'Get fierce, you're a Tatar!' 86-year-old coach's boxing videos delight
Videos of Tatar coach Rafik Safievich Rafikov, who trains children at the Boris Lagutin boxing school in Moscow, are garnering tens and even hundreds of thousands of views. The videos featuring the strict but fair and cheerful master are posted on the blog of boxing coach and one of his students, Emil.
In his teaching, Rafik Safievich adheres to a strict Soviet upbringing model and does not mince words when making remarks or praising his young charges. Online, the coach is better known as Safievich.
The 86-year-old coach himself moves with the help of a wheeled walker, but has not lost his competitive spirit one bit, instilling it in his students as well.
The blog«s subscribers mostly approve of this approach and consider Rafikov a true master of his craft. In the comments, they express admiration and ask to see more of him.
«The grandpa is a copy of my Tatar dad,» wrote Svetlana.
«Now that»s a coach!« admired Russian boxer Sergei.
«I wouldn»t be offended! That«s how a real coach should be,» noted Pavel.
«Don»t hide the Tatar!« asked user Ivan.
«Tatar Shifu!» compared the coach to the martial arts master from «Kung Fu Panda» by a commenter under the nickname Korchik.
On November 17, 2025, Safievich celebrated his 86th birthday surrounded by his students and colleagues.
As reported by the Tyumen Boxing Veterans Club on their social media, Rafikov is considered one of the founders of boxing in Nefteyugansk. In the late 60s to early 70s, he was the head coach of the Tyumen region«s team.
It was previously reported that the first Tatar in the UFC, MMA fighter Rinat Fakhretdinov left the UFC in December 2025. His contract had expired. Fakhretdinov assured that nothing bad had happened and that he already had offers with other fees.
