“I used to get out of Stepyanka “to the city” - I put on decent sneakers and a better bike. Now it seems to me that I walk around Minsk in slippers and a robe: I feel at home,” says Vitaly Gurkov. TUT.BY walked with the famous athlete and musician to places that were important to him in Minsk.
Vitaly Gurkov, 34 years old. Born in Minsk, in Stepyanka. Multiple world champion in Thai boxing, vocalist of the punk band Brutto
"Aborigines"— a new series of articles on TUT.BY. Aborigines are local, indigenous. These people were born here and know their city well. They are the best guides to the past and present of Minsk. We walk with famous Minsk residents to places about which they have something to tell.
Photo near the House. Place of power
Multiple world champion in Thai boxing Vitaly Gurkov originally from Minsk, lives here. Sometimes people recognize him on the streets.
“But when you walk away with a bruise after big fights, no one views you as an athlete or a boxer. They think they got it at a drunken disco or around the corner,” the athlete laughs.
Vitaly Gurkov in front of the building on Myasnikova, 78, known as the House of Photos. Here is his boxing club, which has been open since autumn 2018 A guy from the area, from Minsk Stepyanka, in addition to sports titles, now has his own boxing club in a famous building on Myasnikova Street.
— At first it was strange. I’ve been training in basements all my life, and now, in the center of the city, there’s a place of my own. You can come here at any time, meet like-minded people and friends here.
Looking around, Vitaly nods towards the bridges: from the square you can see the Western Railway and the Moskovskaya Street overpass.
— I really like this interchange: bridges, a lot of movement, energy.
Tsoi's Wall. Watches in the name of the idol
In the late nineties, young Gurkov from his native Stepyanka drove to the center, to iconic party places. One of them was here, on International Street.
— I was an ardent fan of Viktor Tsoi’s work: I collected magazines, posters, and records with songs. One day, together with a classmate, we came to the wall; it was already standing here, and not near the Palace of the Republic. Fans of the Kino group came here every weekend, and someone kept watch here every day.
Not far from this place there is now a small stadium at gymnasium No. 24. In the 1990s it was opened, you could play football.
— In the rain, we hid under the walls of “Zhuravinka” (the building was rebuilt in the late 1990s - early 2000s. — Note TUT.BY). I remember that the workers, out of respect, laid out paving slabs directly to Tsoi’s wall. When viewed from a certain point, the paved area resembled a guitar neck.
At the intersection of International and Zybitskaya streets. Behind Vitaly, on one side you can see the building of the former Zhuravinka, now there is a Food Republic, on the other side - a business center with a velcom office It was around then that I was drawn to music.
— I just wanted to play a couple of songs of my idol on the guitar.
At first I borrowed the guitar from friends, then sawed it out during labor lessons.
— Someone found a real guitar neck in the trash, can you imagine? Together with your classmates, you cut out a board and make holders for strings. You find a magnet, wrap it in copper wire, disassemble the old Vesna tape recorder, connect it - and that’s it, it’s an electric guitar! When I was in the ninth grade, my parents bought me my first real guitar, “Borisovdrev”, it was some kind of space.
"Penguin". There was a time
Somewhere on Lenin Street, a passerby offers to buy balloons from her. Vitaly Gurkov agrees. Explains:
“We need to pay tribute to the city.” This woman is legendary, I remember her from my first year at university. Everyone who often visits the center knows about it.
Everywhere you step there are familiar places, some, however, have begun to look different.
On the left is the Europe Hotel, where in the 1990s there was a Penguin cafe. On the right is the development of Lenin Street — Here, where the Europe Hotel was, there was a Penguin cafe. When I was about 14, I came here with my elders. I won’t say comrades, but with the guys I hung out with,” Vitaly smiles. “They were about five years older, and I understood that they had a very fun life.” Someone was buying ice cream, and under the table our group was pouring fruit and berry drinks, the glass was moving around in a circle. I didn’t want to continue in the same spirit - the sport dragged on.
