(AP) ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – Ethiopia’s runners have won at least one gold medal at almost every Olympics since 1960. The country’s other athletes have been shut out.
Now a member of the Ethiopian team for the Beijing Games intends to fight his way onto the podium, against overwhelming odds.
Molla Getachew is Ethiopia’s only Olympic boxer, an anomaly in a country known for its superstar distance runners. His opponents are the last in a long line of problems standing between him and a gold, including a lack of equipment, no professionals to train against and a disapproving mother.
But when the Beijing Games open in August, he will represent Ethiopia in the 112-lb. flyweight division, a weight class dominated by well-equipped fighters from Mexico, Thailand and Japan.
“I feel sad because I’m the only boxer representing my country at the Olympics,” said the 22-year-old, who spends four hours a day training at an airless, grimy gym in the Ethiopian capital.
Boxing is popular elsewhere in Africa – neighboring Kenya is full of boxing clubs and boasts several champions – but Ethiopia’s poverty makes the sport’s equipment inaccessible to many.
Professional fights are nonexistent, so boxers have to leave the country to make a living from the sport. In a country of 77 million people, there are only 300 amateur boxers at the country’s four boxing clubs, yet even that small number strains the available resources.
“The boxers are good,” said Fasil Keita, who heads the Ethiopian Boxing Federation. “The problem is money. The federation doesn’t have money.”
Molla’s intense morning workout is an exercise in resourcefulness. He bobs and weaves between five lumpy heavy bags that hang from the ceiling, peppering them with punches. His trainer, Salamon Zinna, takes him through speed and footwork exercises, as there are no bags designed for speed or coordination, no medicine ball, and only one jump rope between Molla and his partner.
There is no boxing clock to ring the bell between 3-minute rounds, so Salamon keeps time with an old wristwatch. The dilapidated ring, the only regulation ring in the country, is so warped and uneven that fancy footwork would be foolhardy. Instead, Molla and his partner spar on the hard gym floor.
Molla does not even own a pair of gloves, or ankle-supporting boxing shoes. He fights in sneakers and borrows training gloves from the gym’s meager supply closet.
Even Molla’s track record is modest. With just six fights under his belt he is 4-2, with no knockouts. He’s woefully unprepared to meet better-funded, better-trained fighters.
But what he lacks in equipment and experience, he makes up for with sheer determination.
The right-handed fighter throws textbook-perfect punches with lightning speed, never seeming to tire as he jabs at his opponent, ducking before throwing a jaw-crushing uppercut. During breaks, he paces, not stopping to drink water.
“He’s good, strong,” Fasil said. “But he lacks experience. He went with me to Egypt, to Algeria. He lost in the first round. But he keeps fighting on. He has courage. He has fire.”
Molla said he was inspired by his neighbors to pick up boxing six years ago. Molla’s mother, he said, was always wary of the sport, even after he beat five other boxers to qualify for the Olympic team.
“My mom doesn’t know anything about boxing,” he said. “She thinks it’s violent and doesn’t want me to continue with this career. She doesn’t know anything about the Olympics. She only accepts it because she knows it’s a source of income.”
He earns about $70 a month from the boxing federation, which he gives to his mother for the care of his four younger siblings. In the unlikely event he wins a gold medal at the Olympics he hopes to pass on any rewards to his mother.
Aside from a medal, the normally quiet fighter has just one other wish.
“My father used to give me a lot of moral support, but he passed away,” he said. “I wish he could see the level I am at now.”
14 thoughts on “Ethiopia’s unlikely boxer fights for gold”
Molla let the force be with you.Elias please post his address.Let us help this young man.
I hate always when the journalist reason out any dificulties in Ethiopia to poverty.
Ethiopiaw says:
Molla let the force be with I Am very intersted About you i help u 101%.Elias please post his address.Let us help this young man.
molla we are ready to help you
We wish him good luck! Remember that we got the bronze medal 36 years ago in Munich and that the boxer of the weight in question was Lema Yemane? Where is Lema now? I salute him.
In a country where thieves and robers are reigning it is difficult to entertain upcoming generation.
It is bitter to hear such a sad story.
Under such adverse conditions it is not easy to participate such a hard contest. The time is running out(August 8) will be kick off the Olympics. It is as difficult as David Vs. Goliad.
I suggest that the Boxer quits the race and prepare for another championships. Stay alive and help mom.
When the next benevolent, democratic-nationalist government comes to effect, we will start everything all over again.
We will triple the number of athlets from A to Z regions.
We trust in God save Ethiopia !
Ethiopiaw,
Good idea let’s help this couragious young man.Any one who knows how to contact him please tell us.
I’ll be very much willing to help this young man, please let us know how we can help.
I wish if he wins these idiots who always hunt our weakness.As one of the third world country we have some problems and we know that, they dont need to tell us our problems now and then.Let me tell you a true story,I was living in bahirdar before i came to America,as you know bahirdar is a tourist tawn and one day, there is a mauntain there where tourists recreat, I saw one Australian tourist asking the kids there to take of there dress and climb the trees so that he would take there pictures and give them one birr each,soon as I heared that I told the kids not to do that pretended to call a police finally he scared and appologized, Why did he wanted to do that? If I were not there probably we would see those poor kids picture on there biased web sites or televisions.So,they always hunt bad images even in the name of tourist.We need to be aware of there conspiracy.
May be the ESFNA (Ethiopian Sports Federation North America) should give some of the money it generated last week in DC to this guy. That may help improve your image.
Elias,
As always you are doing a fantastic job. It is imperative to expose such a talented youg man in boxing. What happened the $300,000 the ESFNA money received from Alamudi. In my opinion, at least, they should be able to sponsor this young man without no complains. Elias, go after them. If they cannot, will be glad to help him.
It is a very sad story. I agree with the mother for a reason where there is no government to care for its people and there is no medical facility to treat this young man when and if he got hurt on the process. I am not trying to discourage him at all ,in fact i will help like the rest if his address is posted but think about Muhammad Ali who is living example of what Boxing can do to your body. At the end his mother will be the only person to care for her first born. Let us help him no matter what he decides on his profession.By the way billioner i can tell you are not a ‘billioner’
He trains at the boxing federation located on the road that heads from 22 mazoria to bole
selam my name is aron i done boxe for 10 years in italy 60 kg with good result losing 2002 italian amateur boxe championship .know i am trainer for italian boxe federation i am looking forwared to turn backe home in addis and give my experience others young people in ethiopian i done this sport to get more money to help my mum and 7 of my brothers in addis .know i have alerady half of materials to open my gym in addis god willing .if you wont to contact me this is my e mail [email protected]. selam god bless ethiopia