Jonathan Kumuteo looks back on fulfilling a lifelong dream on his pro debut
Jonathan Kumuteo (1-0) celebrated his successful professional debut by handing himself a social media ban.
The Finchley Super-Welterweight made a winning start to his professional career by easily outpointing Dale Arrowsmith last month, an experience he compared to being like a "video game".
Kumuteo has over 60k Instagram followers but decided on a temporary exile after his win on the Queensberry show televised live on BT Sport.
His battles beating a skin disease over the last six years that needed three surgeries and once left him bed bound for eight months threatened his boxing career, but the inspirational boxer defied the odds.
He said: “For the last few years my body has not been able to relax. I have been able to put my body to rest, shut my eyes and sleep but my mind is never at ease.
“For the first time I have ticked off every single box in terms of my aims and objectives in 2016 when I fell severely ill for the second time.
“In this generation that we live in when people achieve great things, good things, bad things the very first thing they do is go to social media and announce it to the world.
“In my case the last thing I wanted to be was on social media even though I have just achieved my childhood dream to become a professional fighter, win and box on one of the biggest platforms in the world.
“I have just wanted to spend time with my three little sisters and my Mum. They are why I do this.
“I couldn’t care less about social media right now. I know I won after three years out of the ring. I came out and beat a good opponent for my introduction to the world of professional boxing.
“Over the last few years I have had a lot of pressure from family to pursue a different career, but I stuck by my guns even though at times I may have looked stubborn, ignorant and naïve.”
Kumuteo is enjoying short break in Scotland, but returns to the gym next week and hopes promoter Frank Warren will give him a date for his second professional fight.
Even though his debut was on a behind closed doors show, Kumuteo was shocked when he stepped between the ropes at York Hall, Bethnal Green and saw Arrowsmith across the ring.
“I honestly thought I was in a video game,” explained the 25-year-old who arrived in London aged seven after escaping war-ravaged Democratic of Congo.
“I am not generally a nervous person because I have been through so much. It’s like they have been taken out of me.
“Doing my short ringwalk I was fine, but when I got in the ring and saw the bright lights around the venue. I thought I was in a video game.
“I saw the 32Red logo, a bright blue canvas and everything on point. I seriously thought I was in a game.
“Then it hit me, and I thought, ‘I’m in a fight.’ I still didn’t feel like I was actually in the fight — just the video game.
“As soon as we touched gloves it hit me that fight time had come.
“I believe I controlled the fight and everything was off my jab. The foundations were there, but next time I need to up the gears.”
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