Chechen refugee boxing for Team Canada
Boxer says it’s his way of giving back to Canada
Arthur Biyarslanov has been boxing for 8½ years, but his fight began much earlier.
The Chechen refugee was forced to abandon his home at age four when a perennial conflict over independence from Russia escalated into full-scale war.
His family escaped Chechnya in favour of neighbouring Azerbaijan — another former Soviet republic — and remained there for six years before relocating to Canada in 2005.
That’s when one fight ended and another began.
“I didn’t know I would be a boxer,” said the 21-year-old Toronto resident, who was in Regina on Friday for the Ken Goff Memorial Boxing Classic. “My brother used to box so he kind of pushed me to box with him. Eventually I became better and better. I started winning and that’s how I fell in love with it.”
Biyarslanov’s passion for the sport has helped him become a rising star on the national team. He won gold in the 64-kilogram weight class at last year’s Pan American Games in Toronto and recently qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
“Boxing suits me well and that’s why I’m here,” explained Biyarslanov, who also grew up playing soccer. “I’ve been through a lot. I’ve been fighting my whole life so I chose boxing as my sport over soccer and, here I am, representing Canada internationally and now in the Olympics. I can’t wait.”
Biyarslanov officially became a Canadian citizen in 2011 and is thankful every day for the opportunities his new home has provided.
That said, Chechnya remains close to his heart.
“It’s what I am. It’s who I am,” he said. “I was there two years ago (to visit family). It’s always nice to go back to your homeland where you were born. It’s very nice to see how it is developing right now. Everything is very beautiful now.”
Biyarslanov admits he doesn’t remember much about the wartorn region he left behind as a preschooler.
Some of his most vivid childhood memories are from several years later when he arrived in Canada — a completely foreign land.
“I was young enough that it was easier (to adjust) but it’s always hard when you move to a new country to get used to the way they live and the way people are,” he said. “When I moved to Azerbaijan it was different and when I moved to Canada also it was very different. But I’m a Canadian now.”
Nicknamed the Chechen Wolf, Biyarslanov is a leading contender to become the first Canadian boxer to reach the Olympic podium since Atlanta in 1996. His adopted country hasn’t won gold since Lennox Lewis did it at the Seoul Games in 1988.
“If I wasn’t in Canada I would never have been a boxer (or) who I am today,” he noted. “It opened up a lot of doors for me and gave me a lot of freedom and opportunities. That’s why I want to give back to Canada.”
Since he has already qualified for Rio, Biyarslanov’s trip to Regina for the Ken Goff Classic is being treated as a tune-up for the Olympic Games in August. He’s also slated to appear in the Brandt Cup on Sunday (1 p.m., Double Tree by Hilton Hotel) for a rematch of Friday’s bouts between Canada and Germany.
“(Biyarslanov) has come a long way very quickly but he has put a lot of hard work in,” said national team coach Kevin Howard.
“That’s where the results come from. I’ve seen him for the last couple of years on the national team and he has just been growing and growing. He’s a very dedicated, very focused athlete and we look forward to seeing him perform in Rio.”
Biyarslanov’s raw potential has been apparent for some time, but the turning point came last year when he won gold at the Pan Am Games. He did it by upsetting Cuban Yasniel Toledo, the Pan Am champion in 2011.
“That’s what gave me the boost to go to the Olympic qualifiers and showed I’m one of the best in the world,” he added. “My purpose every tournament is to win gold. I don’t just go there for participation. I’m happy that I qualified for the Olympics but my goal is not done. I want to win gold for Canada.”