Tatar Shifu: 86-Year-Old Coach Trains Kids in Boxing
Videos featuring Tatar coach Rafik Safiyevich Rafikov, who trains children at the Boris Lagutin Boxing School in Moscow, are garnering tens or even hundreds of thousands of views. The videos with the strict, fair, and cheerful master are posted on the blog of boxing coach Emil, one of his students.
In his teaching, Rafik Safiyevich adheres to a strict Soviet upbringing model and does not mince words when correcting or praising his young pupils. Online, the coach is better known as Safiyevich.
The 86-year-old coach himself moves around with a wheeled walker, but he hasn«t lost any of his sporting character, instilling it in his students as well.
Most of the blog«s subscribers approve of this approach and consider Rafikov a true master of his craft. In the comments, people admire him and ask to see more videos.
«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, Safiyevich 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 senior coach of the Tyumen region team.
Previously, it was reported that the first Tatar in UFC, MMA fighter Rinat Fakhretdinov, left UFC in December 2025. His contract ended. Fakhretdinov assured that nothing bad happened and he already has offers with other fees.
