King of the Ring. Nikolai Fedorovich Korolev
Nikolai Fedorovich Korolev was born 14 March 1917, in the capital of Russia. Very little is known about his childhood. He was the only child in the family. His real name is Fadeev. Why did this outstanding man prefer the surname of his stepfather, with whom he stayed in stories world sport is not known.
In his youth, Korolev was no different from most of his peers - he diligently attended school, and in his free time he drove a ball in the yard, helped seniors and defended the “honor” of the yard in a well-established wall-to-wall format. By the way, he didn’t like to fight, but if he had to, he didn’t let anyone descend and fought until victory. And therefore he had the appropriate nickname - the King. There was Nicholas and another "peaceful" hobby, a passion for which prevailed over the others. There was this amateur business. With incomprehensible for his peers the excitement, he spent long hours sitting over the drawings and diagrams, spending almost all the savings he had on parts. The first acquaintance with boxing at the future athlete took place in a neighbor's barn. There, his comrades hung up a bag full of sawdust, which they then thrashed with their fists. Korolev liked the idea, but the blows to the bag of pleasure and joy did not bring - his hands instantly covered with bleeding abrasions, his joints ached ... Nikolai was sure that “boxing” was not for him.
After graduating from school, Korolev settled at the plant "Neftegaz", where his mother worked all her life, Efrosinya Andreyevna. It was she, according to Nikolai Fyodorovich, who was an example of diligence and hard work for him - vital qualities necessary for everyone to achieve something in life. Spending a lot of time at the factory, Nikolai did not forget to play sports. He successfully passed the standards of the TRP and enrolled in the section of his favorite football, which operated at the enterprise. And in 1933, Korolev and his friends, walking as usual in Izmailovo Park, saw the training of boxers. A few days later, young athletes appeared there again. This went on for a while. The young guys liked to watch boxers masterly handle stubborn skipping rope, how they practice their skills in pairs. And one day, the young men had the courage to go to the coach Ivan Bogayev, who was in charge of these interesting activities, with a request to enroll them in the section. Ivan Stepanovich, a teacher in the boxing department of the Moscow Institute of Physical Education and one of the founders of this sport in our country, made a decision about Korolev right away: a sixteen-year-old youth was rather tall and had, as they say, a powerful build.
It would be naive to assume that Korolev, who did not let anyone descend in street battles, immediately began to carve up his rivals in the ring. Nikolai Fyodorovich predictably failed his first performance in a quadrilateral that seemed to be a magical young man - not once did he touch the enemy. However, it is not worthwhile to focus on this - a similar fate has comprehended and comprehends almost all young boxers who, by the will of the coach, have come across already quite experienced rivals. But the first failure spurred the Queen, forcing to invest in every workout his whole soul. Jumping over a rope, monotonous striking, multi-kilometer crosses - all this, which had only recently seemed to be bursting into battle with Nicholas, was a waste of time, henceforth acquired a new meaning. And in the autumn of 1933, Korolev’s trainer had a convenient opportunity to introduce her promising student Arkady Kharlampiev.
About Arkady Georgievich should be told separately. In his youth, Kharlampiev worked at the circus as an aerialist. When he was twenty-one, he went to France, where he entered the Paris Academy of Fine Arts. It was in this place that he first became acquainted with boxing, and after returning to Russia, Arkady Georgievich invested a tremendous amount of strength and energy in the development of this art of fisticuffs in the USSR. After a lot of fights in the amateur, and later professional ring, he took up coaching. Being a man of great culture, Kharlampiev controlled not only that his players struck and moved around the ring correctly, but also visited museums and theaters and read a lot. It is also worth noting that Arkady Georgievich never had any favorites - he paid special attention to each boxer. From my own experience, knowing that only hard and systematic workouts at training can turn an ordinary athlete into a champion, Kharlamyev drove students to seventh sweat, forcing the guys to give one hundred ten percent of the workout. In addition, he was able to bring the importance of training to the attention of each of his charges - all of his young man’s exercises were performed not with known reluctance and laziness, but with pleasure and excitement.
Already the first demonstration battles of the Queen, his defensive and offensive actions, powerful blows, and most importantly the correct tactical thinking made a strong impression on Kharlampiev. He understood - in front of him a nugget, a born fighter. And, of course, this great coach took Nikolai Fyodorovich under his wing. Again stretched countless training - crosses, work on the shells and with a rope, chopping firewood. Korolev gave his studies to himself, worked on physical training, worked hard on equipment that nature, unlike a large build, never gives anyone. Hundreds and thousands of times he repeated the same movements, trying to achieve in them lightness and purity. Kharlampiev, although he grumbled at his student (Korolev often missed strikes against which to defend himself, slowly moved around the ring), he still told his friends: “Pay attention to this guy, I believe that a cool boxer will come out of it!”. So days, weeks and months passed. A real sparring came to the place of fights with a shadow, and the amount of labor invested in training began to turn into quality. Arkady Georgievich also knew perfectly well that a long polishing of boxing skills would not give that real and invaluable experience that his student could acquire in a real fight with exactly the same greedy opponent before victory. That is why, when in March 1934 started another personal-team championship in Moscow, the Korolev mentor decided to introduce the team of 17-year-old Nikolai, who had not yet been shot, but full of ambitions, who had previously lost weight on several lightweight boxes.
Nikolai Fyodorovich didn’t have any problems with getting into the final, but in the decisive bout Korolev faced the famous Viktor Mikhailov, who for six years was considered the first fighter of our country. He was an outstanding specialist of the classical style and the first among the domestic masters of gloves was awarded the newly established title of Honored Master of Sports. Looking ahead, it is worth noting that the title of the strongest light heavyweight of Russia, Mikhailov, was not inferior to anyone for six years (1933-1939). And the matter here was not at all in the absence of competition, but in the highest skill of the champion. The rivalry in its weight category remained fairly high, as the defeated athletes did not want to put up with their position, stubbornly and sometimes unsuccessfully clinging to the chance of conquering the highest title.
