Olympic boxing champion Daniyar Yeleussinov has for the first time openly spoken about his battle with alcohol addiction and appealed to his fans, reports infohub.kz.
In his Instagram stories, the athlete admitted that after the Olympic Games he developed a craving for alcohol, which over time turned into a disease. "Everyone is criticizing me now, saying I was in a drunk driving accident and so on. Yes, I admit that after the Olympics I developed a craving for alcohol, a tendency toward alcoholism, an attraction to alcohol. I don't know how it turned into a disease. But it's not something to laugh at. People laugh now, saying this and that. Until it happens to them, they don't understand. I used to laugh too when I was young. But it comes to those who laughed. I'm fighting," Yeleussinov stated.
According to him, problems with alcohol have become a new challenge, and he asked his compatriots not to judge him. "Some people just can't honestly talk about their problems. Times have changed—you need to talk about your problems as they are. It's not like everything is fine with us; stars also have their issues. We are human too. No one is perfect. I also have difficulties, problems that arise. I spent a month in rehab. For example, I was in a detention cell. Because of my own fault. Before that, I was a good guy," the boxer added.
Yeleussinov also admitted that he is now called a "drunkard and alcoholic," and he did not argue with those words. "Yes, so what? Drunkard, alcoholic. But I still remain an Olympic champion, world champion, and world champion among professionals. And I continue doing my job. I'm not making excuses. Maybe I'm not the best. I'm not better than Golovkin, I'm not better than Shumenov. I'm not better than Zhakiyanov. I'm not trying to be better. Yes, I used to want to be better, I said that. People think I'm arrogant. But no," Daniyar also said.
He added that now everything should work out for him, and he came to the USA to continue his career. Yeleussinov asked fans to support him.
Recall that in early July, Daniyar Yeleussinov was arrested and had his driver's license revoked. The capital's police also showed video of his detention after an accident. In addition, at the end of July, a verdict was announced in Karaganda in the case of beating two local women, and Daniyar Yeleussinov's wife was found guilty.