The Minsk resident remembers another cafe, it seems, also “Penguin,” which was not far from Chelyuskintsev Park back in his childhood.
— They sold the first ice cream in balls there. I remember my mother and I stood in a house-long line to try it.
"Artists". And metalheads
“Artists” was the name of the place on Freedom Square in the nineties, where the city’s opening day was held.
“Now there are jazz evenings, cultural days nearby, and I also like what’s happening here now.” Such events defuse the situation in Minsk. In warm weather, you can come and look at the happy faces of the townspeople.
“Artists”, Tsoi’s wall, the “Aryans” party near the circus, the “pipe” where “skins” and “hardcore” gathered - in the former Minsk there were enough places for young people to socialize.
— There are still party places, they’re just new. A couple of years ago, teenagers gathered on the ground floor of the Stolitsa shopping center, but now they have moved to the Gallery. Now everything is simpler. Look: we couldn’t listen to Nirvana and Yuri Antonov at the same time before, it was taboo. But try to get into the playlist of the average modern teenager - you will find incompatible things there. It is also important for them to feel comfortable. It’s better to hang out in a shopping center than to keep a vigil near a wall in the rain in the name of a dead idol,” Gurkov argues with deliberate pathos.
Bomb shelter. Rehearsals
A movie is being filmed in front of the Pobeda cinema, and there is a construction site on the back side of the building. Vitaly is looking for a rehearsal place, where he often visited in 2004-2005.
- Class! It’s been preserved,” he rejoices when he finds that same bomb shelter in the courtyards.
Vitaly Gurkov next to the bomb shelter. It is located in the courtyards behind the Pobeda cinema on Internatsionalnaya Street. The room has been used for rehearsals by young musicians for many years. The underground room is still used for rehearsals. But the inside is “almost European-quality renovation.” Replacement slippers for musicians, lighting on the stairs. When Gurkov rehearsed here, not yet with Brutto, there was a light bulb in the bomb shelter that most often did not work.
- Then they opened the door - and a ray of light pierced the dark kingdom.
Rehearsals often turned into simply chatting with friends. The musicians did not disturb anyone: there was no housing nearby.
Descent to the bomb shelter “We, already with Brutto, had a story in Odessa,” recalls Gurkov. — We arrived for the rehearsal - and this is the basement of a residential building. Unloading tools. A woman walks: “So, are we going to have fun today?” I say: “It’s fun, but not for long.” She: “It’s a pity, it’s a pity.”
Minsk residents are not Odessa residents: they are often reserved, not talkative, and don’t ask unnecessary questions.
— And how do you like this character?
- Well, yes, sometimes you really don’t want to talk to anyone.
Nemiga. Walk along the main street
The story about this place in Minsk, next to the trading house “On Nemiga”, is one of those that can be saved for grandchildren.
— It was a hot summer when one of the first floods of the 2000s happened. Maybe the year is 2005−2006. My friend and I were in the billiard room, then we came out and got completely wet. Our comrades called us: “There’s a land in Nemiga, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, boats!” Of course, we went to look, there was nothing to lose.
There really was a lot of water on Nemiga - chest-deep.
Vitaly was floating right above the roadway where he is standing. Behind you is the trading house “Na Nemiga”. On the second floor, where the canopy was, there was another party place, it was called “Sky” - And I thought: this is an interesting chance in life - to sail along the central street of Minsk! And he swam, breaststroke. Approximately from the pedestrian bridge to McDonald’s,” Gurkov laughs. — I stopped in front of “Sky” and looked at how people were twirling their fingers at their temples. I felt like I was being carried away by a wave. I looked around - and this was the Ministry of Emergency Situations on all-terrain vehicles, the huge wheels were creating a wave. And I swam on.
Stepyanka. War games
Stepyanka today has become much closer to the center of Minsk than it was in Vitaly Gurkov’s childhood. The point is the development of transport. If you get there by car, then it’s just a stone’s throw away.