The first meeting of the future "eternal" rivals was held, as they say, "in one gate." Nikolai Fedorovich, although he was already quite a strong boxer, but he was still not fully formed, in other words, he was “raw”. And he was still very far from Viktor Pavlovich. No matter how hard Korolev tried to reach the enemy with his smashing blow, he never managed to do this. Mikhailov foresaw all the attacks of the stubborn young fighter, and easily left them, sending at the same time his strikes straight to the target. He had full advantage and could well knock out Korolev, but did not do that. Despite the setbacks, Nikolai Fyodorovich stubbornly went forward and, seeing the enemy so great will to win and fighting spirit, Mikhailov, being a noble athlete who highly appreciated similar qualities, imbued his opponent with sympathy. The fight ended at the end of the first round after Korolev, the second, threw a towel into the ring. Similar, the decree came from Kharlampiev, who expected such a development of events and was concerned about the health of his pupil. Nikolai received the necessary invaluable experience in full, and Arkady Georgievich finally became convinced of the talent of this young man, becoming more and more often releasing him for real fights.
The next year, 1935, Mikhailov and Korolev crossed their gloves twice, and again Nikolai suffered defeats, but these were completely different fights. By the way, after the first loss, Korolev was very upset, for a while he even stopped attending trainings. He could not help but understand that with a master of this level - without a doubt one of the best boxers of the era - it was too early for him to fight on equal terms. Nevertheless, the most serious blow was struck at the vanity of a hot-tempered and hungry young man. Fortunately, a lump of resentment squeezed the valiant chest for a long time - eager for revenge, the ambitious fighter, after a brief “leave”, returned to his studies. He returned, it should be noted, with a doubled fuse, shedding even more sweat in training and carefully examining his own mistakes. And though soon Korolev, who noticeably added, lost to the luminaries of the ring once again, Mikhailov also got a lot of trouble from Nikolai. Repeatedly the young man put the opponent in a dangerous position, took out blows, demonstrating the multiplied technical and tactical equipment. Korolyov vividly confirmed the thesis “learn from mistakes”, as evidenced by the words of Mikhailov himself, uttered by him after the meeting he won: “It’s not an easy battle! The enemy suffered blows from which others fell, and at the same time he was beating strongly, diversely and quickly, maneuvered and disguised the beginning of the attack ... His throws from a distance are swift and completely unexpected. Having won three rounds on points, I was convinced that I had a completely professional master of international class in front of me. ”
It was absolutely clear that the clarification of the relationship between two such colorful characters, followed by the whole country with interest, would not end there. Indeed, in 1936, the paths of the boxers crossed again. By that time, Nicholas had not only finally moved to a heavy weight, but had immediately won the first championship of Moscow, and then the championship of the Soviet Union. In addition, he successfully passed the final exams at school coaches, receiving a diploma among the first in the USSR. Mikhailov, in turn, has once again confirmed the title of the strongest light heavyweight boxer, but as soon as it became known about the founding of the new title - Absolute champion of the Soviet Union, for which only the winners of the primacy of the country on average, light heavyweight and heavy weight could fight challenged the Queen. Nikolai was just waiting for that.
The next series of confrontation between the two masters played out in the Moscow circus 22 October. This fight has always remained in the history of domestic and world boxing, as one of the most exciting and entertaining. This time, Korolev already in no way inferior to his eminent opponent, and in a six-round battle that was amazing in terms of entertainment and intensity, won a convincing victory. Mikhailov openly admitted his defeat and was the first to congratulate Nikolai Fedorovich. Unfortunately, the joy of the Queen could not be shared by his coach Arkady Kharlampiev, who had passed away several months earlier. Peter Fastov prepared for the battle for the Absolute Championship of the Queen, and later Konstantin Gradopolov became his coach - Kharlampiev’s assistant and head of the boxing department at the Institute of Physical Culture.
The long-awaited victory in a duel with such a principled rival did not turn Nickolai's young head at all. On the contrary, Korolev, dissatisfied with his fatigue during the hardest fight with Mikhailov, continued to train hard, concentrating on the development of endurance. The reward for such hard work was a string of victories in 1937. In the same year, Nikolai Fyodorovich confirmed the title of the strongest boxer in our country, again defeating Mikhailov in the fight for the title of Absolute Champion. In the same period, a curious episode took place in Korolev's career, perfectly describing his human qualities. At the Spartak championship, the boxer reached the final without any problems, but in the decisive battle he faced the fierce resistance of the Georgian athlete Andro Navasardov. In a difficult duel, the judges recognized Nikolai as the winner. But the very next day, Korolev personally wrote a letter to one of the central newspapers, in which he reported that he was refusing, in his opinion, an undeserved victory.
In 1937, the Soviet boxer was successful in the international arena, winning the World Working Olympiad held in the Belgian city of Antwerp. The queen fell there to fight with formidable opponents - Finn Helender and the representative of Palestine Hilderadest. The first was known for its powerful blows, and the second - for extraordinary stamina. Korolev himself wrote in his memoirs: “I really wanted to see a Finn before the fight. Once, when I was standing in front of the hotel entrance, the door creaked and sportsmen with Finnish flags on their jackets poured out into the street. Among them was a young guy two heads taller than his comrades, with large arms and a very broad back ... And in the evening the battle was coming, and I had to win. Required. With these thoughts entered the ring. Without a jacket, the enemy seemed even bigger. They shook hands, exchanged pennants. Helender began actively. Beat direct blows, like a car levers. I dodged, kept my hands free, ready to strike. I made another dive. The enemy was very close, more precisely, his stomach, and therefore the head was somewhere close. Straightening, hit the left hook and hit right on the chin! Finn fell on the floor, the judge began the countdown. ” This fight lasted only eleven seconds, becoming one of the shortest in the sports career of Nikolai Fyodorovich. In the final, the Queen was waiting for the Arab Hilderadest, who, as it turned out, turned out to be a professional boxer. This scandal managed to hush up, and the fight still took place. Nikolai Fedorovich recalled: ““ A swarthy, curly handsome man, he was the first to launch an attack. I decided to wait and see what professionals can do. Arsenal, unfortunately, was not rich, I had to teach him something. Hit the counter, simultaneously beating the arm of a Palestinian elbow. Everything, Hilderadest on the floor. The judge reached eight, the Palestinian got up and went at me. Carefully closing, he moved towards him. Caught a good moment to strike from the flank, and the enemy was again knocked down. And he got up again. Then I drove him into a corner, opened his deaf defense, left him in the head. Hall roared, knockdown. He rose again. We would have stopped the fight a long time ago, but the meeting is international and there are other rules. He came up and finished the fight with a light blow. Two meetings, two victories and the title of champion of the Olympics.
