Walking into Roy Jones Jr and Jodi Solomon Boxing gym in Craighall Park, Rosebank Killarney Gazette was met with the sight of professional boxer Patrick Makula working out on a punching bag.
Makula said although he dreamed of being a boxer his parents had other dreams for him.
“I was born and raised in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I moved to South Africa in 2014 after completing matric and my parents wanted me to study further at the University of Congo but I wanted a career in boxing and I couldn’t do two things at the same time, so I chose boxing.
“My boxing journey was inspired by arm wrestling which I participated in when I was in Grade 6 where I frequently came out number one. Another reason I went into the sport was because I was tired of being bullied, and my bullies challenged me to fight them in the ring instead of the street fights we had.”
He added although his father was not thrilled about the sport, he gave him money to train at the gym so he could fight his bullies.
“A couple of months later, I began bribing my amateur coach and gave him extra dollars to sharpen my sparring skills which paid off because I later won a sparring competition against one of my bullies.”
Makula said his boxing career in South Africa had not always been smooth sailing but he was grateful for how far he’d come.
“In the two gyms I’ve professionally worked and trained in, I’ve travelled to Tanzania, Botswana, Kenya and Swaziland. I also hold the World Boxing Association All-African Champion title. My last fight was in May and in September I will be fighting again, and in November which will be a national fight.
“I love and enjoy boxing because it has taught me discipline, but I do plan on going back to tertiary to pursue my studies in Business Management.”
He dreamed of being a world champion
“I would encourage young people to fulfil their boxing dreams especially if they have that desire to be a boxing champion. My ultimate goal is to be a world champion. The biggest hurdle would be finding sponsors because they usually want to sponsor the country’s citizens.”
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