A quick tour from the car window. When Vitaly was growing up here, Stepyanka was conventionally divided into three microdistricts: the village of Lipki (where Gurkov lived), a fenced-in military town in which there was a checkpoint, and also “Geology” (the area of Geologicheskaya Street).
But the native of Stepyanka shows not a house, but a place in the forest.
“Here, in front of the Lipki airfield, there was another checkpoint. There was a forest, tank roads, which are now overgrown with trees. But here, in the trench, there was a tank turret.
The Lipki airfield is very close. Vitaly Gurkov over the former defensive point. In the 1990s, this was a great place for steppe children to play. Traces of that famous place for games have been preserved.
— Two or even three of us climbed into the tank turret. One turned it, the second sat near the hole for the machine gun muzzle. And we imagined that we were shooting back at everyone: “Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta!” - he showed that he was shooting. — The tower was sold for scrap a long time ago.
Stepyanka again. One rebel story
Another colorful stepyanka point is the garages behind the roundabout. Vitaly Gurkov, as befits a native, remembers the time when there were no garages here.
— When they built the roundabout, the guys took us for rides in dump trucks. They're bored. They ride around and ask: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” And we were like: “Of course, a dump truck driver!” Just don't get out of the cabin.
There was also a forest here.
- We loved this forest very much, it was our place to play: a quarry, mushrooms. The forest was cut down and garages were built. Of course we rebelled. At that time I organized a rebel movement. I was for the Greens. Garages destroyed our forest, and we destroyed garage masonry and broke bricks.
- And how many supporters did you have?
- This is a normal squad, about seven people. They climbed on the roofs and tore up the roofing material. The dogs were unleashed on us. We wrote with paint on the wall with mistakes that we couldn’t build here. But the war ended, the garages were built, and the detachment was defeated.
— Did life in Stepyanka motivate you to master martial arts?
- Certainly. Near the school there were stalls: cigarettes by the piece, beer on tap, imported chewing gum. All sorts of personalities walked there asking for money. If you didn't have them, problems could arise. Sometimes you could defend yourself by running quickly, sometimes in a fight. It happened that he walked around with a knife. Well, let's say you go mushroom hunting. You see that there are people on the way who clearly do not wish you well. They see that the knife is in your hand, and they don’t really touch you anymore. Such was the time.
But even in Stepyanka, life was not always a struggle. Vitaly lists his many activities: “young amateur photographer”, orienteering, basketball section, martial arts club and finally the Chinook Thai boxing section. Even before the ninth grade, I really loved school lessons.
— It turns out that many successful people are leaving Minsk. Even if they were born here. Have you thought about moving somewhere abroad?
- I thought it happened. But here it depends on what kind of general idea you put into emigration. There are two types of migration of Belarusians: from anywhere to Minsk and from Minsk to anywhere. For some people, simply leaving the city is an achievement. I would leave if I couldn’t realize myself here.
I never thought that I would fall in love with a boxer. Especially a five-time Muay Thai champion! But... such things always happen unexpectedly. On the day when I returned home to Minsk from the “Factory”, my friends met me. Vitalik was with them. We were introduced a long time ago at some party, but until that evening we had not communicated with him. It is not clear what happened then. We suddenly realized that the two of us were very good together, that we had a lot in common. That evening we didn’t want to leave at all. But we had to... The whole “Factory” of us went to Chukotka, to a concert in Anadyr. And there I received a cool SMS from him: it contained poems of divine beauty that Vitalik wrote especially for me. No one has ever done such things for me before! And Vitalik himself never wrote poetry. It was so sincere that I couldn’t hold back and burst into tears. From that day on, we called each other several times a day and spent millions of dollars on SMS correspondence and conversations. It seemed to me that it was then that a connection was formed between us that no distance could weaken or destroy. And this despite the fact that we spent only one day together!