At 1938, Nikolai Fyodorovich became the champion of the Soviet Union again, and in 1939, he last met Mikhailov for the last time. Victor Pavlovich - a winner by nature - did not want to put up with defeats and longed for revenge. After analyzing the previous battles with Korolev, he noted that the enemy does not really favor melee combat. Then Mikhailov completely rebuilt his tactics, immediately transferring the meeting to an inconvenient course for the enemy. The master's unexpected move gave results - Viktor Pavlovich snatched the victory, and now Nikolai Fedorovich congratulated him wholeheartedly. Having achieved the desired, Mikhailov left the ring forever.
In 1939, Korolev was called up for military service, becoming a cadet of a military aviation school. It took a mighty athlete a lot of effort to “subdue” the fighter to his will, however, as a result, this peak was conquered - Nikolai Fyodorovich learned how to control a military aircraft. And yet it was not his fate to become an air ace - during one of the parachute jumps, Korolev seriously injured his leg. The consequences of the injury bothered the boxer throughout his life. After this incident in February 1941 he was fired. After recovering, Nikolai Fedorovich returned to the ring and already 15 June 1941 won the first Absolute Championship of Moscow, defeating his teammate in Spartak and the good comrade Ivan Ganykin in the final. By the way, Ganykin, who repeatedly became the champion of the Soviet Union in welterweight, stood out with unprecedented endurance, conducting all his fights at a hurricane pace. His rivals, unable to endure, at the end of the battle almost fell from exhaustion, and Ivan Ivanovich was sure that such tactics would allow him to prevail over Korolev. However, he miscalculated. The boxing shown by Korolev struck not only his opponent, but also many viewers. Nikolai Fedorovich, not putting his superiority in physical strength and strength, suggested to his opponent during the whole eight round match to compete in a super-speed box. A week after the battle, the war began.
Being a true patriot of his homeland, Korolev was ready for any sacrifice for the sake of her good. Unfortunately, he was not allowed to go into the air due to an injury, and as a result of long ordeal, he, along with other famous athletes, ended up at Dynamo Stadium. There they were enrolled in OBSMON (Special Motorized Rifle Brigade). Korolev got into the sabotage group operating in enemy territory under Rovno, and later found himself in a partisan special forces unit called “Winners”, commanded by an eminent man, Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel Dmitry Nikolayevich Medvedev. In this detachment at various times they fought: reconnaissance Nikolai Kuznetsov and his contact Nikolai Prikhodko, scout Africa De Las Heras, speed skater, champion of the USSR Anatoly Kapchitsky. The "winners" were engaged in intelligence, combat and sabotage activities. Soviet "commandos" suddenly and crushingly attacked enemy convoys and garrisons, blew up military depots and bridges. Nikolai Fyodorovich, along with the rest, performed the most difficult combat missions. It is not for nothing that Army General Ivan Petrov said: “Every athlete in battle is worth several ordinary soldiers, and a platoon of athletes is better than a battalion if a complex operation is expected.” One day, during one of the battles, the commander of the detachment Medvedev was seriously wounded, but to his good fortune Nikolay Fedorovich was nearby. In his memoirs titled “In the Ring,” published in 1950, the boxer describes this episode as follows: “The fight went on for four hours. Our squad managed to escape from the ring. There were five hundred punitive men, and there are no more than seventy of us ... I see that the commander cannot move. Breathing with a whistle, wound to the head. I threw him on his back and went quietly. I think not in vain in sports involved. It's time to show that I can. From a kilometer I went like that. Well, the snow was not deep yet. I found mine, I passed the commander, and he leaned against a tree, dizzy ... ". A few weeks later Korolev was already in the capital of Russia, where he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
The famous boxer did not return to the front, although he very much wanted it. Upstairs they decided to use his talent and experience in a different way, instructing them to train saboteurs in terms of general physical training and power martial arts. At the same time, Korolev resumed his boxing classes. However, Nikolai Fyodorovich did not have time to prepare for the Absolute National Championship held in August of 1943 and was removed by the decision of the doctors during the competition. Korolev was far from his best condition in 1944 as well, losing in the finals of the country's championship to the powerful Georgian boxer Navasardov, whom he had not once won. Nikolai Fedorovich, always and in everything striving to be first, it was very difficult to put up with defeats. At the cost of incredible efforts that cannot be described on paper, Korolev scored his former form and at the end of 1944 regained the title of Absolute Champion of the country. In the final, he met with renowned boxer Yevgeny Ogurenkov - the first middleweight to win the title in 1943. However, Korolev did not allow him to repeat the achievement. And in 1945, Nikolai Fedorovich, as in the old days, won in the absolute championship and in the national championship.
At the same time in the life of Korolev happened one interesting episode. The athlete himself talked about this case: “Once I happened to observe the training of a professional. It happened in Germany soon after the end of the war. I then was in our occupation zone in Berlin on a business trip. One day, a familiar officer came to see me and told me that some popular light heavyweight professional was training in the American zone. I wanted to watch, and we headed to their gym. They smoked and drank beer, chatted with their feet and tongues. The training has just begun, and the fighter, a light heavyweight boxer, a professional with a powerful bull neck, jumped into the ring and stretched out his arms, waiting for him to put on his gloves. Sparing partners queued up at the ring. Training began. As expected, a professional round after round beat their partners. It took me to live. I wondered if I should try a couple of rounds to fight? He said this to his friend. He waved his hands, but then he was also hurt: “Well,” he said, “try!”. I turned to the managers, someone translated, they looked and nodded - they say, a healthy guy, a good sparring partner. I undressed and went into the ring. Give me gloves and one round I kept as baggy as possible. The enemy conducted a series of blows, I eluded. In the second round, the same game began, but I already took a closer look at the manner of the enemy, adapted to it. Before me was an ordinary "automaton", knowing by heart only a certain number of tricks, and that was all. Boxing, approached the ropes, where my friend was standing. I told him: "I'm tired, now I will beat ...". Of course, in full force I was not going to box. We spent two more rounds, and the “professional” finally passed. They started harassing me: “Last name? From where Champion from Russia? .. ".
