BY ALYSSA MAHADEO
Dedicated, driven and focused are all words that best describe aspiring professional boxer Mohammed Feroze Abedeen, a young man out of Mississauga who is making a name for himself in the competitive world of boxing.
Twenty eight year-old Abedeen came out on top last weekend, winning his third fight against opponent James Bishop at the Hersey Center putting his record at 3-0. The experience left him rearing to go, with hopes of many more fights to come.
Initially Abedeen didn’t see himself with a future in boxing. While in high school, he was assigned a project on World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Muhammad Ali. At first he was against the entire assignment, firmly against completing it, but at the risk of loosing substantial marks. When he finally did complete this assignment it had given him a brand new perspective on the sport and he realized it was something he wished to pursue.
Coming from Guyanese and Muslim heritage, Abedeen started amateur boxing at the age of seventeen. While living in Mississauga he started boxing with Champions Boxing Club in Brampton. Registered as an amateur boxer of Canada, he commuted back and forth making the journey to the club, with some disapproval from his mother. While she wasn’t a fan of the sport, she was very supportive and saw the passion that he had that drove him to put his everything into boxing.
He participated in his first fight at the novice provincials after only a few months of training. He managed to take home the victory, after defeating his opponent coming back strong after the first two rounds. He had the chance to fight this same opponent later on, knocking him out in the first round, boosting his confidence and reassuring him of the progress he had made.
After that experience he started training harder than ever before, having the opportunity to train at Champions where many Canadian boxers got their start. With every fight Abedeen was gaining momentum dedicating his time and efforts to put his best fist forward. When he finally made the decision to turn pro there were many challenges he had to face, especially when it came to scheduling fights. The world of professional boxing is very competitive and fights are sometimes hard to come by when you are starting out. However this didn’t seem to faze Abedeen and he continues to train just as hard so he will be ready for his next fight.
Alongside his professional boxing career Abedeen is very involved within the community. With every fight that he wins a portion of his winning goes back to charity, which includes the Canadian Cancer Society, as well as the Mosque located across from the Hershey Center in Mississauga. Currently he is working on re-implementing an anti bulling program that he had started before going to train in the states. Through Radix Performance Center in Oakville and Stockyards Boxing and Fitness in Toronto, Abedeen works closely with underprivileged youth helping them to build confidence and self-esteem while also combating their issues with bullying. He works with them in self-defense and hopes to set a positive example for them to change their lives for the better.
With all of the bad things happening in the world today, especially singling out the Muslim community it is important that we promote the positive things being implemented. Abedeen’s program is called Live Fearless, his own brand of mentoring that he has emotionally invested himself in 100%. “[Muslims] should take the first step to do something positive, regardless of what anyone else thinks. Everyday we are going out and making an impact in the community and a positive change in our society.”
