October 03, (THEWILL) – Mikael Lawal, a Londoner who once lived on the streets of Nigeria, is seeking the British cruiserweight title after going undefeated in 13 fights and winning Ultimate Boxxer 7 in 2019, as he takes on Swiss champion Benoit Huber, in a 10-round cruiserweight bout on Saturday.
Mikael Lawal, who was born in Lagos in 1995, has lived on the streets of Nigeria, assaulted by his father. Lawal, who has a fighting record of seven knockouts (KOs) in his 13 bouts, is now just one fight away from challenging British cruiserweight champion Chris Billam-Smith.
The 6’2″ fighter, who hails from Shepherd’s Bush, spent his whole life facing adversity. The 26-year-old used to sleep rough, but because of a social worker who encouraged him to try boxing when he was a troubled adolescent, he now has a fighting chance in life.
When he was 13, the London-based cruiserweight returned to the UK with his grandmother after he witnessed his mother die in Nigeria. But, returned to his African homeland to live with his father, only to run away from home when their relationship became toxic.
For months, Lawal lived under a bridge and scrounged for food until he could find his sister and reunite with his family.
He was repatriated to the UK by the British commission, but life was not easy for him because he lived in hostels and was frequently in difficulty. But, at the age of 17, he discovered boxing through the social worker and, when he became 18, he joined Stonebridge Boxing Club in Wembley.
The cruiserweight boxer said: “Boxing helped me get my confidence back and made me feel like a human being again. For a long time I didn’t even feel like a human being.”
On the path towards his 13 professional fights, Lawal has sparred with names such as Oleksandr Usyk, the former undisputed cruiserweight champion who upset Anthony Joshua last weekend to become a two-weight world champion.
In 2019, he won the Ultimate Boxxer tournament, and provided him with a prize pool of around £16k. However, after everyone was paid, there was not much left over.
Life in lockdown was not easy for him, especially now that he is a father, but he returns to the ring on Saturday, October 2, against Swiss champion Huber, who has 7 wins and one loss, with 5KOs in his professional boxing career.
Ahead of that bout, Lawal revealed some deep personal struggles: “I’ve been out of the ring for a year now. I was training at home for a bit but then after a while I was starting to get down mentally because I didn’t know when the lockdown would end and when I could fight again.
“I’ve gone through a lot but the difference between then and now is that I couldn’t see an end goal back then. It’s been a traumatic year, it has tested me as a human being. People see you fighting on TV and think you’re a millionaire but I could have earned more money working in retail than my boxing career so far.”
However, the 26-year-old is keenly looking forward and has ambitions to become a world champion.
“I believe I can mix it with the best and do what I need to do,” he added.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