In 1946, Nikolai Fedorovich once again won the USSR Championship, simultaneously taking revenge from Andro Navasardov. The Russian boxer also flashed in the international arena, becoming the winner of tournaments in Prague and Helsinki. Fans called Nikolai Fedorovich “KV”, as if hinting at the power of the eponymous heavy tank. This simple abbreviation was deciphered very simply - “The Great Queen”. The fame of the mighty Soviet hero also reached America, where in those years the Heavy Brown Bomber Joe Louis shone in heavyweight. The rivalry of the two superpowers began already then, and in the United States, where the heavyweight champions were always held in special esteem, there immediately appeared those who wanted to prove that their athlete was the strongest. According to the Americans, Nikolai Fedorovich was the only one who could give “at least some” rebuff to Luis, sufficient to prevent a passing battle, and Joe’s victory seemed bright and not in doubt. In the end, someone Michael Jacobs - one of the prominent functionaries of the overseas professional boxing of that time - sent Korolev a letter, the meaning of which was to offer to fight against Louis. For Nikolai Fedorovich this was truly a CHALLENGE, besides, in the USSR, as well as throughout Europe, in those years there was no one left whom Korolev could not beat.
It is known that Nikolai Fedorovich wholeheartedly wished for this meeting, meticulously collecting photographs and newspaper clippings about the famous American champion. However, the overseas side put forward a new demand - Korolev had to first show himself in a series of rating battles that could answer the question of whether he could fight with Louis himself. The Americans explained their unexpected whim as simply as it was humiliating in relation to the Russian boxer - they allegedly worried about the health of Nikolai Fedorovich, who had never entered the professional ring, and wanted to make sure that he could take a hit. Korolev was ready to agree to the tricks of the Americans and conduct rating fights, however, the leadership of our country was forbidden to meet with American boxers Nikolai Fedorovich. Korolev wrote letters of request to the highest authorities, but there was no answer to them. And then the boxer with the assistance of his comrade, Chief Marshal aviation Alexander Golovanov, decided to turn to Stalin himself. Joseph Vissarionovich listened to the request of the famous boxer, which he was voiced by Alexander Evgenievich himself. However, the leader’s answer was not what Nikolay Fedorovich wanted to hear: “Korolev is a victorious symbol of the Russian national spirit and character, the pride of Soviet sport. Fighting in front of drunken cowboys in clubs means dropping the dignity of both your own and your country. The Americans will not allow the triumph of the Russian boxer, and therefore they decided to carry out reconnaissance in battle. Korolev should not go to America. Or are there more compelling reasons? ” No one had any more compelling arguments ...
Of course, the story does not tolerate the subjunctive mood, but according to experts, Korolev had good chances for success in a duel. Nikolai Fyodorovich was holding a blow no worse than an American athlete, at least not inferior in his mobility and had the rare ability to orient himself in a situation in a split second and make the right decision. In addition, the Brown Bomber conducted only a few fights a year, while Korolev could fight five rivals in just one tournament. Both Louis and the leadership of our country soon forgot about the failed “duel of the century”. Only Korolev could not do it. However, it was not in his power to change anything, and Nikolai Fyodorovich had no choice but to continue to perform in the domestic arena. By the way, there he soon - for the first time in many years - appeared a standing contender, a young Lithuanian Algirdas Shotsikas. At first, Korolev easily dealt with a newcomer, but he gained experience and learned rapidly. Quite the same way as Korolev himself once studied in battles with Mikhailov.
In 1948, Nikolai Fyodorovich once again defeated Shotsikas with ease, sending him several times to the flooring during the battle, but in 1949 Algirdas put up stubborn resistance to his famous opponent. To such an extent stubborn that many viewers were unhappy with the verdict of the judges, and in the end it was canceled. To identify the strongest sports leadership of the country organized in the capital of Russia a mini-tournament of the best heavyweights - Korolev, Shotsikas, Navasardov and Estonian Martin Linnamyagi. In accordance with the forecasts, Nikolay and Algirdas met in the final. And again, Korolev was extremely difficult - during the fight, he even knocked down, but in the end still pulled out a victory. However, the time of the legendary boxer inexorably and irrevocably left. More Nikolai Fedorovich did not defeat Shotsikas, having suffered from him four defeats in a row. Later Algirdas himself admitted: “I was not stronger than Korolev. I was twelve years younger. ”
Korolev wanted to take part in the 1952 Olympic Games held in Helsinki. It was the first Olympics, which were the Soviet boxers. But the sports leadership of the USSR had already labeled “old” on it, thus ruining another dream of an outstanding boxer. And again Korolev wrote at the top of the letter, and again received refusals. The last time Nikolay Fedorovich appeared in the ring within the framework of the first Games of the peoples of the USSR in 1956 year. He was already thirty-nine years old - as it was then thought, he was a very old man for boxing. Nevertheless, he confidently overcame the young boxer Vitaly Potapov and reached the final part of the competition. However, Nikolai Fyodorovich was not allowed to further battles according to the conclusion of the medical commission. Thus ended the story of the Korolev Boxer - a bright, unforgettable and unique. Four-time absolute champion of the USSR and nine-time heavyweight champion of the country, he took part in 219 fights, winning 206 from them. Among them are victories over famous boxers from Finland, France, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Belgium. They won about half the victories ahead of time - due to a clear advantage or knockout. It was no secret that some opponents of the Queen, having suffered defeat from him, no longer dared to box with him. Among his constant rivals are Andro Navasardov, Martin Linnamyagi, Levan Gudushauri, Boris Salong and Nikolai Yurchenko.
After completing his career, Nikolai Fedorovich taught for some time in the famous metropolitan university MVTU im. Bauman, and then engaged in coaching. Nikolai Fyodorovich always did everything thoroughly, investing his whole soul. That is why none of the students missed his lectures, and the students attended the training sessions with great pleasure. In the government, the boxer's labor merit was highly appreciated and awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. Nikolai Fedorovich planned to meet his fifty-seventh birthday in a holiday home near Moscow, but he did not live only two days before the holiday date. Champion's heart stopped 12 March 1974 while playing billiards. He was buried in Moscow at Vvedensky cemetery. Only three words are inscribed on his monument - “Boxer”, “Partizan”, “Kommunist”. Unfortunately, very few know how much is hidden behind them. Six months later, after the death of an outstanding athlete in the USSR, the first All-Union Memorial to them was held in the city of Bryansk. N.F. Queen.
