An Arab Muslim training at Victoria’s first woman-owned and operated boxing gym has become Australia’s first asylum seeker on a bridging visa to win a silver medal in a state boxing championship.
Ebrahim Jamasi, who competed in the 69-kilogram division on Sunday against opponent Terry McLoughlin, hails from a disputed area known as Ahwaz on the Iran/Iraq border.
Now living in a Maidstone share-house, Jamasi had not trained for eight months when he turned up at Footscray gym, Boxing Central, run by former world champion Mischa Merz.
Jamasi, 28, yesterday spoke to the Weekly through two interpreters, including Bianca “Bam Bam” Elmir, an Australian and Oceania boxing champion who is aiming for next year’s Commonwealth Games.
“Four days in the ocean, I was, trying to get here,” Jamasi said, describing his journey by boat. “Eighty-five people were on the boat, 12 metres long and 4 metres wide.”
He was in detention for two months on Christmas Island and in Curtin before being released into the community five months ago.
“I live for boxing,” Jamasi said.
“I want to get better every day. I want to become a champion.”
He said that because his visa didn’t allow him to work, boxing was the only thing that kept him sane. A left-hander who has boxed since age 11, Jamasi has taught Merz and the other boxers a few techniques.
Merz said the more she observed Jamasi the more she realised that he was boxing at a very high level.
“In many ways, we’re benefiting from his presence,” she said. “I’ve allowed him to train for free because he’s got no income – he’s just living on what the government gives him – so he’s my pro bono boxer.”
Merz said Jamasi challenged the Muslim stereotype that some people had.
“It just completely defies all of these cliches and myths that we have about Islam, for one. “There’s not much sexism there.”
She said Jamasi had quickly formed a bond with Elmir, who has a Lebanese background and speaks Arabic, “through the international language of boxing”.
“There’s no cultural barrier between us; he’s just really respectful.”
