Rolling with the punches
IT was initially hard to envision Aiman Abu Bakar as a professional boxer. After all, in juxtaposition to the violent nature of the sport, this soft-spoken man seems too small in size. But what this 24-year-old lacks in stature, his exuberance more than makes up for it.
Aiman was first enraptured by boxing when he watched the famous 1976 film Rocky as a young boy.
“As the protagonist in the movie, Rocky Balboa took a lot of beating – both in and out of the boxing ring – but in spite of being the underdog, he overcame all the challenges. He inspired me and made me fall in love with boxing,” explained the public relations student.
His childhood interest ultimately blossomed into a full-time passion.
“Seeing as how my mother is a huge fan of the late Muhammad Ali, I picked up the sport. Coupled with the discovery of great boxers such as Roberto Durán and Arturo Gatti, I was completely in love,” Aiman added.
His passion drove him to venture into professional boxing and set up his own company, BoxGlobe Sports & Entertainment. According to him, the company is a platform for upcoming, young boxers to discover their dreams.
“Boxing is not a popular sport here and it’s one of my greatest wishes to put Malaysia on the world boxing map. Many people are uninformed about boxing so I want to raise awareness about it. Boxing can get brutal at times, but it’s a beautiful sport too.”
Can you please enlighten us as to what a career as a professional boxer is like?
We spend most of our time training in the gym to perfect our craft. During non-competition period, I’d spend two sessions at the gym every day for two hours and a half to four hours each. If I have to prepare for a competition, I’d travel to the Philippines for my training camp since my manager, matchmaker and coaches are based there. It’s a hard and gruelling three months, but the end result is gratifying.
Knowing how vicious boxing can be, were your parents OK about your joining this industry?
They were sceptical at first – considering the nature of the sport and the injuries involved – but I promised them that I would learn boxing earnestly and that I will prevent myself from getting hurt as much as I can.
Which determines a match: skills or strategy?
It is said that boxing is 90% mental preparation and 10% skills, and I agree with this. If you’re a skilled fighter, but you’re not psychologically prepared, then you stand a higher chance of losing. When you’re on the rink, mental warfare takes up a huge part of the game and it’s important for you to be heartless. You can’t feel sorry for your opponents because there’s no such thing as a second chance.
What is the lifespan of a professional boxer?
As compared to footballers whose career peaks from 17 to 27 years old, ours only truly begin when we hit our 30s. Our early 20s is the time where we learn the game and build a good foundation, whereas the 30s is when you start fighting in the big arena. In fact, 46-year-old Bernard Hopkins is the oldest boxer to win a world championship. So, it’s a bit like life actually – the older we are, the better we get.
If you can spar with anyone in this world, who would you pick?
I’d love to fight Manny Pacquiao and Arturo Gatti. The latter, who unfortunately passed away in 2009, was very much a real-life version of Rocky Balboa. Despite being constantly beaten up, he was always victorious.
TRIVIA
Animal spirit: Lion.
Boxing mantra: “I fear no man on earth that breathes the same air as I do.” (Bernard Hopkins)
Lucky colours: Blue and white.
Fights joined and won: Three.
Worst injury: Bloodied nose.