FROM THE HOSPITAL FOR A DATE
When I returned to Minsk for a short time, Vitalik shocked me with the news: because of me, he refused an important operation on his leg. He should have been admitted to the hospital a few days before my arrival, but he literally ran away from the doctors. If he had agreed to the operation, then perhaps we would never have seen each other again. After all, after the surgeon’s scalpel, he had to spend two long months in the clinic... During this time, we would probably have moved away, gotten lost, and would not have said to each other those very important and most important words in our lives. That's why he canceled the operation to see me! And he even continued to train. Fortunately, a little later it turned out that his injury was not that serious. There was no need to do the operation! It’s scary to imagine how such a frivolous act could end.
Love at gunpoint
In Minsk, crowds of paparazzi are chasing me and Vitalik. We are a celebrity couple who are interested in all the local magazines. Wherever we go, we will certainly be accompanied by spies with cameras. They watch our every move, click shutters, trying to film us, for example, eating pizza or kissing. Vitalik is a fairly well-known personality not only in Minsk, but throughout Belarus. World champion after all. National pride. I still get calls from different newspapers and ask: “Dakota, is it true that you are dating five-time Muay Thai champion Vitaly Gurkov?!” Some people can't believe that we are a couple. But sometimes it can be incredibly difficult to maintain some kind of intimacy in a relationship when everyone is prying into your personal life.
Brutal tenderness
Vitalik completely broke all my stereotypes about athletes. It always seemed to me that their lives were focused exclusively on sports. Therefore, they are rarely distracted by sentimentality such as poetry or music. By the way, Vitalik recorded an unusual song for me: very beautiful instrumental music, to which Vitalik reads his poems... I still admire how harmoniously two seemingly opposite images coexist in him: a strong winning boxer and a romantic, vulnerable young man. I consider myself a fairly strong girl, but the stronger you are, the more you want a man next to you who is a hundred times stronger. In my song “Matches” there are the following lines: “Let me be weak at least once, give me a reason to love you...”, they are just about this. I always dreamed that there would be a guy with me, behind whom I would feel like behind a stone wall.
Jealousy and trust
Vitalik is incredibly jealous of me, although I don’t give any reason. At the same time, he trusts me. However, like me to him. After all, he also often has competitions abroad, he leaves for a long time, and we don’t see each other for weeks. But we love each other, and this powerful magnetic feeling helps us survive moments of separation. I am infinitely glad that I have a person like Vitalik! That in my new life after “Factory” I developed these truly new relationships.
Interview with Vitaly Gurkov, one of the vocalists of BRUTTO, the new group of Sergei Mikhalok WELL DONE LIKE A CUCUMBER
We finally met Brutto– at the end of December, Kyiv visited for the first time a new musical project of the legendary Sergei Mikhalka– big, noisy, sporty, brave.
“BRUTTO - Brigade of Revolutionary Frenzy and Creative Resistance named after Ornella Mutti!!! ART-BRUT style!!! HIT-CORE!!! Punk power lifting for kids and crazy people!!! We taste all the joys of a Healthy and Free Life!!!”
With these words, on September 1, Sergei Mikhalok congratulated all fans of the Lyapis Trubetskoy group on the birth of a new project - BRUTTO! And now, in two weeks, the new group sets off on a big, big tour of Ukraine, which starts on February 10 in Rivne and ends on March 20 in Kyiv. The team plans to visit more than 20 Ukrainian cities.
BRUTTO is a logical and direct continuation of the easily recognizable style of “Lyapis Trubetskoy” of recent years, even if the band members deny it - “Lyapis” ears stick out everywhere. These ears are especially visible in the most recent single “Harry”. The band's style is masculine and fierce, swashbuckling and daring punk, edgy, relevant, inspiring and unfettered. Pumped up guys flexing their iron muscles, as agile as young lions, free as prairie horses, wise as the leaders of wolf packs. A healthy lifestyle and sports are the key to success.
