For the past 30 months, Haithem Laamouz has been making a name for himself in boxing while in Australia, claiming the crown for the super-lightweight and lightweight categories. He is unbeaten in 10 professional fights so far. Laamouz recounts his story to Valhmor Camilleri…
Haithem Laamouz’s path towards success has not been without difficulties but the 27-year-old does not let adversity hinder his ambition.
Laamouz started training ten years ago, practising mixed martial arts (MMA).
At 18 years, he travelled to Brighton to see how far he could go.
“My first fight was inside a steel cage,” he said. “I won that bout and when I came back the coach told me that I had to choose between martial arts and boxing.
“Since I was very good with my hands I opted for boxing and from then on I never looked back.”
In 2009, Laamouz decided to focus on Olympic boxing and soon made the amateur rankings.
“I started to fight all over Europe… 62 fights in all,” he said.
“My dream was to fight at the Olympics but, unfortunately, I found no support from the federation or sponsors.
“Had it not been for my father who financed my career I wouldn’t have been able to fight abroad.”
Then, in 2015, Laamouz gave up his amateur status and headed ‘Down Under’ to become a professional boxer. Based in New South Wales, he soon started to show his real potential and in December 2016 claimed the New South Wales Super Lightweight belt when he knocked down Will Sands.
He then secured the OPBF Super Lightweight champion when he defeated Roy Tua Manihuruk with a unanimous decision.
Laamouz was given the advice to drop one category and in November last year he contested the vacant Australian Lightweight title when taking on Joebert Delos Reyes. He beat Reyes with a technical knock-out to secure the belt and extend his unbeaten record to 10 fights.
The boxer, who is now based in Malta, stepped up his preparations to defend his title in November and as part of his preparations he will be facing Italian fighter Mohammed Khalidi at the Corradino Sports Pavilion on September 30.
“I’m really looking forward to fight here in Malta,” he said.
“Since winning the Australian title, my following here has increased considerably. There are some very keen boxing followers in Malta. It’s going to be a very big fight against a very strong opponent but I’m ready for it.”
Laamouz makes no secret of his burning desire to secure a top ranki in his weight category at world level.
“Winning the Australian Lightweight championship injected a lot of confidence inside me and I want to see how far I can go. I believe I can climb high up the rankings,” Laamouz said.
“To reach the top places in the world rankings you have to fight against better-ranked boxers and fight for more titles. It’s not easy as you need to have a very sound financial backing.
“To fight a top 25 fighter you have to fund your opponents, pay his wages and the sanction fee of the belt.” Laamouz has already lined up a plan to achieve his target.
“I’m planning to travel round Europe for more fights,” he said.
“We are planning between six to eight fights over the next 18 months.
That’s a tough schedule but it’s very important to be involved in top quality fights as the more you win the more you get recognised and, hopefully, that will attract more sponsors.
“It’s a long road but the desire to be successful is great and I believe I have the ability to achieve that.”
Haithem Laamouz is set to face Mohammed Khalidi on September 30 at Corradino.