RT: You’re in really great form now. Do you ever think about quitting, or are there more peaks for you to reach?

N.R.: I’ve achieved everything. I’m the undisputed champion of the world which I hadn’t even dreamt of. Of course I’ve had thoughts that maybe it’s time for me to end nicely and worthily as a champion. But I feel really attracted and drawn to the gym. I cannot live without boxing. Of course I could work on television. But for now we’ve made a decision to prolong the agreement for two more fights.

RT: Have you thought about switching to a different weight category?

N.R.: I have. One day after a fight we were joking with my coach who was saying, ‘C’mon Roy Jones, let’s go higher! You can gain weight and go even further than that’. I guess I could try that as well, why not?

Laila Ali (AFP Photo / Don Emmert)

RT: As we know Laila Ali hasn’t fought since 2007. Do you ever feel sorry you never got to face her in the boxing ring?

N.R.: I’m no longer interested in Laila Ali. Honestly speaking, I am ready and willing to fight her. This used to be my dream. But I cannot keep chasing her. I’m done with track and field athletics, so I cannot keep running after her. Now I’m into boxing and I’m ready to face her. I know she’s taking a break due to her marriage and baby. I also got married and gave birth to my child, but I have returned to boxing. I’m not hiding and I’m ready to fight anyone. If she shows up I’m willing to face and to box her. I believe it would be a really exciting fight. She’s a strong and worthy opponent today.

RT: In spite of the fact that she hasn’t performed since 2007?

N.R.: Among all my opponents, she would be the most fascinating . We are the same height and we are somewhat similar. Yes, she’s strong but I’m even stronger! Perhaps she’s sitting thinking about it while time is slipping away!

RT: How do you access the advancement of professional women’s boxing in Russia? Compared to the time when you had just entered professional boxing and women’s boxing was practically unheard of.

N.R.: There has been a progress, perhaps thanks to my performance on TV. I have a contract for live broadcasts on the Ren-TV Channel. Thus all my supporters had learnt about me due to television. Prior to that people had been unaware of me and of professional women’s boxing. But now I believe they have been learning more and more about it. In Russia women’s boxing is not as well-promoted as it is in Europe of course. We are doing very few fights, while in Europe they make put on large and beautiful shows. They are really good at it.

RT: I guess their progress and promotion starts with amateur boxing federations from which girls then enter professional boxing. We don’t have such a set up. I guess much less money has been spent on it too.

N.R.: In our country no one is willing to deal with it. People are all against women’s boxing, but no matter what they say it’s time to put up with the fact it exists as well as women’s sumo, football and hockey. I cannot understand why they’re so against boxing in particular. Any sport is traumatic. But look at me! I once had an interview right after a fight and I didn’t have a single bruise on me! I had once damaged my wrist but I guess it’s alright to have one injury in someone’s entire career. The doctor hadn’t taped my hands properly and he’s already paid for it! But otherwise women’s boxing has been progressing. It will be included in the Olympics in 2012. God willing, people will be happily supporting our national women’s team at the Olympics.

RT: What features do girls develop the most when they learn boxing?

N.R.: I believe it’s character, willpower and spirit. These things make a girl worthy to go into a boxing ring and show what she’s capable of. If she doesn’t have them it’s useless to go out and show your fear.

RT: So character is first.

N.R.: Yes, character.

RT: And sport skills come later.

N.R.: Exactly.

RT: Do you always keep track of men’s boxing? Can you single someone out?

N.R.: Of course I do as I’m very interested. Today Klichko is the strongest heavyweight boxer. He’s boxed Chagaev recently.

RT: So Klitschko hadn’t overestimated him.

N.R.: He had not. Not everyone is capable of winning a fight just by one left jab. Thus he is the strongest today. I support Sasha Povetkin; he’s my friend, I like and respect him very much. But if he wants to fight him he has to really prepare hard for it. I really care for Nikolai Valuev. We’d been practicing together; and his coach Alexander Zimin came to watch my fight and to support me. Perhaps we will travel to Japan for training together. Who else is there? Chagaev has been overthrown. He hadn’t prepared properly.

