Halesowen's Osama Mohamed is aiming to make 2022 his breakthough year
Four months in and 2022 has already been a big year for Osama Mohamed. It could yet get bigger.
With a bronze medal from last month’s European Youth Championships already in his possession, the 18-year-old boxer from Halesowen will represent England again at this summer’s Three Nations tournament, before entering the selection process for November’s World Championships, all the while hoping to further his case for a place on the GB Olympic pathway.
In the short-term, there is also the small matter of his A-Level exams.
“Don’t mention those!” laughs Mohamed, who studies statistics, business and sport at Windsor Sixth Form. “I’m revising now. They have to be done.
“I’m doing pretty well. I enjoy sixth form. Will I go to university? I don’t know. We will see how boxing goes first.”
Currently things are going rather well, success at the European Championships the pinnacle so far of a career flushed with promise almost since the moment he first turned up on the doorstep of Brierley Hill’s Lions ABC aged 12, having found the club on a Google search.
When Mohamed is asked what he likes best about boxing he replies “winning” and he has done rather a lot of it. A five-time Midlands champion, he has been to four national finals and first wore the England jersey as a schoolboy.
“Getting your hand raised, there is no other feeling, no other sport which can come close to that, for me at least,” he says.
“I played football when I was younger. Everyone loves it but I didn’t get the same buzz or feeling I get from boxing.
“It is you in that ring, no-one else. You win by yourself and lose by yourself. No-one can take the punches for you. I thrive on that pressure.”
Mohamed talks with a confidence which never threatens to veer into arrogance and it is that humble, down-to-earth nature his coaches believe has underpinned his success to date.
A prime example occurs on the evening this interview takes place. Though he is not supposed to be training, Mohamed still takes part in the group warm-up along with dozens of other boxers, many several years his junior.
“You can’t let success get to your head, or failure into your heart,” he explains. “You can’t come off a win and think you have achieved all you wanted. There is always something more, the next step.”
Such dedication ensured Mohamed was ready to grasp his chance at the Euros. Having lost in the final of this year’s national championships, he was initially only named as a reserve to the winner and long-time Levi Barnes. But when Barnes arrived at training camp overweight, Mohamed stepped in.
“Being named as reserve, I knew they saw something in me,” he says. “It was a good feeling, though obviously not the same as being picked to compete.
“But anything can happen. The way I saw it, I was in exactly the same position as him, the only difference being he was going to the tournament and I wasn’t. I prepared as if I was and it was the second camp I was told I’d be stepping up. The message from the coaches was: ‘We’ve picked you, now you have to perform’.”
That he most certainly did. After beating Lithuania’s Simonas Zelenekas in the opening round, Mohamed then defeated Spain’s Enrique Kakulov on a unanimous decision, before guaranteeing a medal with a tight split decision quarter-final victory over Armenia’s Artur Mkrtchyan. His tournament eventually ended with defeat to Georgia’s Demur Kajaia in the last four but his success was undeniable.
“The first fight I felt a little pressure because if you lose that, maybe you are not good enough?” he says. “But I proved to everyone I belonged at that level.
“Every time I jump in the ring now I just think it is up to me. I am boxing for myself, not to impress other people.”
Revising for his A-Levels wasn’t the only thing Mohamed had to fit around his training. Final preparations for the tournament coincided with Ramadan and he continued fasting up to the moment the squad flew out to Sofia, three days before his first round bout.
“Everyone asks how I manage with it,” he says. “But honestly, your body gets used to it and it becomes normal.
“Of course, there are days when you feel fatigued. Other times you get a random burst of energy through the day.”
There is little time for him to reflect on his achievements. Mohamed’s next fight is this Sunday, on the Lions’ first club show since before the outbreak of the pandemic. He will then begin preparations for next month’s Three Nations event, while a three-month trial with GB – another reward for his bronze medal – leads neatly into selection for the world championships.
The long-term dream is the Olympics, as it is for every amateur. Last summer’s Midlands medallists, Ben Whittaker and Galal Yafai, are a source of inspiration.
“I’ve seen guys from round here go and achieve what I want. It does spur you on,” he says.
“If I can qualify for the world championships it will be my biggest achievement yet. I knew from the moment I started in this sport I was capable of doing something.
“Before turning professional the main thing is to get on GB, represent my country and travel the world and get medals all the way. The Olympics is every amateur's dream but not many people get there because it is so hard.”
The Lions Boxing Club show takes place this Sunday at Quarry Bank Conservative Club. Doors open at noon. Tickets are priced at £15 in advance or £20 on the door.
