Dzhabar Askerov

Sometimes there is more than one way to be a winner, as Dzhabar Askerov learned when he took part in the hugely popular 2008 reality television show ‘The Contender: Asia’. Modelled on the US original, the Asian version replaced boxing with Muay Thai and invited a mixture of star names and rising talent to share a house for several weeks, divided into two teams and competing against each other to determine an overall winner. Yodsanklai Fairtex was the favourite from the start, being at the time the top Thai fighter at his weight and already holding wins over some of his housemates. He went on to win the season, but Askerov - previously unknown to all but the hardcore followers of Thai boxing - emerged with a huge new fan base thanks to his likeable personality. When he broke down and cried at losing a close decision to John Wayne Parr in the semi-finals, viewers around the world cried with him. Over the course of the season his open, generous nature and his fondness for joking had made him a favourite with his housemates and fight fans alike. That popularity continues to this day; Askerov is one of the nicest guys in the fight game. Of course underneath all that he has the fighting heart of a Dagestani warrior. Askerov spent his formative years in Derbent, a city in the Caucasus region which has been of enormous strategic importance for thousands of years. Controlling access to key trade routes and passages through the mountains, Derbent was treasured by the rival empires who fought to control it. The city’s history is steeped in war and so is its architecture - Derbent is home to some of the world’s largest and oldest surviving fortifications. Legend has it that Alexander the Great himself was responsible for part of them. With such a tradition in the region, is it any wonder that Askerov chose the warrior path? While the reality show caused his popularity to surge, he has also been honing his skills in some of the hardest competitions in the world, including the prestigious King’s Cup in Thailand. Askerov is on good form of late, riding a four-fight win streak into the GLORY World series. His only career losses have been to the top names and some of them - such as Giorgio Petrosyan and Denis Schneidmiller - are in the tournament with him, giving Askerov the chance to get his revenge at the same time as competing in kickboxing‘s biggest-money tournament.