According to the materials of the sites http://allboxing.ru/ and http://www.peoples.ru/
In his youth, Korolev was no different from most of his peers - he diligently attended school, and in his free time he drove a ball in the yard, helped seniors and defended the “honor” of the yard in a well-established wall-to-wall format. By the way, he didn’t like to fight, but if he had to, he didn’t let anyone descend and fought until victory. And therefore he had the appropriate nickname - the King. There was Nicholas and another "peaceful" hobby, a passion for which prevailed over the others. There was this amateur business. With incomprehensible for his peers the excitement, he spent long hours sitting over the drawings and diagrams, spending almost all the savings he had on parts. The first acquaintance with boxing at the future athlete took place in a neighbor's barn. There, his comrades hung up a bag full of sawdust, which they then thrashed with their fists. Korolev liked the idea, but the blows to the bag of pleasure and joy did not bring - his hands instantly covered with bleeding abrasions, his joints ached ... Nikolai was sure that “boxing” was not for him.
After graduating from school, Korolev settled at the plant "Neftegaz", where his mother worked all her life, Efrosinya Andreyevna. It was she, according to Nikolai Fyodorovich, who was an example of diligence and hard work for him - vital qualities necessary for everyone to achieve something in life. Spending a lot of time at the factory, Nikolai did not forget to play sports. He successfully passed the standards of the TRP and enrolled in the section of his favorite football, which operated at the enterprise. And in 1933, Korolev and his friends, walking as usual in Izmailovo Park, saw the training of boxers. A few days later, young athletes appeared there again. This went on for a while. The young guys liked to watch boxers masterly handle stubborn skipping rope, how they practice their skills in pairs. And one day, the young men had the courage to go to the coach Ivan Bogayev, who was in charge of these interesting activities, with a request to enroll them in the section. Ivan Stepanovich, a teacher in the boxing department of the Moscow Institute of Physical Education and one of the founders of this sport in our country, made a decision about Korolev right away: a sixteen-year-old youth was rather tall and had, as they say, a powerful build.
It would be naive to assume that Korolev, who did not let anyone descend in street battles, immediately began to carve up his rivals in the ring. Nikolai Fyodorovich predictably failed his first performance in a quadrilateral that seemed to be a magical young man - not once did he touch the enemy. However, it is not worthwhile to focus on this - a similar fate has comprehended and comprehends almost all young boxers who, by the will of the coach, have come across already quite experienced rivals. But the first failure spurred the Queen, forcing to invest in every workout his whole soul. Jumping over a rope, monotonous striking, multi-kilometer crosses - all this, which had only recently seemed to be bursting into battle with Nicholas, was a waste of time, henceforth acquired a new meaning. And in the autumn of 1933, Korolev’s trainer had a convenient opportunity to introduce her promising student Arkady Kharlampiev.
About Arkady Georgievich should be told separately. In his youth, Kharlampiev worked at the circus as an aerialist. When he was twenty-one, he went to France, where he entered the Paris Academy of Fine Arts. It was in this place that he first became acquainted with boxing, and after returning to Russia, Arkady Georgievich invested a tremendous amount of strength and energy in the development of this art of fisticuffs in the USSR. After a lot of fights in the amateur, and later professional ring, he took up coaching. Being a man of great culture, Kharlampiev controlled not only that his players struck and moved around the ring correctly, but also visited museums and theaters and read a lot. It is also worth noting that Arkady Georgievich never had any favorites - he paid special attention to each boxer. From my own experience, knowing that only hard and systematic workouts at training can turn an ordinary athlete into a champion, Kharlamyev drove students to seventh sweat, forcing the guys to give one hundred ten percent of the workout. In addition, he was able to bring the importance of training to the attention of each of his charges - all of his young man’s exercises were performed not with known reluctance and laziness, but with pleasure and excitement.
Already the first demonstration battles of the Queen, his defensive and offensive actions, powerful blows, and most importantly the correct tactical thinking made a strong impression on Kharlampiev. He understood - in front of him a nugget, a born fighter. And, of course, this great coach took Nikolai Fyodorovich under his wing. Again stretched countless training - crosses, work on the shells and with a rope, chopping firewood. Korolev gave his studies to himself, worked on physical training, worked hard on equipment that nature, unlike a large build, never gives anyone. Hundreds and thousands of times he repeated the same movements, trying to achieve in them lightness and purity. Kharlampiev, although he grumbled at his student (Korolev often missed strikes against which to defend himself, slowly moved around the ring), he still told his friends: “Pay attention to this guy, I believe that a cool boxer will come out of it!”. So days, weeks and months passed. A real sparring came to the place of fights with a shadow, and the amount of labor invested in training began to turn into quality. Arkady Georgievich also knew perfectly well that a long polishing of boxing skills would not give that real and invaluable experience that his student could acquire in a real fight with exactly the same greedy opponent before victory. That is why, when in March 1934 started another personal-team championship in Moscow, the Korolev mentor decided to introduce the team of 17-year-old Nikolai, who had not yet been shot, but full of ambitions, who had previously lost weight on several lightweight boxes.
Nikolai Fyodorovich didn’t have any problems with getting into the final, but in the decisive bout Korolev faced the famous Viktor Mikhailov, who for six years was considered the first fighter of our country. He was an outstanding specialist of the classical style and the first among the domestic masters of gloves was awarded the newly established title of Honored Master of Sports. Looking ahead, it is worth noting that the title of the strongest light heavyweight of Russia, Mikhailov, was not inferior to anyone for six years (1933-1939). And the matter here was not at all in the absence of competition, but in the highest skill of the champion. The rivalry in its weight category remained fairly high, as the defeated athletes did not want to put up with their position, stubbornly and sometimes unsuccessfully clinging to the chance of conquering the highest title.
