Helmand Alekozai (L) lands a punch on Digari Mahesh (R). of their combat on April 19, 2024 in Dubai. Picture from Savy Promotions
This Saturday, Helmand Alekozai will combat in his seventh nation as knowledgeable boxer. The combat, an eight-round junior welterweight bout in opposition to Patrick Okine, will happen on the 2300 Enviornment in Philadelphia, Pa. It’s a exceptional statistic for the 31-year-old globetrotter from Toronto, Canada, who’s hoping that publicity within the American market will assist him transfer into title rivalry. The combat would be the third to this point of Alekozai (13-0, 5 knockouts), with extra fights scheduled for September and December. His busy tempo – seven fights within the final 20 months following an almost 4 12 months layoff – has him inside hanging distance of fulfilling his childhood dream of turning into a boxing champion.
“Now it’s extra life like, earlier than it was so far-off, I’m 13-0, about to be 14-0 this weekend. I can style these massive fights now. I simply gotta do my job, keep humble and always remember the place I got here from,” stated Alekozai.
It isn’t laborious for Alekozai to recollect the place he’s been. All he has to do is look down on the scars from the surgical procedures on his knee and shoulder, or the scratches throughout his abdomen from the glass in his automotive’s sunroof, which necessitated two surgical procedures on a ruptured bladder. It was November 23, 2021 and Alekozai was driving house from work on the Gardiner Expressway in Ontario when he missed his exit. He tried to show out of the blue on the ice-covered automotive and misplaced management of his automobile. He tried to counter the spin by accelerating the other way, which exacerbated the scenario.
He flew out of the highest of the automotive and suffered quite a few profession altering accidents, together with a tibial plateau fracture in his proper leg, three cracked pelvic bones, a fractured scapula and had his head break up open. The cuts on his abdomen prompted a ruptured bladder, and a laparotomy needed to be carried out to take away glass from his abdomen.
Medical doctors advised him he would doubtless be within the hospital and a rehabilitation facility for 2 months. As a substitute, he was out in three weeks.
“There’s not likely a purpose that I needs to be alive apart from pure luck and the next function, I assume. After I wakened within the hospital it felt unreal like what the hell is that this, I didn’t bear in mind nothing. The physician says it’s very tough so that you can field once more usually due to these accidents and so they advised me it’s gonna be a pair months earlier than you stroll correctly,” stated Alekozai.
“As quickly as I bought house I had a fitness center arrange in my home already so I bought proper to coaching and began transferring. I used to be on a mission to show everyone fallacious.”
Helmand Alekozai with head coach Glen Erjas trying on over his proper shoulder. Picture by Savy Promotions
Although his discharge from the hospital got here prior to anticipated, he was removed from out of the woods. There have been setbacks that examined his resolve, like his injured bladder that had him dashing to the toilet every time he would take a drink. Alekozai figured he’d be able to combat once more after an eight week camp, however when his knee was unable to carry up for his working routine, he pulled out of the combat to let his physique heal longer. It wasn’t till November of 2022, when a combat in opposition to Dylan Rushton was provided to him on the CAA Centre in Brampton, Ontario, that he lastly bought again into the ring. There have been doubts that ran by his thoughts, even as soon as he bought within the ring, however he nonetheless managed to win the break up choice in entrance of his hometown followers.
“There was a variety of different issues previous to the combat just like the athletic fee telling me I couldn’t put on a knee brace which messed me up too as a result of I used to be petrified of my knee coming out however we bought previous that. I simply bit down on my gum protect and let my palms go. I beat Dylan Rushton up fairly unhealthy, it was fairly simple, simply letting my palms go and boxing,” stated Alekozai.
Alekozai hasn’t wasted a second for the reason that accident, preventing seven occasions, successful three by stoppage. New supervisor Trifon Petrov, who has recognized Alekozai for years however solely just lately began working with him formally, says there was an surprising influence to his boxing model from the accident.
“What occurred to him was really a blessing in disguise as a result of it helped him change his preventing model. Now he stays way more within the pocket and was capable of finding extra energy and is getting much more stoppages,” stated Petrov, who additionally manages unbeaten prospects Maliek Montgomery, Elijah Pierce and Thanjhae Teasley
“He’s an thrilling fighter, he at all times involves combat. I believe he’s undoubtedly a reputation that individuals ought to pay attention to within the weight division.”
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All Alekozai had ever wished to be was a fighter. On the age of two, the Afghani-Canadian boy noticed combat movies of Mike Tyson and “Prince” Naseem Hamed and determined that was going to be his life and profession. He would go round and inform his relations and different children that he could be a fighter and personal a fitness center of his personal. His father, the revered journalist Jan Aqa Alekozai, was in opposition to the thought of his son turning into a boxer and as a substitute wished him to give attention to his schooling.
