Mikael Lawal lived on streets of Nigeria and was beaten by his dad – but now lives the boxing dream
Londoner Mikael Lawal (13-0, 7KOs) once lived on the streets in Nigeria but now he is eyeing up the British cruiserweight title after reaching 13 fights unbeaten and winning Ultimate Boxxer 7 in 2019.
Born in Lagos in 1995, Mikael Lawal has survived living on the streets in Nigeria and being beaten by his father. He is now just one fght away from challenging the British cruiserweight champion chris Billam-Smith.
Teak-tough from Shepherd's Bush, the 6'2" fighter has been used to overcoming adversity his entire life.
The 26-year-old used to sleep rough, but was given a fighting chance in life thanks to a social worker who advised him to give boxing a go when he was a troubled teenager.
The London-based cruiserweight had watched his mother die in Nigeria when he was 13 and came back to the UK with his grandmother.
He then went back to his African country of birth to live with his father but when that relationship turned abusive he decided to leave.
Young Lawal slept under a bridge and scrapped for food for months until he could track down his sister and reconnect with family.
The British commission returned him to the UK but life wasn't easy as he lived in hostels here and often found trouble.
But eventually he found joy in boxing at 17 and when he turned 18 he joined Stonebridge Boxing Club in Wembley.
“Boxing helped me get my confidence back and made me feel like a human being again,” said Lawal.
“For a long time I didn't even feel like a human being.”
Lawal is now 13-0 as a professional and has sparred with stars like former undisputed cruiserweight king Oleksandr Usyk, who defeated Anthony Joshua last weekend to become a two-weight world champion.
In 2019, he won the Ultimate Boxxer tournament, live on BT Sport, which helped him with a decent prize pool of around £16k but after everyone is paid from that there wasn't a lot left over.
And now a dad himself, life in lockdown wasn't easy but he returns to the ring tonight (October 2) in a 10-round cruiserweight contest against Swiss champion Benoit Huber (7-1, 5KOs).
“I've been out of the ring for a year now,” said Lawal. “I was training at home for a bit but then after a while mentally I was starting to get down because I didn't know when lockdown would end and when could I fight again.
“I've gone through a lot but the difference between then and now I could 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.”
But he is keen to look 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.
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