We have already known the leader of the group, Mikhalko himself, for 25 years, so it’s time to get to know the members of his new team. And the most titled member of the group, after Mikhalko, of course, VITALY "Cucumber" GURKOV! The pride of Belarus, a ten-time amateur Thai boxing champion and current professional world champion, was invited to become one of the vocalists of Brutto. the site met with Vitaly half an hour after the premiere on the Internet of the video for his debut solo song with the words of Yakub Kolas “Our Take” from the album Underdog and a few hours before the master class in Thai boxing that Vitaly gave to Kiev fans of Muay Thai. I really wanted to know how it happened that the famous boxer decided to become the lead singer of a musical group.
Z: The fight lasts from 6 to 13 minutes...
Vitaly Gurkov: Yes. Depending on the number of rounds. Either three rounds of three minutes, or five of three,
or five by two.
Z: And the concert is an hour and a half. How comparable are they in terms of voltage and load?
V.G.: In fact, we prepare for a concert in much the same way as for a fight. But it is, of course, a little lighter. (Laughs.) Before each concert, we do not only a chant, but also a warm-up with stretching to avoid injuries - on stage we actively move and jump. After all, we have a sports team. Plus, physical activity keeps you in good shape.
Sergey Mikhalok and Vitaly Gurkov
Brutto's first concert in Kyiv
Z: Are there any professional athletes in the team?
V.G.: Sergey “Brazil” and I are seriously involved in sports. He is interested in mixed martial arts. When I taught Muay Thai, he was my student. He and I are old friends. Our director Dmitry “Topor” is fond of strength sports, he is a candidate master of sports in powerlifting. He also trained with me. Brutto members and cheerleaders attend Brutto's joint gym workouts twice a week. We play sports for the sake of inner sensations and well-being. It’s very nice to feel confident in yourself – you can easily do pull-ups several times and go for a run without any problems. Confidence in your body gives you confidence in life.
Z: What about sore throat?
V.G.: For me, physical activity is a kind of drug. And if there is no soreness, you feel that something is wrong with you. Without constant physical activity, your mood disappears and you give up. That's why I train regularly. I spent most of my life in constant training, and it would be wrong, and stupid, to stop going to the gym.
Z: A whole team of physiotherapists, nutritionists and other specialists helps boxers prepare for fights. You are an active boxer, how did you solve the problem of constant training, given that you have a very busy tour of Ukraine ahead?
V.G.: Yes, I am an active boxer. A minimal set of exercises will be enough for me to stay in shape. I can do this. High-class athletes return to peak fitness very quickly. I have already tasted what life is like on tour - I spent the whole summer with the Lyapis Trubetskoy group, preparing for performances as part of Brutto. “Brazil” and I went on all the trips, so I know what it’s like to be on the road all the time. Thanks to special websites, we took a taxi from Sochi airport to Krasnaya Polyana, spent a minimum of time on the road, we had time to train, because in any city you can find a gym near the hotel. Yes, and before the soundcheck you can practice, if you want. At the end of the tour, it took me about four weeks to reach my peak form and compete at the European Championships, which I won. So the tour is not a hindrance to a sports career, and sometimes even a help. This is a charge of positive emotions that gives strength, provides new impressions, acquaintances, and brings variety to your life. And then full-fledged training, which used to be a routine for you - going to the gym every day - becomes a long-awaited holiday.
Before the concert in Kyiv, on December 26, fans of the martial art of Muay Thai and the work of the Brutto group took part in a master class conducted by Vitaly Gurkov. The ten-time world champion will repeat his master class as part of the Brutto tour in Chernivtsi in February 2015
Z: Did you also participate in the Kiev concert at the end of August?
V.G.: Yes! I was very impressed with him. Of course, I was at large venues, at the same “Invasion” festival, but at the concert in Kyiv a special atmosphere reigned: we felt the unity of the audience on stage. Then I looked at the photographs taken from the copter - the stadium sparkled with the lights of flashlights and lighters. You look and realize that you are a goosebump, standing in that corner among the raging sea.
Cover “Warriors of Light” Brutto
Z: Brutto shocked the audience with their first compositions. Boxers bully and try to unbalance their opponents. As an athlete, which style is closer to you: to provoke or to behave intelligently, like Klitschko, for example?
