New college student beats 'em all and knocks his way through to the championships

By Ben Morris

Nineteen year-old New College student Saitemin Eltuyev has signed a professional boxing contract with Keith May Boxing Management in Swindon.

Saitemin has spent the past three years studying for qualifications in Sport, English and Public Services and alongside his studies; he has taken on extensive training in preparation for his big break.

Saitemin has been involved in the sport for as long as he can remember. His father, also a former boxer for the USSR Olympic Boxing team with over 300 fights to his name, introduced Saitemin to the world of Boxing. Speaking of one of his earliest memories, he said: “My dad took me to Walcott ABC Boxing Gym when I was six years old; it’s an experience that I will never forget and lives with me to this day.”

Saitemin and his family moved to the U.K. from Chechen Republic, Russia, in 2003 and since then he has been practicing the sport. In 2012 at thirteen years old, Saitemin entered his first amateur tournament, the SchoolBoy's Championships. He represented Walcott ABC and his fighting weight category was 42KG. The tournament consisted of five matches located around the country and lasted five weeks in total.

The Three Nations Championships was Saitemin’s next big competition, which was a two day tournament staged in South Wales. To prepare for the show, Saitemin travelled to Chechnya and Moscow to do intensive training. His coach for these sessions was Soviet Champion and Olympian, Ramzan Sibiev - a good friend of his father.

He beat the Scottish Champion and in the process impressed England's National Boxing Board of selectors with his performances. Saitemin was asked to represent England in the 2016, World Amateur Boxing Championships, held in St. Petersburg, Russia. He was one of only eight English Boxers chosen to represent England. Being fluent in Russian, Saitemin also became the official interpreter for the English team. He got through to the final in his weight division, which at this point was 64kg.

Saitemin gained a lot of his boxing experience while studying at New College; he explained that studies in Sports Coaching and Public Services were a great help in building his sporting knowledge. He commented: “My studies at New College were really useful to me; although it was a challenge to study while training, not an easy journey.”

With his qualifications in the bag and boxing experience behind him, Saitemin is ready to take on the world of professional boxing. After passing all of the required medical exams and taking part in an interview with the licensing committee, the BBBC (British Boxing Board of Control) have officially issued his license. Speaking of his success, Saitemin said: “To have come this far and achieved this much, I am reluctant to stop. I'm excited."

The official press launch to celebrate the start of his career will take place at Scrappers Gym Swindon, Friday 20th July 12:00 – 1:30pm. Saitemin is set to spar for a number of rounds and take part in interviews and a photoshoot. The event will be attended by Swindon MP's Robert Buckland and Justin Tomlinson, as well as the Mayor.