ROANOKE, Va. – What started as a means to stay off the streets and lead a better path in life, has turned into a daily grind of strapping up, throwing on gloves and pursuing a professional career.
“I promised coach that when I turn 18, I want to turn pro, and turned pro, and this is where I’m at now.”
In early 2023, Roanoke native Haidar Alghazi signed to be a professional boxer for Vegas Champ Boxing — reaching a long-term goal.
“They did a great job promoting him,” said Alghazi’s longtime boxing coach David Hopkins. “They were after him for about a year to turn him pro and of course came to negotiations where Haidar wanted them and he met him and they saw the talent.”
Hopkins’ relationship with Haidar goes back to his playing days on the soccer field. But, it was in 2020 when the teen began to take boxing seriously. It was also the time Haidar began to prove his worth.
“Such a skillful boxer. His footwork is amazing, I coached him in soccer as a kid and just watching how much of an athlete he was and he’s doing the same thing in boxing now just making people look bad. He just had his first pro fight and he’s getting offers from guys who had maybe 80 or 90 more fights than him. They want a piece of him,” said Hopkins.
While he held a record of 20-3 as an amateur and won his first-ever pro fight, Alghazi says there is a stark contrast in the two levels.
“People outside the ring will tell you it’s just the head gear and no shirt but it’s a lot different. I think it was a big step for me to turn pro. I get a lot of love from people inside the city from my age to older and even younger,” said Alghazi.
A big step to inspire others to make their own 1-2 punch or jab in life and see where it leads them.
“I’m one of the first people in my family to be a professional athlete,” said Alghazi. “It really means a lot to me. Just my little brothers and sisters and just to show them if I can do it, you can do it.”
“Boxing for a long time has been like a ring of refuge for others and he’s a living testimony as to what that is and he can change his family tree,” Hopkins said.
Alghazi’s next fight is set for June, in South Carolina. You can learn more about Haidar “The Sniper” Alghazi in an upcoming episode on “Around the Way with EJ”.