The family had to move: “El Vulcano” Vukshinaj faced the fight of his life

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Faton Vukshinaj (32) is a fairly quiet boy in everyday life and does not talk much. But in the ring it is very different: as soon as he puts on the boxing gloves, the Basel native can really explode. For this reason, his fighting name is “El Vulcano”, the volcano. And he is a successful volcano: Vukshinaj is undefeated, of his 18 professional fights in the middleweight class (up to 72 kg) he has won 16 and two were classified as draws.

On Saturday, the man with the clean slate will be subjected to the toughest test yet. In Germany he will fight against the also undefeated Italian Etinosa Oliha (25, 18 fights, 18 wins) for the world title of the International Boxing Organization (IBO). He would be the first Swiss ever to win this title.

The title fight means everything to the Basel native: “The fight is everything I have worked so hard for,” says Vukshinaj in an interview with Blick. He has been betting everything on this card for years and now the opportunity has finally arrived. He now wants to take advantage of this: “I want to win the battle and I am sure I will.” He doesn’t even think about defeat.

The brother as mentor

The most important person in the life of the professional boxer is his older brother Mergim. The 36-year-old is his trainer and his mentor and travels with him to every fight. He once dreamed of a great boxing career and fought at national and international events. But he noticed that his brother’s talent was greater and took a backseat. “The decision to stop fighting was not an easy one, but sometimes you have to make those decisions.” Now, as a coach, when he sees how successful his brother is, it gives him great satisfaction. But watching his brother is ‘worse’ than being in the ring himself, he admits.

For the love of the sport

The brothers have been practicing martial arts together since the beginning. First they took up karate together, then after other martial arts such as kickboxing and Thai boxing, the two eventually ended up in boxing. Martial arts have always helped Faton, even at school: “The teachers were fascinated by the development I had made as a result,” he remembers.

After school, he completed an apprenticeship as a poly mechanic before setting his sights on professional sports. Financially it hasn’t always been easy, but the Vukshinajs accept it: “We don’t do it for the money, but for the love of the sport,” they explain. They also founded their own gym, the Basel Martial Arts School (KSSB).

Family had to move

The living situation of the brothers also shows how much focus is now on the title fight. Mergim’s wife and his two children currently live with their parents, but Faton quickly moved in. This way the two can optimally concentrate on the battle. “As a trainer, I also have to rest before such a fight,” Mergim explains. The preparation was tough, training about eight hours a day. His discipline is Faton’s key to success.

Everything should pay off on Saturday and the IBO world title will be brought to Switzerland. The self-proclaimed goal: victory by knockout. The volcano is ready to erupt.

Source : Blick