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ELDERS AWARDS: ‘MUHAMMAD ALI’ OF SA USING BOXING TO KEEP YOUTH OFF THE STREETS
The gloves are off! ASTRID FEBRUARIE @astridfebruarie
“I
f it were not for boxing, I would not be the man I am today.” This according to Sheraaz Maarman, also known as the Muhammad Ali of South Africa because of his quick steps and fast punches in the ring. Maarman (74) now spends his time training the youth of his community. He was recently chosen as a finalist in this year’s People’s Post Spec-Savers Community Champions Elders Awards after being nominated by his son, Mogamat Maarman. Mogamat describes his father as someone who has always been interested in keeping the youth off the streets and in the boxing ring. “My father truly has a passion for youth development and throughout the years has never given up on his dream to see young people make a success of their lives,” he says. Sheraaz Maarman started his boxing career in 1965 when he was 16 years old. At the age of 19 he won the national lightweight crown and the Western Province light welterweight title. However, tragedy struck soon after when he was involved a car accident that brought his boxing career to a standstill. “I was unable to box and decided then that I would use my skills and knowledge to train others and have been doing so for the past 50 years,” he says. Maarman says that although his dream was to box in international boxing rings and travel the world, he is now able to share his passion with his community. “I opened my gym, Maarman’s Boxing Club, with the aim of giving the young people an alternative to drugs, gangsterism and other crime,” he says. Maarman says that throughout the years he earned the respect of the young people he trained thanks to his encouragement and lessons and by keeping them on the straight and narrow. He is currently training about 80 youngsters – half of them girls – at no cost to them or their parents.
Sheraaz Maarman, the Muhammad Ali of South Africa, is a finalist in this year’s People’s Post SpecSavers Community Champions Elders Awards. PHOTO: ASTRID FEBRUARIE
“I use my own personal funds to support the young boxers. I have purchased gloves and other equipment needed to train them, as I know it can be extremely costly, but I do it because I want them to have the full experience and become professional boxers,” he says. Maarman says they currently have no facility in which to train and therefore make use of one of the fields in the area. “We want to have a clubhouse or a place where we can
train daily, but we have been struggling to get the help we need. My dream is to have a place where young people can come together and learn a new skill and change their mindset, which will help them take charge of their lives,” he says. Maarman says he is well aware that it will take a lot of hard work to rid the community of its social ills, but he and his boxers are willing to put in the hard work and are seeking help from the public to make their
4kg
dreams a reality. “Boxing and all sports have a way of bringing people together, changing mindsets and lifting the stigma attached to our community. Our community is more than the drugs and gangsterism. We have many stories of success and we want to continue this through boxing,” he says. Maarman says his dream is to see more doors open for young people in sport and for those doors to remain open for many more years to come.