UK-based Ghanaian boxer, Seth Gyimah, says he was discouraged from being a boxer when he first arrived in the country and was urged to concentrate on his “cleaning job.”
Gyimah, also known as Freezy Macbones, was in the news once again over the weekend following his victory over Darryl Sharp at the Copper Boxing Arena in London.
The 33-year-old fought in an undercard bout in the Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang main event over the weekend as he defeated his opponent through a unanimous decision by the judges. The was only his second professional fight since leaving Ghana for the United Kingdom.
In an interview with Joy Sports, Gyimah explained the difficulties he faced when he decided to go into boxing upon his arrival in Europe.
“It was a tough time [for me when I started boxing] because obviously, we have a lot of great boxers in the UK and as a village boy travelling all the way from Ghana to start boxing here at the age of 27, a lot of criticism came up,” he said.
“A lot of people quizzed my decision to start boxing and asked if there was an injury who was going to look after me. [At that] time I was an amateur – no income and nothing coming up. People said ‘You need to stay focused and keep doing your cleaning job’.
“There was a whole lot but I never let myself down. I kept working hard and working toward my dream, pushing myself up until it happened,” he added.
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Gyimah first went viral last year when he knocked out a man, 30kg heavier than him, during sparring at his local gym.
The video of the incident was widely shared by many including Floyd Mayweather and 50 Cent.
This earned him the name ‘British Mike Tyson’.
Gyimah grew up in Sekyere Asokore, where he was making ends meet by working as a mason.