V.G.: Still, it’s closer to me to behave intelligently. Let's remember the latest events in the world of boxing. For two years now, passions have been building around a possible fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao. (Presumably, the fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao is scheduled for May 2, 2015. - Ed.) In this pair, Mayweather is more unrestrained and cocky, like all rappers. But his words are supported by his position in the ranking - at the moment he is the number one boxer in his weight category. At the same time, one gets the impression that Pacquiao is more reserved and intelligent. Still, Pacquiao’s behavior is closer to me, and I like to watch Mayweather. (Laughs.)
Z: Which one of them will win?
V.G.: I don't know, it's a difficult question. The confrontation between them has gone so far that I have no preference in this pair. A year ago I would definitely be rooting for Pacquiao, but now these athletes are of equal importance to me. Because Mayweather masterfully turned the preparation for the fight into a real show, when it is no longer clear whether he is playing, provoking Pacquiao, or these are real emotions.
Z: Do your hands itch when you watch a fight?
V.G.: There are tournaments where athletes I know personally box. Either these are my friends, or my weight division: guys I have already met in the ring, or guys I can meet in the future. Yes, my hands are itching, I can’t take it away. And from the outside you can see a lot more, but at the same time you may not know some of the complicating details that prevent you from winning.
An athlete in the ring, like an artist on stage, is a fighter. Because the people who came to watch you don’t care why something didn’t work out for you, they want to see the result. You have to get into the ring and show your skills, and it doesn’t matter whether you trained or not, slept or didn’t sleep, or broke up with your girlfriend. If you come out and win by knockout, you are a hero; if not, you are a loser. The same goes for an artist. You come out and have to sing. And no one cares that you are hoarse, have a cold, can’t hear yourself well in the monitors, or hit the wrong note. You must sing. Dot.
Z: Weren’t you afraid to go on the big stage for the first time?
V.G.: Not that it's completely scary. Confidence always comes with experience. Again, comparing it to the ring: the first time is scary, the second is scary, the third is scary, the fourth is also scary, the seventh time you go out and think - I’ve been here before. You know what you may encounter, what you are going into and what to do if suddenly. You worry, but not so much anymore.
Of course, I get nervous on stage. Now, if I didn’t worry, it would be bad. Indifference is the worst feeling. When you don’t feel responsible and don’t worry about the end result. And I want to do everything well, so I worry. The main thing is that this excitement is not destructive. Again, a parallel with sports suggests itself. Only a fool enters the ring and is not afraid. Fear sharpens all your senses: speed and strength come out of nowhere, the instinct of self-preservation is triggered, thanks to which you will be on the alert and will not miss unnecessary blows. You need to be able to turn fear to your advantage.
Z: Why did you feel the need to go on stage?
V.G.: It's not really a need. (Laughs.) It was a childhood dream. I have loved playing the guitar for as long as I can remember. I even played in hardcore and punk rock bands, tried myself as a vocalist, guitarist, and bassist. Music has always been my outlet.
Z: Has concert life ruined you yet? After all, “Lyapis Trubetskoy” was walking...
V.G.: Brutto did not yet have a touring life as such. We will only go on our first serious tour in February. And in this area we have very serious discipline. (Laughs.) The group includes straight edgers, vegetarians, vegans, athletes - they do not drink alcohol and lead a healthy lifestyle.
Z: What kind of tattoos do you have on your back and how many are there?
