Former professional Basketball player Manny Muhammad is set to switch allegiances to pro boxing later this month, when he faces Tzvetozar Iliev on the Dave Murphy Acourtier Events WARZONE extravaganza at York Hall in London on Saturday 30th November 2013. Manny, who played college Basketball for Albany State University in Georgia, USA, before joining the pro ranks with San Benedetto del Tronto in Italy, has always been a pugilist at heart, having boxed as an amateur before receiving a Basketball scholarship with Albany State.
Following a training session, under the watchful eyes of TRAD TKO’s Barry Smith, Manny spoke of his long awaited return to the ring. “I’m really looking forward to fighting on November 30th, I’m a hundred percent ready right now. It’s been a while since I competitively boxed, my Boxing career took a bit of a back seat, because I was offered $160,000 dollars a year to play college Basketball, I had to take that.
Knee injuries sort of cut my Basketball career short, so it was back to Boxing and here I am. I’ve been training hard here at the TRAD TKO, Barry’s (coach Barry Smith) really been putting me through the paces. I think we’ve got the best fighters in the country come to train at this gym, there’s always quality sparring, so I’m looking forward to having a solid training camp and being fit and ready, injury free, because I’ve had some injury problems in the past obviously, I’m looking to be injury free this time and really get the job done this time.
To be honest with you I have no long term goals, I want to keep training hard consistently, I’ve been told by the greatest trainers I have the ability to reach the top. I’ve also been told I punch weight classes above my weight, I guess that’s why they feel comfortable throwing me in with heavier guys, I mean I sparred Tom Little, who’s at least fifty pounds heavier than me.
I just feel that if I’m ready I can fight anybody, so on the 30th you can expect a good solid performance, I’m not going to predict a knockout as I’d actually love to go the distance, just to my ring fitness back up and shake off any ring rust, but a convincing win for the 30th November would be great.” Manny Muhammad versus Tzvetozar Iliev takes place on Dave Murphy Acourtier Events promoted WARZONE, at York Hall in Bethnal Green, London on Saturday 30th November 2013.