RT: You’re very close with Kostya Tszyu. He has a charitable foundation and he’s been traveling around the country. He also has many supporters in Australia. Do you ever think about doing something like that later? Or perhaps you’ve already been doing it and we’re just unaware?

N.R.: Of course I’m also willing to do charitable work and to help. We’ve opened a foundation called Charity for children. Part of the income from my fights is used to help sick children. I am not sure exactly how much money it is but I know my coaching staff and my team have been organizing it. A book of my biography is about to be published. We’re building a boxing gym named after Natasha Rogozina. Of course I cannot do it all over the country like Kostya. I don’t have enough time and resources. Kostya has actually given up fighting while I’m still an active sportswoman.

RT: But he still has his famous braid!

N.R.: That’s right. But while I’m an active sportswoman I cannot afford traveling around the world and opening boxing schools. Perhaps I will do it in future as I’ve been offered to develop it as well as to work on television. But these things require time; and so far I’ve been giving my all to my work, boxing. I have to stay alert, as my rivals are not sleeping; they cannot wait to beat me and to take over!

RT: Talking about rivals, in your recent fight with Laura Ramsey there was no such antagonism between you, neither in the beginning nor in the end.

N.R.: Laura Ramsey turned out to be a very sensible sportswoman. I’d boxed some really insane women who didn’t understand what they were doing and how they were acting. Yes, I am the world champion, so I believe they should respect their rival! They wouldn’t say hello or they would call me names or say provocative things to me. I did hit one of them at the weigh-in for her words. But Laura Ramsey turned out to be a worthy opponent. She was behaving properly. Of course she came to beat me. Her previous rivals had to be carried away on stretchers. She was definitely upset when she lost to me. But the victory goes to the strong.

RT: When you talk about other rivals misbehaving it sounds like little hooligan boys in female bodies.

N.R.: You know, actually after the fight they would approach me and say, yes you’re the world champion! I actually made them recognize it, even though they had been saying Laila Ali was their idol. And I say I have 7 belts while Laila Ali has nothing at the moment. She would have to win numerous fights in order to equal my number of belts. Her father is a legend of boxing; I admire and respect him. But she is really nobody right now.

RT: I have nothing to add here. You’re an advanced modern girl. You have your own blog.

N.R.: Advanced, really!

RT: How often do you use internet technologies to talk to your fans?

N.R.: You won’t believe it but in the past I had no time to use the internet and I didn’t even know how to get online. I swear I still don’t have the internet at home; I only have it at the office where I do such things as interviews, reading books and studying English. When I was offered to write a blog I was afraid of it; I didn’t know how to do it. But then it became really easy for me. I find it very exciting that people can talk to me and share my worries, my training and my mood. They fully support me. Of course some people write nonsense, but let them do it, I just ignore it. And when my blog friends call me before my fights and ask how I feel because they really care, I don’t tell them to get out but rather I ask them to call me later. I tell them when I’ve done my warm-up or prepared for the fight; I tell them what I’ve read or what I’ve eaten. They are interested to know it all, so I tell them. I’m not afraid they will put the evil eye on me.

RT: Is it strange for you to get such questions as what you’ve eaten today?

N.R.: It’s not. People want to know what I do before fights, like whether I’m afraid or worried. I always eat carbohydrates before fights, such as pasta. My lunch is at 3pm and the fight is at 10pm, and pasta digests well, so I won’t feel hungry. People are interested in such things. I am willing to talk to them when I have time.

RT: You always wear a new outfit for every fight. First, who designs them? And if you do it yourself, do you have any further ambitions regarding outfits, for example designing for other female boxers? Do you get any response?

