Parents have rallied behind a Russian boxing coach after a video of him punching students in the stomach with a gloved fist went viral on social media and led to him being sacked for what he describes as a ‘commonly-used technique’.

Aleskerov Tapdyg Nizami Ogly, 28, a boxing trainer from the city of Astrakhan in the south-western Russian region of Astrakhan Oblast, was sacked by the regional Boxing Federation for ‘unprofessionalism’ after the video of him hitting students in the abdomen went viral with 5.1 million views on YouTube.

The video was shared by Aleskerov on his YouTube channel ‘Boxing Club Alesboxing’ on 30th October to highlight a “training process”.

The footage shows Aleskerov hitting two students in the abdomen with a gloved fist to test their endurance for body shots.

Aleskerov told Newsflash: “This technique is used by many coaches. Every trainer carries out exercises according to their own methods, and the Astrakhan Boxing Federation should not have deprived me of work.

“I would like to point out that the students in the video took part voluntarily, of their own free will, and no one was forced into it.”

Following the trainer’s dismissal, parents of his students released a video in his defence, confirming that their children took part in the boxing exercises voluntarily and had been training for a long time.

They added that their kids have adopted a healthier and more disciplined lifestyle since taking up the sport, and that they often personally attend classes to watch their children train, adding that Aleskerov is an excellent coach.

Aleskerov, who has been coaching boxing for six years, said: “I do not think it was fair that I lost my job because it was not done legitimately, just based only on the video clip.

“My students said they have no complaints about my coaching methods and that they did not feel any physical pain in this particular exercise.

“It is a normal technique, many coaches use it when preparing an athlete for a serious competition. There are many scientific articles on this topic, it is strongly developed in all martial arts.”

Aleskerov told Newsflash: “This technique helps the athlete break through the pain barrier, it prepares them psychologically and strengthens the abs as well because in a bout you can receive a body blow and lose the fight.

“This technique does not pose any risks because, as with any professional in my field, I fully understand the capabilities of all my students and I have an individual approach to each person and I can determine how much they can take.”

Aleskerov confirmed that he has already been stripped of his licence and is currently out of work, adding: “The parents of my students wrote a complaint to the boxing federation to reinstate me.”