As a substitute, he skilled in secret, engaged on his boxing method from the age of 5 in his uncle’s basement within the Toronto suburb of Mississauga. His household moved to Prague within the Czech Republic when he was eight years outdated due to his father’s work. Even whereas learning at a global college, Alekozai discovered methods to observe his boxing abilities on older children who had been bullying his older brother. A kind of fights bought him expelled from college, and it was at that time that his dad and mom relented and allowed him to field formally in a fitness center.
“After that I by no means bought in hassle in class and truly bought accepted again into the varsity I used to be expelled from to graduate,” stated Alekozai.
Alekozai would go on to field roughly 170 occasions as an beginner, making it on to the “B-team” nationwide squad for the Czech Republic and preventing worldwide duels, however by no means getting the prospect to excel to the utmost of his potential as a result of he was nonetheless seen as an outsider to some. When he returned to Canada at age 18, he confronted the same challenge, shedding break up choices in bouts he felt he dominated due to the impression that he was somebody who now belonged to the European scene.
With a boxing id disaster stymying his progress on two fronts, Alekozai made plans to characterize his dad and mom’ native Afghanistan on the 2012 Olympics. All was set for his journey to the qualifiers till his invitation was pulled on the final minute. Alekozai continued to field in Canada however moved again to the Czech Republic in 2015 when his father grew to become sick and died of most cancers in 2015. Whereas serving to his mom get the household’s property so as, Alekozai turned professional on the finish of 2015 within the Czech Republic, the place he fought his first three bouts.
He returned house for a bout in Canada in 2017, after which traveled to London later that 12 months for a choice win over Gyula Tallosi at legendary membership venue York Corridor. He sat out 2018 and centered on his private coaching enterprise, and had a professional combat in China in 2019 to advertise a fitness center he opened up there.
Amid his inactivity, Alekozai additionally misplaced his brother, Abaseen, who died in 2021 after a two-year battle with most cancers. This added gas to his drive to succeed.
“That was one combat that I couldn’t combat for him and he ended up sadly shedding his life. He fought a great two years after they advised him he solely had a couple of months to reside. This comeback means a lot as a result of lots of people in my household, and my brother who handed away. He wished me to be a great boxer and get to the highest,” stated Alekozai.
Since then he has fought twice in Mexico in 2023 and twice in Dubai earlier this 12 months.
Alekozai now turns his consideration to Okine (21-7-2, 18 KOs), a 33-year-old native of Ghana who, regardless of shedding three of his final 4 bouts, represents a step-up in competitors for “The Savage Prince,” having fought former IBF featherweight titleholder Lee Selby and title challenger Jeremia Nakathila.
The present will likely be a part of the second occasion by Swift Promotions, a brand new outlet headed up by former world champion Danny “Swift” Garcia which may also characteristic upcoming prospects like Daiyaan Butt, Mathew Castro and Quincey Williams.
“I’ve watched just a little tape on him. He appears to be like very sluggish, he doesn’t look as tall so I’ll have a better time boxing him on the surface and if I’m on the within I believe I can damage him. There’s some stuff that he does good, like he masses up with the left hook to the physique, I assume he throws the overhand proper so much,” stated Alekozai.
“He’s only a fighter, he’ll grind you. You simply gotta be respectful and also you gotta be ready. I’ve seen that he’s weak in locations and that’s the place I wish to expose and make the most of.”
For this camp, Alekozai ready close by at Indio’s Boxing Gymnasium in Bethlehem, Pa. Along with long-time coach Glen Erjas of Ontario, Alekozai has enlisted the assistance of Indio Rodriguez, who will likely be serving to him in future camps in Pennsylvania.
Petrov says Alekozai could have roughly 150 followers coming to the fights in Philadelphia, with some coming from Canada, Europe and the Center East for the bout. He says the plan is to get Alekozai ranked within the high 15 by many of the sanctioning our bodies by the tip of the 12 months.
“I’m not trying previous Patrick Okine, we’ve gotta win this combat, I reside combat to combat, I don’t wish to look previous anyone as a result of this sport is unforgiving,” stated Alekozai.
“I don’t wish to lose that ‘0’. I attempt to kill or be killed.”
Ryan Songalia has written for ESPN, the New York Each day Information, Rappler and The Guardian, and is a part of the Craig Newmark Graduate College of Journalism Class of 2020. He may be reached at [email protected].