The first meeting of the future "eternal" rivals was held, as they say, "in one gate." Nikolai Fedorovich, although he was already quite a strong boxer, but he was still not fully formed, in other words, he was “raw”. And he was still very far from Viktor Pavlovich. No matter how hard Korolev tried to reach the enemy with his smashing blow, he never managed to do this. Mikhailov foresaw all the attacks of the stubborn young fighter, and easily left them, sending at the same time his strikes straight to the target. He had full advantage and could well knock out Korolev, but did not do that. Despite the setbacks, Nikolai Fyodorovich stubbornly went forward and, seeing the enemy so great will to win and fighting spirit, Mikhailov, being a noble athlete who highly appreciated similar qualities, imbued his opponent with sympathy. The fight ended at the end of the first round after Korolev, the second, threw a towel into the ring. Similar, the decree came from Kharlampiev, who expected such a development of events and was concerned about the health of his pupil. Nikolai received the necessary invaluable experience in full, and Arkady Georgievich finally became convinced of the talent of this young man, becoming more and more often releasing him for real fights.
The next year, 1935, Mikhailov and Korolev crossed their gloves twice, and again Nikolai suffered defeats, but these were completely different fights. By the way, after the first loss, Korolev was very upset, for a while he even stopped attending trainings. He could not help but understand that with a master of this level - without a doubt one of the best boxers of the era - it was too early for him to fight on equal terms. Nevertheless, the most serious blow was struck at the vanity of a hot-tempered and hungry young man. Fortunately, a lump of resentment squeezed the valiant chest for a long time - eager for revenge, the ambitious fighter, after a brief “leave”, returned to his studies. He returned, it should be noted, with a doubled fuse, shedding even more sweat in training and carefully examining his own mistakes. And though soon Korolev, who noticeably added, lost to the luminaries of the ring once again, Mikhailov also got a lot of trouble from Nikolai. Repeatedly the young man put the opponent in a dangerous position, took out blows, demonstrating the multiplied technical and tactical equipment. Korolyov vividly confirmed the thesis “learn from mistakes”, as evidenced by the words of Mikhailov himself, uttered by him after the meeting he won: “It’s not an easy battle! The enemy suffered blows from which others fell, and at the same time he was beating strongly, diversely and quickly, maneuvered and disguised the beginning of the attack ... His throws from a distance are swift and completely unexpected. Having won three rounds on points, I was convinced that I had a completely professional master of international class in front of me. ”
It was absolutely clear that the clarification of the relationship between two such colorful characters, followed by the whole country with interest, would not end there. Indeed, in 1936, the paths of the boxers crossed again. By that time, Nicholas had not only finally moved to a heavy weight, but had immediately won the first championship of Moscow, and then the championship of the Soviet Union. In addition, he successfully passed the final exams at school coaches, receiving a diploma among the first in the USSR. Mikhailov, in turn, has once again confirmed the title of the strongest light heavyweight boxer, but as soon as it became known about the founding of the new title - Absolute champion of the Soviet Union, for which only the winners of the primacy of the country on average, light heavyweight and heavy weight could fight challenged the Queen. Nikolai was just waiting for that.
The next series of confrontation between the two masters played out in the Moscow circus 22 October. This fight has always remained in the history of domestic and world boxing, as one of the most exciting and entertaining. This time, Korolev already in no way inferior to his eminent opponent, and in a six-round battle that was amazing in terms of entertainment and intensity, won a convincing victory. Mikhailov openly admitted his defeat and was the first to congratulate Nikolai Fedorovich. Unfortunately, the joy of the Queen could not be shared by his coach Arkady Kharlampiev, who had passed away several months earlier. Peter Fastov prepared for the battle for the Absolute Championship of the Queen, and later Konstantin Gradopolov became his coach - Kharlampiev’s assistant and head of the boxing department at the Institute of Physical Culture.
The long-awaited victory in a duel with such a principled rival did not turn Nickolai's young head at all. On the contrary, Korolev, dissatisfied with his fatigue during the hardest fight with Mikhailov, continued to train hard, concentrating on the development of endurance. The reward for such hard work was a string of victories in 1937. In the same year, Nikolai Fyodorovich confirmed the title of the strongest boxer in our country, again defeating Mikhailov in the fight for the title of Absolute Champion. In the same period, a curious episode took place in Korolev's career, perfectly describing his human qualities. At the Spartak championship, the boxer reached the final without any problems, but in the decisive battle he faced the fierce resistance of the Georgian athlete Andro Navasardov. In a difficult duel, the judges recognized Nikolai as the winner. But the very next day, Korolev personally wrote a letter to one of the central newspapers, in which he reported that he was refusing, in his opinion, an undeserved victory.
In 1937, the Soviet boxer was successful in the international arena, winning the World Working Olympiad held in the Belgian city of Antwerp. The queen fell there to fight with formidable opponents - Finn Helender and the representative of Palestine Hilderadest. The first was known for its powerful blows, and the second - for extraordinary stamina. Korolev himself wrote in his memoirs: “I really wanted to see a Finn before the fight. Once, when I was standing in front of the hotel entrance, the door creaked and sportsmen with Finnish flags on their jackets poured out into the street. Among them was a young guy two heads taller than his comrades, with large arms and a very broad back ... And in the evening the battle was coming, and I had to win. Required. With these thoughts entered the ring. Without a jacket, the enemy seemed even bigger. They shook hands, exchanged pennants. Helender began actively. Beat direct blows, like a car levers. I dodged, kept my hands free, ready to strike. I made another dive. The enemy was very close, more precisely, his stomach, and therefore the head was somewhere close. Straightening, hit the left hook and hit right on the chin! Finn fell on the floor, the judge began the countdown. ” This fight lasted only eleven seconds, becoming one of the shortest in the sports career of Nikolai Fyodorovich. In the final, the Queen was waiting for the Arab Hilderadest, who, as it turned out, turned out to be a professional boxer. This scandal managed to hush up, and the fight still took place. Nikolai Fedorovich recalled: ““ A swarthy, curly handsome man, he was the first to launch an attack. I decided to wait and see what professionals can do. Arsenal, unfortunately, was not rich, I had to teach him something. Hit the counter, simultaneously beating the arm of a Palestinian elbow. Everything, Hilderadest on the floor. The judge reached eight, the Palestinian got up and went at me. Carefully closing, he moved towards him. Caught a good moment to strike from the flank, and the enemy was again knocked down. And he got up again. Then I drove him into a corner, opened his deaf defense, left him in the head. Hall roared, knockdown. He rose again. We would have stopped the fight a long time ago, but the meeting is international and there are other rules. He came up and finished the fight with a light blow. Two meetings, two victories and the title of champion of the Olympics.