N.R.: It was my initial idea to wear skirts in the ring. Women’s boxing should look nice and feminine. This is a female sport, as I’m fighting other women. I decided to wear skirts like in tennis to look nice. I started making up these images. Then I met Marina Kuptsova, the world high jump champion and honored Master of Sports. She is a friend of mine. She cannot perform now due a spinal injury. She told me she was interested in designing and making clothes. I said, why don’t you invent something for me to wear in the ring? She answered, why not. We’ve been working together for 2 years already. She asks me what I want to look like. I say, like a schoolgirl for example. She takes colorful fabrics and invents different ideas for outfits. I’m very grateful to Marina Kuptrsova for her help. She always attends my fights and supports me. She watches them with huge eyes as she feels scared but she still comes to watch. But the idea was mine. I like to do things with beauty and elegance.

RT: Could it grow into your next profession?

N.R.: It could too. We are developing a new design together with my friend Ilya Shiyan. I’ve participated in his fashion shows at the Moscow fashion week three times already. This is his jacket I’m wearing; he’s a professional. We decided to make a sport outfit together, Shiyan-Rogozina. You’ll see them soon. This is another new idea. Concerning my next fight outfit, this is still a secret, I’m planning a surprise, but it will be a beautiful one.

RT: Do you have a specific date for your next fight?

N.R.: At the moment I am planning to take a break, and in autumn I will be defending my belts. I’m planning to fight American boxers. We have only two other local female fighters but they are still afraid and hesitant. Good for them. Fear means respect.

RT: As I understand defense of the belts happens more often in women’s boxing than in men’s.

N.R.: Regarding me, I am not hiding from anyone; I am willing to go out and fight my rivals. But some male boxers don’t act like men: they say they have sore legs or arms or headaches. Why go into boxing then? For example a boxer practices hard and leaves his family and children to spend time in training. And suddenly he’s told his opponent is not coming due to hepatitis. And he doesn’t even get the forfeit payment. He had been working so hard and suddenly everything’s cancelled. How nice is it? This is why we go out and box.

RT: I guess there are much less behind-the-scene fights in women’s boxing.

N.R.: This is not so; it’s exactly the same. We may even hit harder, as girls can be more aggressive.

RT: I mean less political intrigues.

N.R.:  No, it’s exactly the same, I swear. After one fight I visited the international female boxing association website. Americans don’t really like me to such an extent that they don’t write about my victories. They always write about other boxers’ victories and post their pictures. This time they wrote about my victory but without my photo; instead they posted a picture of a young warm-up girl. I don’t really care; I know I’m the strongest one. Praise God I’m number one in the American ratings leaving all the American boxers behind. It’s nothing but intrigue. For them Laila Ali is everything, unlike Rogozina. But no matter what…

RT: She’s not even in the ratings now.

N.R.: Listen, they used to put me in fourth place, but now I’m the first and they’ve put up with it. And even now I’ve overcome their only star, Laura Ramsey. Well, sorry about that! They shouldn’t see me as easy prey! We’ve been preparing and working hard here in order to always be on top. We have to work hard, and all the rest will come later. Right?

RT: Right! I absolutely agree.

N.R.: Is it alright? I’ve just returned from the Mayak radio station, they made me really mad there! They said, how can you be like that, you’re a woman, you should have children and raise them! So I said, and what then? I have a child and I am raising him. What am I supposed to do when my children grow up? Become a fat useless housewife?

RT: I don’t have such questions as my father is a football player.

N.R.: They made me so mad I almost wanted to beat them up!

Is he a professional football player?

RT: He played for Spartak Moscow in 1981-1982; and he played for Shinnik Yaroslavl.

N.R.: What’s his name?

RT: His name is Vladimir Kosarev. He was even in the USSR national team.

N.R.: What about now?

RT: My family has been living in Cyprus since 1989. They own a restaurant there.

N.R.: I’ll get my son to play football. He kicks with his legs really hard.

RT: Is he eight years old now?

N.R.: Football lacks players.

RT: Is he not interested in boxing?

N.R.: He only comes to play around. He puts on his gloves and punches like 5 times. Then he runs away to play outside. I ask him, will you do boxing? And he says, mum, I’m gonna be a builder! He’s so funny. He understands boxers have to work and practice hard and they experience lots of pain. And he doesn’t want it.

RT: Is he worried about you?

