Blessing Nduku
Zimbabwean Boxer Hassan ‘Starboy’ Milanzi (27) from Otto Boxing Club made history on the 9th of November at 7 Arts Theatre in Harare by defeating his opponents and claiming three WBF Bantamweight Championship belts marking a significant milestone in his career.
Speaking to this reporter in an interview Starboy expressed how his boxing journey started when he was only eleven years old.
“My story starts when I was growing up in Mtapa where I would see some boxers training at Mtapa hall where I would go and watch them doing whatever they will be doing which ended up capturing my heart and interest.”
“I then joined them and during that time our coach was Clemence Mutuna who took me into the club and when I was in high school in 2013 at Mambo High School our headmaster then formed a boxing Club and that was when I formerly told my parents about how I loved boxing.”
Milanzi explained how stiff his boxing journey was though his determination and perseverance paid off.
“I had 69 fights in amateur, lost eight of them and in 2019 I had few fights this was because I was losing a lot and I remember that time I was like I have mastered this game and trust me these losses have humbled me and rather made me a boxer.”
“Loses and setbacks build a character in sportsmen, losses make one strong and humble and push you to work hard just like what happened to me in 2019.”
Starboy is a three-time African Champion in Boxing, the current African Boxing Union (ABU) Super Bantamweight Champion, World Boxing Federation (WBF) International Super Bantamweight Champion and former Universal Boxing Council (UBC) African Champion.
Hassan Milanzi encouraged aspiring boxers to be disciplined, pray work hard and start with what you have to get to where you want.
“To all aspiring boxers, the number one thing to have when you want to reach the top level is to be disciplined. One needs direction, goals and visions of what you want to achieve and it’s not going to be easy but let God lead you in everything you do work hard and pray hard.”