At 1938, Nikolai Fyodorovich became the champion of the Soviet Union again, and in 1939, he last met Mikhailov for the last time. Victor Pavlovich - a winner by nature - did not want to put up with defeats and longed for revenge. After analyzing the previous battles with Korolev, he noted that the enemy does not really favor melee combat. Then Mikhailov completely rebuilt his tactics, immediately transferring the meeting to an inconvenient course for the enemy. The master's unexpected move gave results - Viktor Pavlovich snatched the victory, and now Nikolai Fedorovich congratulated him wholeheartedly. Having achieved the desired, Mikhailov left the ring forever.
In 1939, Korolev was called up for military service, becoming a cadet of a military aviation school. It took a mighty athlete a lot of effort to “subdue” the fighter to his will, however, as a result, this peak was conquered - Nikolai Fyodorovich learned how to control a military aircraft. And yet it was not his fate to become an air ace - during one of the parachute jumps, Korolev seriously injured his leg. The consequences of the injury bothered the boxer throughout his life. After this incident in February 1941 he was fired. After recovering, Nikolai Fedorovich returned to the ring and already 15 June 1941 won the first Absolute Championship of Moscow, defeating his teammate in Spartak and the good comrade Ivan Ganykin in the final. By the way, Ganykin, who repeatedly became the champion of the Soviet Union in welterweight, stood out with unprecedented endurance, conducting all his fights at a hurricane pace. His rivals, unable to endure, at the end of the battle almost fell from exhaustion, and Ivan Ivanovich was sure that such tactics would allow him to prevail over Korolev. However, he miscalculated. The boxing shown by Korolev struck not only his opponent, but also many viewers. Nikolai Fedorovich, not putting his superiority in physical strength and strength, suggested to his opponent during the whole eight round match to compete in a super-speed box. A week after the battle, the war began.
Being a true patriot of his homeland, Korolev was ready for any sacrifice for the sake of her good. Unfortunately, he was not allowed to go into the air due to an injury, and as a result of long ordeal, he, along with other famous athletes, ended up at Dynamo Stadium. There they were enrolled in OBSMON (Special Motorized Rifle Brigade). Korolev got into the sabotage group operating in enemy territory under Rovno, and later found himself in a partisan special forces unit called “Winners”, commanded by an eminent man, Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel Dmitry Nikolayevich Medvedev. In this detachment at various times they fought: reconnaissance Nikolai Kuznetsov and his contact Nikolai Prikhodko, scout Africa De Las Heras, speed skater, champion of the USSR Anatoly Kapchitsky. The "winners" were engaged in intelligence, combat and sabotage activities. Soviet "commandos" suddenly and crushingly attacked enemy convoys and garrisons, blew up military depots and bridges. Nikolai Fyodorovich, along with the rest, performed the most difficult combat missions. It is not for nothing that Army General Ivan Petrov said: “Every athlete in battle is worth several ordinary soldiers, and a platoon of athletes is better than a battalion if a complex operation is expected.” One day, during one of the battles, the commander of the detachment Medvedev was seriously wounded, but to his good fortune Nikolay Fedorovich was nearby. In his memoirs titled “In the Ring,” published in 1950, the boxer describes this episode as follows: “The fight went on for four hours. Our squad managed to escape from the ring. There were five hundred punitive men, and there are no more than seventy of us ... I see that the commander cannot move. Breathing with a whistle, wound to the head. I threw him on his back and went quietly. I think not in vain in sports involved. It's time to show that I can. From a kilometer I went like that. Well, the snow was not deep yet. I found mine, I passed the commander, and he leaned against a tree, dizzy ... ". A few weeks later Korolev was already in the capital of Russia, where he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
The famous boxer did not return to the front, although he very much wanted it. Upstairs they decided to use his talent and experience in a different way, instructing them to train saboteurs in terms of general physical training and power martial arts. At the same time, Korolev resumed his boxing classes. However, Nikolai Fyodorovich did not have time to prepare for the Absolute National Championship held in August of 1943 and was removed by the decision of the doctors during the competition. Korolev was far from his best condition in 1944 as well, losing in the finals of the country's championship to the powerful Georgian boxer Navasardov, whom he had not once won. Nikolai Fedorovich, always and in everything striving to be first, it was very difficult to put up with defeats. At the cost of incredible efforts that cannot be described on paper, Korolev scored his former form and at the end of 1944 regained the title of Absolute Champion of the country. In the final, he met with renowned boxer Yevgeny Ogurenkov - the first middleweight to win the title in 1943. However, Korolev did not allow him to repeat the achievement. And in 1945, Nikolai Fedorovich, as in the old days, won in the absolute championship and in the national championship.
At the same time in the life of Korolev happened one interesting episode. The athlete himself talked about this case: “Once I happened to observe the training of a professional. It happened in Germany soon after the end of the war. I then was in our occupation zone in Berlin on a business trip. One day, a familiar officer came to see me and told me that some popular light heavyweight professional was training in the American zone. I wanted to watch, and we headed to their gym. They smoked and drank beer, chatted with their feet and tongues. The training has just begun, and the fighter, a light heavyweight boxer, a professional with a powerful bull neck, jumped into the ring and stretched out his arms, waiting for him to put on his gloves. Sparing partners queued up at the ring. Training began. As expected, a professional round after round beat their partners. It took me to live. I wondered if I should try a couple of rounds to fight? He said this to his friend. He waved his hands, but then he was also hurt: “Well,” he said, “try!”. I turned to the managers, someone translated, they looked and nodded - they say, a healthy guy, a good sparring partner. I undressed and went into the ring. Give me gloves and one round I kept as baggy as possible. The enemy conducted a series of blows, I eluded. In the second round, the same game began, but I already took a closer look at the manner of the enemy, adapted to it. Before me was an ordinary "automaton", knowing by heart only a certain number of tricks, and that was all. Boxing, approached the ropes, where my friend was standing. I told him: "I'm tired, now I will beat ...". Of course, in full force I was not going to box. We spent two more rounds, and the “professional” finally passed. They started harassing me: “Last name? From where Champion from Russia? .. ".