N.R.: Of course he is. He always watched my fights on TV and falls asleep right there. When I get home he asks, mom, did they hit you hard? Then he hugs and kisses me. He is really not a bully. If kids bug him at school he’ll ignore them first and hit back only if they bug him again.

RT: Well, eight is not the age for it.

N.R.: I don’t have to fight for him there. But all the school knows that his mum is the world champion in boxing. So they try to avoid him.

RT: As we’ve just mentioned, many believe boxing is a destructive kind of sport for girls. If you ever have a daughter who’ll be willing to box, you’ll not oppose it, will you?

N.R.: I will not. If she wants it and if she’s good at it like I am, I’ll let her do it. But if she gets beaten up why would she need that? Of course I’m against boxing for my children. I’ve been through it and I know how hard it is. We are not playing chess. And I am not fighting toys but real strong opponents. But I’m well-trained. My coach is the Olympic champion. Yanovsky is the best coach. He makes sure I get no injuries on my face and body. The wrist injury was the only mistake due to improper taping. He does his utmost to make me beautiful in the ring and in daily life, and he makes me strong and unbeatable. Boxing doesn’t necessarily mean being covered with bruises like it usually happens in the first round.

RT: It’s actually good to hear. If the coach makes everything to preserve your face, there is still such a huge unused potential left.

N.R.: You’re right. He told me after a fight, Natasha, your performance was 35 per cent. I said, how’s that? He replied, you can do better than that. And Nikolai Valuev said the same. I can do better. I have to work harder. I have to practice 6 hours a day in the gym.

RT: I believe not only coaches and experts say so. It’s obvious that you’re strong but you could do even better.

N.R.: Maybe something…

RT: It looks like you want to protect yourself.

N.R.: You know it may be a fear for my face which I want to keep untouched. I was attending classes for television presenters, and my teacher was Svetlana Makarova who had taught many guys and girls on television. She is a real professional and a strong woman. At that time I started fighting. And she told me, Natasha, take care of your face – you will need it in future! I still remember those words when I go to the ring. I know I will really need my face. I am not ugly; I am not that much of a beauty either but I will need my face, thus I protect it. I want to make sure they don’t damage my nose, my lips, my teeth or my ears; I want to have both my eyes in place. Thus I try to keep the distance. Don’t get too close to my face!

RT: I see. If you had an opportunity in future to get involved in politics, perhaps, sport politics, would you use it?

N.R.: I would.

RT: What would you change first of all, something you don’t like at all?

N.R.: I had an opportunity to work for the State Duma. But I was really committed to sport then. If I have another opportunity I will definitely take it. I would do my utmost for as many people as possible to do sports rather than drink and smoke like our young people do now. When I look around the city I feel scared and sorry for your youth as I see they have nothing else to do. We will force our young people into gyms!

RT: This is the Year of Youth, and they’ve been trying to open more facilities for children to do sports. Even though I don’t feel nostalgic for the Soviet Times, we used to have a systematic approach in it. But today unfortunately our children are less into sports and more into all kinds of harmful activities.

N.R.: It’s a shame our young people are growing up like that. When I was a little girl I would run 5 kilometers uphill for a small cup of ice-cream. The place was really rocky in the Urals where I lived. And I ran all over the hills to earn my ice-cream. And it wasn’t in vain. But today’s young people sit around with beer. This is my reply.

RT: But I believe there is a light at the end of the tunnel in connection with this Year of Youth. Some things are being done. But the results will be seen much later.

N.R.: Of course the work is being done. Younger children understand the problem and go into sports. But it’s harder to change the young adults; to make them understand that beer is bad for them but a boxing gym is good for them. You cannot persuade them unless you smack them a couple of times! They enjoy smoking and drinking. And I enjoy spending time in the gym.

RT: Have you ever thought about teaching children?

N.R.: I have been thinking about helping children, training them at schools or holding master-classes. But when I go there I give my all, and I have no strength left for myself. I feel completely exhausted. So if I do it I will do it full-time. I will complete my present career first and then I’ll start another.

RT: Thank you very much for the interview.