Serik Säpiev

Serik Säpijew medal table
Serik Säpiev
Boxing
Kazakhstan
Olympic games
gold	2012	Welterweight
World championships
silver	2011	Welterweight
bronze	2009	Welterweight
gold	2007	Light welterweight
gold	2005	Light welterweight
Asian Games
gold	2010	Welterweight
bronze	2006	Light welterweight
Asian Championships
gold	2009	Welterweight
gold	2007	Light welterweight

Cyrillic ( Kazakh )
	Серік Сәпиев
Latin :	Serik Säpïev
Transcr. :	Serik Säpiev

Serik Schumanghaliuly Säpijew ( Kazakh Серік Жұманғалиұлы Сәпиев / Serik Jumanğalïulı Säpïev; born November 16, 1983 in Abai , Qaraghandy region ) is a former Kazakh boxer . Among other things, he was world champion in 2005 and 2007 in the light welterweight division, as well as third place in the 2009 World Cup, second place in 2011 and 2012 Olympic champion in welterweight.

Boxing career

Serik Säpijew started boxing when he was a child and was trained by Alexander Strelnikov. The southpaw was already in 2001 Kazakh youth champion. With the adults he won the national championship titles in lightweight, light welterweight and welterweight in the following years. He has also won international tournaments in Bulgaria, Germany, France, Kazakhstan, Poland, Russia, Thailand and Ukraine, among others.

In 2004 he won the lightweight world championships (CISM) in Fort Huachuca , defeating the eventual world champion Domenico Valentino . He was also used at the Team World Cup in Moscow in 2005 and won all of his three fights for the Kazakh team, including one against eventual world champion Yordenis Ugás . He was then used at the 2005 World Championships in Mianyang and won the gold medal in the light welterweight division, after he had prevailed against Pavol Hlavačka, Karl Dargan, Mykola Semenyaga, Emil Magerramov and Dilshod Mahmudov.

At the Asian Games in Doha in 2006 , he won a bronze medal in the light welterweight division. After three early wins, including against Manoj Kumar , he had reached the semifinals, where he lost 18:22 to the Olympic champion Manus Boonjumnong . At the Asian Championships in 2007 in Ulaanbaatar he was then Asian champion for the first time after he had defeated Bjambyn Tüwschinbat in the final of the light welterweight division . He repeated winning a world championship gold medal in the light welterweight division at the 2007 World Championships in Chicago by winning against Milan Piperski, Eduardo Mendoza, Kevin Bizier , Morteza Sepahvand , Masatsugu Kawachi and Gennadi Kowaljow . With this success he was also qualified for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing , where he was eliminated in the quarterfinals 5-7 against Manus Boonjumnong.

He then boxed welterweight. In 2009 he won the Asian Championships in Zhuhai with three early victories and took part in the 2009 World Championships in Milan , where he won a bronze medal. After victories against Hugo Miyenikoue, Emil Maharramov, Taras Schelestjuk and Asadullo Boimurodov, he was defeated in the semi-finals against Andrei Samkowoi .

He won the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou with a final victory against Uktamjon Rahmonov. In addition, at the 2011 World Championships in Baku against Carlos Sánchez, Apichet Sansit, Yasuhiro Suzuki, Errol Spence and Egidijus Kavaliauskas, he advanced to the final, where this time he was defeated by Taras Schelestjuk and became vice world champion.

In 2012 he defeated in an international team tournament in Almaty , among others Alexis Vastine and Andrei Samkowoi, and the chemistry Cup in Germany Myke Carvalho , Errol Spence, Patrick Wojcicki and Arajik Marutjan . At the 2012 Olympic Games in London , he defeated Yasuhiro Suzuki, Gabriel Maestre , Andrei Samkowoi and Fred Evans , winning the Olympic gold medal and was also awarded the Val Barker Cup as the most outstanding boxer of the games.

After boxing

Serik Säpijew graduated from the University of Karaganda with a degree in physical education and law. In 2014 he graduated from Brunel University in London and in 2016 received a master's degree in educational sciences from the Kazakh Academy of Sports and Tourism. He also worked as a trainer and sports director of the Kazakh Boxing Association and became General Director of the Kazakh team Astana Arlans , which competes in the World Series of Boxing .

A training center and a youth tournament in Karagandy were named after him, and in 2013 he was named Ambassador for Sport by UNESCO . He is also a member of the AIBA Athletes & Youth Commission.

Since February 2017 he has been a member of the Mäschilis , the lower house of the Kazakh parliament, and was a member of the committee for socio-cultural development. In January 2019, the Minister of Culture and Sport appointed him Chairman of the Committee on Sport and Exercise.

Web links

• Serik Säpijew in the database of Sports-Reference (English; archived from the original )
• Mr. Serik Sapiyev is the new member of the Kazakh Parliament, ASBC
• Serik Sapiyev: Without Losses There Won't Be Victories
• Boxing champion Serik Sapiyev spearheads Kazakhstan's dream to host Summer Olympics
• Serik Sapiyev was appointed as a Chairman of the Committee for Sport and Physical Education

Individual evidence