In 1946, Nikolai Fedorovich once again won the USSR Championship, simultaneously taking revenge from Andro Navasardov. The Russian boxer also flashed in the international arena, becoming the winner of tournaments in Prague and Helsinki. Fans called Nikolai Fedorovich “KV”, as if hinting at the power of the eponymous heavy tank. This simple abbreviation was deciphered very simply - “The Great Queen”. The fame of the mighty Soviet hero also reached America, where in those years the Heavy Brown Bomber Joe Louis shone in heavyweight. The rivalry of the two superpowers began already then, and in the United States, where the heavyweight champions were always held in special esteem, there immediately appeared those who wanted to prove that their athlete was the strongest. According to the Americans, Nikolai Fedorovich was the only one who could give “at least some” rebuff to Luis, sufficient to prevent a passing battle, and Joe’s victory seemed bright and not in doubt. In the end, someone Michael Jacobs - one of the prominent functionaries of the overseas professional boxing of that time - sent Korolev a letter, the meaning of which was to offer to fight against Louis. For Nikolai Fedorovich this was truly a CHALLENGE, besides, in the USSR, as well as throughout Europe, in those years there was no one left whom Korolev could not beat.
It is known that Nikolai Fedorovich wholeheartedly wished for this meeting, meticulously collecting photographs and newspaper clippings about the famous American champion. However, the overseas side put forward a new demand - Korolev had to first show himself in a series of rating battles that could answer the question of whether he could fight with Louis himself. The Americans explained their unexpected whim as simply as it was humiliating in relation to the Russian boxer - they allegedly worried about the health of Nikolai Fedorovich, who had never entered the professional ring, and wanted to make sure that he could take a hit. Korolev was ready to agree to the tricks of the Americans and conduct rating fights, however, the leadership of our country was forbidden to meet with American boxers Nikolai Fedorovich. Korolev wrote letters of request to the highest authorities, but there was no answer to them. And then the boxer with the assistance of his comrade, Chief Marshal aviation Alexander Golovanov, decided to turn to Stalin himself. Joseph Vissarionovich listened to the request of the famous boxer, which he was voiced by Alexander Evgenievich himself. However, the leader’s answer was not what Nikolay Fedorovich wanted to hear: “Korolev is a victorious symbol of the Russian national spirit and character, the pride of Soviet sport. Fighting in front of drunken cowboys in clubs means dropping the dignity of both your own and your country. The Americans will not allow the triumph of the Russian boxer, and therefore they decided to carry out reconnaissance in battle. Korolev should not go to America. Or are there more compelling reasons? ” No one had any more compelling arguments ...Of course, the story does not tolerate the subjunctive mood, but according to experts, Korolev had good chances for success in a duel. Nikolai Fyodorovich was holding a blow no worse than an American athlete, at least not inferior in his mobility and had the rare ability to orient himself in a situation in a split second and make the right decision. In addition, the Brown Bomber conducted only a few fights a year, while Korolev could fight five rivals in just one tournament. Both Louis and the leadership of our country soon forgot about the failed “duel of the century”. Only Korolev could not do it. However, it was not in his power to change anything, and Nikolai Fyodorovich had no choice but to continue to perform in the domestic arena. By the way, there he soon - for the first time in many years - appeared a standing contender, a young Lithuanian Algirdas Shotsikas. At first, Korolev easily dealt with a newcomer, but he gained experience and learned rapidly. Quite the same way as Korolev himself once studied in battles with Mikhailov.
In 1948, Nikolai Fyodorovich once again defeated Shotsikas with ease, sending him several times to the flooring during the battle, but in 1949 Algirdas put up stubborn resistance to his famous opponent. To such an extent stubborn that many viewers were unhappy with the verdict of the judges, and in the end it was canceled. To identify the strongest sports leadership of the country organized in the capital of Russia a mini-tournament of the best heavyweights - Korolev, Shotsikas, Navasardov and Estonian Martin Linnamyagi. In accordance with the forecasts, Nikolay and Algirdas met in the final. And again, Korolev was extremely difficult - during the fight, he even knocked down, but in the end still pulled out a victory. However, the time of the legendary boxer inexorably and irrevocably left. More Nikolai Fedorovich did not defeat Shotsikas, having suffered from him four defeats in a row. Later Algirdas himself admitted: “I was not stronger than Korolev. I was twelve years younger. ”
Korolev wanted to take part in the 1952 Olympic Games held in Helsinki. It was the first Olympics, which were the Soviet boxers. But the sports leadership of the USSR had already labeled “old” on it, thus ruining another dream of an outstanding boxer. And again Korolev wrote at the top of the letter, and again received refusals. The last time Nikolay Fedorovich appeared in the ring within the framework of the first Games of the peoples of the USSR in 1956 year. He was already thirty-nine years old - as it was then thought, he was a very old man for boxing. Nevertheless, he confidently overcame the young boxer Vitaly Potapov and reached the final part of the competition. However, Nikolai Fyodorovich was not allowed to further battles according to the conclusion of the medical commission. Thus ended the story of the Korolev Boxer - a bright, unforgettable and unique. Four-time absolute champion of the USSR and nine-time heavyweight champion of the country, he took part in 219 fights, winning 206 from them. Among them are victories over famous boxers from Finland, France, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Belgium. They won about half the victories ahead of time - due to a clear advantage or knockout. It was no secret that some opponents of the Queen, having suffered defeat from him, no longer dared to box with him. Among his constant rivals are Andro Navasardov, Martin Linnamyagi, Levan Gudushauri, Boris Salong and Nikolai Yurchenko.After completing his career, Nikolai Fedorovich taught for some time in the famous metropolitan university MVTU im. Bauman, and then engaged in coaching. Nikolai Fyodorovich always did everything thoroughly, investing his whole soul. That is why none of the students missed his lectures, and the students attended the training sessions with great pleasure. In the government, the boxer's labor merit was highly appreciated and awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. Nikolai Fedorovich planned to meet his fifty-seventh birthday in a holiday home near Moscow, but he did not live only two days before the holiday date. Champion's heart stopped 12 March 1974 while playing billiards. He was buried in Moscow at Vvedensky cemetery. Only three words are inscribed on his monument - “Boxer”, “Partizan”, “Kommunist”. Unfortunately, very few know how much is hidden behind them. Six months later, after the death of an outstanding athlete in the USSR, the first All-Union Memorial to them was held in the city of Bryansk. N.F. Queen.
According to the materials of the sites http://allboxing.ru/ and http://www.peoples.ru/
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