Born in 1977, Ramil Allahverdiyev started learning Kung Fu at the age of 13 in 1990. Like many of the great fighters of today, as a boy he watched Bruce Lee movies and Mohammad Ali fights, which inspired in him a dream which through endless training with extraordinary masters he has since made a reality. And now, he is (though he might not want to admit it) one of those extraordinary master trainers himself, even though he’s still fighting, and winning at the not-so-tender age of 38.
When meeting extraordinary individuals I always wonder, “From what fiery crucible did this person emerge stronger, faster, and trickier, than so many others?”
After last summer’s Wushu Championships here in Beijing, we kept in contact on Facebook, and communicated using mainly google translator, which, when I clicked on “detect language,” revealed that he uses a wide mix of languages; unfortunately, English isn’t one of them.
Very eager to know his story, I asked if he knew a translator who could help me do an interview.
Enter Miss Suad Salimova, a student of Ramil’s who volunteered to translate my 101 questions into Azerbaijani, and Ramil’s answers into English. Here are some of the things I learned.
The son of an engineer, he was born and raised in the city of Ganja. His first martial arts training was in Karate, and his teacher was one of the most famous athletes in Azerbaijan, named Zahid. “He taught me everything: to respect adults and how to win.” While continuing that training, he expanded to boxing, kickboxing and then more formal wrestling training. “I trained hard and started learning how to apply all this in Sanda,” he said.
When asked how his entire team came to have such peerless takedown skills, he said, “Wrestling is our traditional sport in Azerbaijan. Since childhood we begin to train in wrestling; that’s why our fighters seem to be especially good at it.”
As for his training regimen, “I train hard twice a day for two hours. I’m always working on myself and don’t allow my opponents to have much chance to examine me. I work to always remain a mystery to others.” This sounded like something Sun Tzu might have said.
When asked if there were any other super-champions like him around these days, he said, “I’m no super-champion; I just love what I do. There is another champion in Azerbaijan named Emil Hajiyev. He’s won six golds at World Championships.”
As for his toughest competition, “My hardest fight was in 2009. I won against Iran's fighter. It was really extreme but it was there that I got the award for being ‘Best Fighter’ in 2009.”
How many countries has he fought in? “I don’t really know, but they include Russia, Brazil, Germany, Dubai, Georgia, Ukraine, Italy, Portugal, Turkey, China, Japan, America, Kyrgyzstan, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Iran, Spain, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan.”
At age 38, Ramil is getting up in years for a fighter. When asked how long he could keep it up, he said, “I have no plan to retire at the moment, but maybe when I’m 40. I will always win and only God can help me in this.”
Why are the Azerbaijan teams so great? “I think it’s mainly the teacher, and individual’s desire. In many ways individual desire is the most important thing. But our country’s sports teams have improved a lot in recent years.”
Ramil is the Senior Coach of the National Team. Asked about this, he said, “Every day we train hard. We try to be the best and don’t relax for a second. We never give up and that’s why our team gives good results.”
Does his government support him in any way? “They help with transportation and hotels for foreign competitions, and I got an apartment and the title of ‘Honored Coach and Athlete’ from our President. Some sports people have regular sponsors, some don’t.”
Ramil is something of a living legend in his country. He’s been interviewed on all the TV channels, and been shown training his students. “When I go to the airport so many people know me and stay to see me off. It’s touching really.”
When asked what he fuels up on in terms of nutrition, he said, “For breakfast I usually eat simple useful foods like cheese, fruits, sweet tea with lemon and sausages. Azerbaijan food is really very tasty and my favorite foods are the same as our national foods: Dolma, Piti, and Shashlick.” (Researching these foods, I found the following poll results given by International Research Group Business Insight (BI): Using a sample of 660 respondents in Baku (the capital of Azerbaijan), they found that 64% of the population named Dolma – minced meat in grape leaves – as their favorite food. Fourteen percent preferred Shashlik, which is a kebab, and 3% Piti, which is lamb with vegetables.)
Ramil is married and has a son and daughter. When asked whether he thought his son would follow in his footsteps in the Sanda world, he said, “I don’t know, he’s studying Taekwondo now and likes it, but I don’t really want him to be a professional athlete. I just want him to study hard and learn several foreign languages. Both my son and daughter take classes at private academies outside school to improve their foreign language abilities. I think English is especially important and everyone should learn English these days.”
How about advice for young fighters? “Study parallel sports like boxing and wrestling. Sanda is based on Kung Fu techniques, as well many other sports. Study them. Learn, never forget the ancient Kung Fu, never give up and always be confident!”
Asked if he had a personal philosophy that’s helped him become the champion he is, Ramil responded: “My coach taught me that ‘in all situations be a champion; always be confident.’ I also believe always respect my rivals.
“I am not a great fighter,” he added. “I just like to fight and love my job. If I was born again I would want to be a Sanda fighter again.”
After my e-interview with Ramil, I asked Ms. Suad how she came to know Ramil. “I used to train with another coach,” she said, “but I switched over to Ramil’s classes. His training is the best I’ve ever seen. He trains hard, but with the heart, and puts all of his power into his students.”
Having met Ramil several times over the past few years, and having seen him in 12 or 13 fights, I’d say this is the key to the man: He puts his whole heart into whatever he does. Watching his takedowns in the heat of battle, one sees that he doesn’t slam his opponents as hard as he can – just enough to make his point.
Thus, Ramil Allahverdiyev of Baku, Azerbaijan, is a true Kung Fu Sanda master fighter, world class champion, honored coach and trainer, and professor of the ring, with a king-sized heart.
