Poland, Warsaw, Hotel Hyatt, Casinos Poland

29th October 2005

So let’s remind some issues of my (sorry, it’s happened so) account of that day. I should also remind you that then it was one-day tournament, on the right arm only.

A magical place and a magical sport

“From year to year Igor Mazurenko’s tournament were profiting in any way, shape or form. The sports level was obvious due to the “highest concentration” of the Champions at one table. The organizational level was the matter of the Team which was being created in successive fights. For me, the most important is that as the players, the audience was also “growing” and learning. Many of the Polish fans, invited even by accident, started to train and suddenly, you meet someone you talked to last year and it turns out… he’s starting this year. Armwrestling “infects” in the good sense. The next events in elegant places made the audience wear festive cloths. The elegance and strength. That’s how the crowd, getting denser as cup-final was coming could be described. The casino was an unusual place for most of those people. It’s of course a magical place (until you start to gamble of course) of cumulated excitement. That’s way it was the best choice of the organizers.”

For the first time in the history of our sport a live broadcast took place! The event was broadcasted by POLSAT SPORT.

Scored:

-63 kg - Victor Bratchenia.

-70 kg - Khadzimurad Zoloev.

-78 kg - Arsen Liliev.

-86 kg - Rustam Babayev.

-95 kg - Dzambolat Tsoriev.

+95 kg - Andrey Pushkar.

OPEN - Travis Bagent.

Of course the most exciting for the audience was the open class. So again a few words from my account:

“ That was really something! A duel Semerenko vs Brzęk. Just after a command  John’s hand literally flew to the lost position so that he hardly managed to defend and start a counterattack. It lasted about 40 seconds. A referee noticed a faul. When the hold their hands for the secondo time, John attacked in a way that Semerenko, after his hand touched the pad, made a step back and... He fall down just as a knocked out boxer. Cameras couldn’t show it as the whole audience stood up to watch this unusual situation. Travis Bagent bursted onto the stage to lift the player. The audience was going mad!”

Both of them, John and “Sem” couldn’t play any other role in this battle.

And what about Travis? The next months showed that a real professional uses his wins not only receiving envelopes with reward and especially promoting himself at important events. Travis, just after the cup singed up a formal contract with a supplement producer. Although it didn’t last long (a disqualification after a famous scandal in Manchester), then it was really beneficial for him.

Some of the heroes of that day we will also be able to see in the InterContinental in Warsaw on the 9^th-11^th November at the NEMIROFF WORLD CUP 2012. They are seven years older but they still hold sway!

PeSzy