Levan Shonia (15-12, 11 KOs), a journeyman from Georgia living in Kiev, who became the hero of the scandalous episode with "beating his own coach" last weekend, commented on the situation that had developed in the ring in the fight against the local Spas Genov (10 0, 7 KOs) on October 27 at a boxing evening in Sofia, Bulgaria, and named the reasons that made him lose his temper.
“I learned about the fight against Genov a week before. The offer was not very good, but I agreed. At first they talked about 167 pounds, closer to the battle they said that there would be 175. At the weigh-in, I learned that my opponent was generally allowed to weigh 180. I was a maximum of 175 without proper training,” said Shonia.
“In the contract for the fight, which is in my hands, 8 rounds were sited. Therefore, when the fight was stopped after the sixth, and the referee began to separate us, I was outraged. I slowly enter the fight, get warm gradually, building up with each round and was going to give everything in the last two rounds. Nobody told me that the meeting from 8 rounds was suddenly changed to a 6 round fight.”
“I saw what they wrote later about what happened. Like, a boxer beat his coach up. But in the corner was not my coach. It was a manager, who did not bother to tell me about the change in the number of rounds, also he did not protect my interests due to the weight advantage of the opponent. I have all my fights by myself and I train myself. I am my own coach.”
“After the incident, there was even a talk not to pay me. But the situation, in the end, was decided in my favor. I got my money and I was not disqualified.”
“Did I feel famous now? Well no. In Sofia after the battle, people came up, took pictures, talked with me. In Kiev, everything is calm. I didn’t become popular,” Shonia said.
