CANNOCK plays host to a Midlands Area title contest on Saturday night, but Minaaz Gurung’s aims within boxing are focused on impact within his home nation, as well as belts.
When you think of Nepal, you think of Mount Everest, the birthplace of Buddhism and the Sherpas, rather than boxing expertise. However, Pokhara-born and Nuneaton-based Minaaz Gurung, 5-0 (1 KO), is aiming to change that and represent his country on the big stage.
At the age of just four, Gurung’s family upped sticks and relocated to the United Kingdom, where Gurung fell in love with the sport of boxing, inheriting the fighting spirit of the Gurkhas and of his grandfather, Lai, who was a highly ranked soldier.
Working with coach Lee Spare, 23-year-old Gurung has now strung together five wins as a professional, but his first real test will come on Saturday night, when he challenges Joe Underwood-Hughes, 10-4 (1 KO), for the vacant Midlands Area super-lightweight title.
Speaking with Boxing News, Gurung explained his hopes of emulating his grandfather’s achievements and leaving behind a legacy that will have a lasting impact on the people of Nepal, inspiring those from his birth country to get into the gyms and take up boxing.
“I’m always inspired by what my grandad had done, for what he’s done to carry his next generation to the stage we are at now. He came from nothing but left behind something, something that I can carry on and build upon.
“My discipline and mentality are not close to what his was like, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be, it just means I have got to push myself through my own limits and have no limits.
“The support [from the people of Nepal] and followers are growing slowly but surely. I’ve had love shown from my community and the people around me, which is enough to get me going to where I need to go.”
“The goal is bringing the youths together and showing them, we are not just a working line of people, we have the ability to chase and conquer great things in life.”
At present, combat sports interest in Nepal is predominantly set around mixed martial arts, with Rabindra Dhant is backed for success, after becoming the first Nepalese mixed martial artist to capture an international title.
However, with competitive fighting proven to be of interest back home, Gurung’s goal is to become the boxer for his people to get behind and dreams of one day returning to Nepal and headlining a card.
“Absolutely would be a dream come true to box over in Nepal and headline a show over there. Dreams do come true if you believe hard enough and work for it, so I don’t see what is stopping me”.
Yet, Gurung can ill-afford to look too far into the future and must instead focus on the difficult job at hand in Underwood-Hughes, where he memorably competed in the 2023 Boxxer tournament, eventually won by Dylan Cheema, and recently faced Cameron Vuong.
At the Chase Leisure Centre in Cannock, in his own words, “you can expect a calm and focused Minaaz Gurung that is ready to perform”, on Saturday night, where a breakthrough win could reverberate across to South Asia.
