The Voice of the Maltese 23
Tuesday July 5, 2016
Sports on two pages
T
he boxing scene in Australia is quite alive and particularly Maltese fans of the sport that remember so vividly Jeff Fenech’s exploits have often wondered whether they could find any other boxer of Maltese pedigree to follow and to keep their interest. Now they have, in Michael Zerafa who is often described as one of Australia’s most promising professional boxers. Michael ‘Pretty Boy’ Zerafa from Melbourne is on a crest of a wave and eagerly waiting for his next bout, which could be the defence of his IBF Pan Pacific middleweight title that he won last April by beating Japanese veteran Yosuke Kirima. Michael went the full distance of 12 rounds before winning the title on points. That bout at Flemington was 24-year-old Michael Zerafa’s biggest win of his boxing career. He himself described it as a huge win at the end of a hard fight against a very tough opponent from Japan who had just five losses to his name from 29 bouts going into the clash. With his trademark phrase “Hard work, dedication”, displayed daily on social media websites and evidently shown in training, each moment of Michael’s life is zoned in towards a WBC World Title win. Michael, who had to choose between football and boxing as a teenager, had his first amateur fight as a 15-year old. He made his professional debut on March 18, 2011. “I got addicted pretty
“Pretty Boy” Zerafa hopes title win is stepping-stone on way to international recognition
quickly to boxing” he said. Michael has been a high achiever his whole life. Having a natural athletic talent, he excelled in most sports. Before boxing stole his heart, he had a promising future in AFL but it was his love for the canvas ring that won him over. Training since the age of 12. Before turning professional he fought in over 100 amateur fights. In 2010, Michael won the opportunity to fight in the Commonwealth Games in Delhi. His first fight was cancelled so he was moved directly into the second round in the second week of the Games. He lost on points
but gained a wealth of knowledge. The Games experience only enhanced Michael’s love for boxing and he went on to win the Amateur Golden Gloves in Qld, 2011. Soon after he turned Professional. As a professional Michael won all of his fights on home soil but has not been so successful overseas. He was beaten in Russia in 2014 and America in 2015. This latest win has shown that he has completely recovered
from the defeat, by a brutal six-round KO against US slugger Peter Quillin in September last year in Mashantucket Connecticut, US. His victory over Yosuke Kirima, his first under new head trainer Christian Ennor, puts the Craigieburn boxer back amongst the top in the world. Before his fight “The Pretty Boy” had never thought he would be able to reach such a high goal. However, he had always maintained the belief that hard work and dedication beats talent – so he focused and constantly pushes his body and mind “to new limits to achieve bigger and better things in boxing.” He goes on to say, “Any fight I take I always believe I can win – I train super hard and smart so there was no doubt in my mind. The fight gave me new found confidence and reinforced my belief in myself; making me hungrier for bigger fights.” Hard work and dedication have seen Michael Zerafa, who is also the current Victorian champion and Australia’s No.3, rise through the ranks of the best middleweight boxers. He now hopes that his victory would be a stepping-stone on his way to international recognition in his sport and set him up for America and the big fighters overseas.