V.G.: Two. One, but a big one on the back. It so happened that my back “suffered.” (Laughs.) It all started with the inscription Muai Thai or Die. Literally it means “Free fight or death.” First of all, Muay Thai is a martial art. And secondly, because the battle takes place not only outside your “bag of bones,” but also inside. And you must be ready for this. Then I thought that the back was not finished. And I decided to complete the picture. They called my “friend” everything: tiger and dragon. In fact, this is Hanuman - a monkey-like deity revered in Hinduism, a symbol of the martial art of Muay Thai. Only I have not a classic, but a stylized image. Because just like every boxer in Thailand, every third European who is interested in Thai boxing wears a sak yant (tattoo - editor's note) with a classic image of Hanuman. And I wanted to do something special. The tattoo was done by my friend, a tattoo artist, in Minsk. It is clear that we did not do it in one go. Yes, it hurt. After the first session, there were some four strange wide black stripes on my back, and I realized that no matter what, I would come and finish it. (Laughs.) And the second large tattoo is on the chest. I got the Brutto Collective inscription quite recently, right after filming the Underdog video. The master filled this inscription in one go, but it still needs to be slightly refined and embellished. The back isn't quite finished yet, but even now both tattoos look great. (Laughs.)
Z: When will we be able to see you in the ring in the near future?
V.G.: For now I took a sports leave.
Tickets for the Brutto concert tour in Ukraine can be bought http://www.concert.ua/search_result?search_query=brutto
Read the continuation of the interview with Vitaly Gurkov in the section Cream tea a week later.
Interview: Yulia Naidenko
Photo: Elena Bozhko, Vasily Osadchy
New single “Harry” Brutto: “Harry - Scottish Folk Song!!! And although it is solved in the traditional Celtic-punk style, it has analogies with our Slavic realities...”
Battle statistics:
- Total fights: 98
- Total wins: 86
- Draw result of battles:0
- Losses:12
Tournaments won:
- 2007 W.M.C. Brute Force 8 Judgment Day Champion
- 2008 “The Contender Asia” Season 2 Russia Super 8 Qualifier Runner Up
- 2009 Tatneft Cup Runner Up
- 2010 K-1 World MAX East Europe Champion
The Belarusian school of Thai boxing has always been famous for its outstanding fighters, who represent their country at a decent level in various organizations and tournaments.
One of these outstanding representatives is Vitaly Gurkov Grigorievich, born in Minsk on March 27, 1985.
Vitaly Grigorievich Gurkov is one of the first successful students of the legendary coach Dmitry Pyasetsky, who is rightfully considered one of the pioneers of Thai boxing in Belarus.
Vitaly is an eight-time world champion in amateur Thai boxing, champion of the European K-1 World Max 2010, champion of W.M.C. Brute Force 8 Judgment Day, finalist in many other tournaments.
The style of fighting in the style of Thai boxing, even in the K-1 ring, is a distinctive feature of the Belarusian fighter, who loves to work with elbows and knees.
The beginning of his interest in martial arts began after Vitaly, who was fond of basketball as a teenager, got into a fight on the court with his peer.
“Do you like to wave your arms? That's what boxing is for. Goodbye, Vitalik! - Having heard this phrase from the coach, Vitaly left the site. 3 years later, at the age of 16, he becomes the world champion in Thai boxing
in Thailand, giving a start to his career and declaring himself as one of the youngest world champions in Thai boxing from Belarus. Throughout his career, Vitaly won (as I noted above)
World Muay Thai Championship as many as 8 times. A distinctive fight at one of these championships was the fight with Kim Sitsongpinong, which took place under amateur rules. Vitaly Gurkov won
over the most eminent fighter in Thailand, competently analyzing the Thai defense and working harmoniously at a distance. The fight took place in St. Petersburg, where all the judges unanimously gave victory to the Belarusian fighter. Further
The ending, however, was not clear-cut.
In many ways, Vitaly’s favorable professional career was influenced by coach Dmitry Pyasetsky, who was always a role model for Vitaly - Vitaly was overjoyed to learn at one time that he was a Thai coach
boxing will be Dmitry. The most important influence on Vitaly was his father, who never allowed his son to be lazy, who instilled in him hard work and the desire to always do something.
At the moment, Vitaly is taking part in the Tie Fight tournament where he has already defeated his first opponent in the quarterfinals. Thai Fight is a tournament in which there will be no prohibitions on clinch and knee strikes,
which Vitaly loves so much. He has a very good chance of winning the tournament and we hope for his further success in battles.