Yevgeny Kobrin • Senior boxing coach from Haifa – passed away, leaving behind a great legacy

(haipo) It is with great sadness and great pain that the Haifa sports world bids farewell to Mivgeni Kobrin, a senior and veteran boxing coach, who passed away yesterday (Saturday, 8/15/26). Kobrin was for decades one of the central and respected figures in the boxing industry in Haifa and Israel, and dedicated his life to training, educating, and raising generations of athletes.

His funeral will take place today, Sunday, August 16, 2026, at 2:00 PM at the Nesher Cemetery.

In 1998, Kobrin founded the "Sabtan" boxing club in Haifa, as part of the "Chance for Youth" association, and has since served as the club's founder and professional director. For more than three decades, the place became a home for many children, teenagers, and adults, who came to learn boxing but received much more from it than just the sport.

Over the years, Kobrin has raised generations of boxers, including Israeli champions, medalists, and athletes who have represented Haifa and Israel in national and international arenas. Among the athletes who grew up under his guidance is Michael Medvedev, along with many others who have achieved significant achievements thanks to their coach's professional work and dedication.

But for those who knew him, Yevgeny Kobrin was much more than a coach, he was a man who believed in people. He knew how to see the person behind the boxer, to listen, to support, to demand and, most importantly, to believe. Even in moments when the athletes themselves had difficulty believing in themselves, he knew how to remind them that they had the strength to continue.

The way he coached was not limited to technique, fitness, or victories. Kobrin believed that true success was built over time, through discipline, perseverance, patience, hard work, and faith in the path. These were the values ​​he instilled in his trainees, not only in the boxing gym but also in life. The professional knowledge and extensive experience he gained also made him a significant figure for coaches in the industry. Many saw him as a teacher and mentor, a person who was willing to share his knowledge and help others develop and succeed.

Kobrin's death leaves a huge void in the boxing world and in the sports community in Haifa. He leaves behind not only a long list of achievements and medals, but mainly people, athletes, coaches and students who were influenced by him, learned from him and carried forward the values ​​he believed in.

Ilana Kartish, Israeli boxing champion, Olympic athlete and chairwoman of the Unite Haifa association, told Haifa about the late Yevgeny: "Yevgeny was much more than a coach to me. He was a true friend, a dear person, and a very significant figure in my life. I have known him since childhood. I grew up with him in the world of sports, I trained with him, and I was also honored to become the Israeli boxing champion thanks to the path and tools I received from him. Throughout the years, I have known an amazing, pleasant, humble person with a huge heart.

As a coach and as a person, Yevgeny was an inspiration and an example to me. I always appreciated his patience, the calm and serenity that he had, and his ability to calm athletes in the most stressful moments and give them confidence. He is a great loss to the world of sports, but for me it is also a very personal and painful loss. It is difficult to say goodbye to someone who has been a part of my path for so many years. I am grateful for the privilege of knowing him, learning from him, and being a part of his path.

"I will never forget the person he was, his kind heart and everything he gave to athletes over the years."

Yevgeny Kobrin has passed away, but the way he chose to live and dedicate his life to sports and young people will continue to resonate for many years to come. For many in Haifa and the boxing world, he will be remembered as a coach, a teacher, a mentor, and most of all, as a man who believed in the power of man to overcome, persevere, and go far.