On May 19, Mario Daser will fight former two-time WBO interim cruiserweight champion Ola Afolabi. According to the promoter Erol Ceylan of EC Boxing an international IBO title and probably a European WBO title too will be up for the taking. The dual is setting off a frenzy of speculation among fans worldwide, as Mario Daser only turned pro in 2009, plus he only has 12 fights under his belt – all of which he won.

The rumor among experts is that Ola Afolabi will come out of retirement to earn another paycheck. But this is simply untrue, as Ola Afolabi has signed a three-fight deal with EC Boxing with the ultimate aim to see him become World Champion again. Fans can expect to see an Afolabi who is up for the fight, well-prepared and on top form. This makes the dual between Daser – who is still a little-known face internationally – and Afolabi a decisive fight for both contenders. As such, the evening’s slogan BIG DEAL is an apt choice. We met with 28-year-old Mario in Hamburg as we wanted to learn more about the two sides of him: as a person and as a boxer.

Mario, many people were surprised that you chose a boxer of Afolabi’s calibre for your 13th professional fight. Was that your or your promoter’s decision?

“I love boxing. But just like in life, I want to follow my own path, get ahead and get all the way to the top in boxing too. When you want to reach the top, you need to go head to head with the best in the weight class. Ola is a big name and has a crazy amount of experience; much more than me. But I know my capabilities and I’m absolutely certain that I’m going to emerge victorious. Together with my trainer Bülent Baser, we’ve been training flat out – and given that Ola hasn’t set foot in the ring for a while now, he shouldn’t underestimate me.”

Your opponent announced recently at a press conference that he won’t have any sympathy for you…

“Yes, that goes both ways. That’s what’s so great about boxing: in the end, you face each other in the ring and it doesn’t matter one bit what you said before. It’s all about him and me, and our fists.”

The feeling of battling to the end is nothing new to you. You were on a slippery slope as a youngster.

“That’s true. I grew up in the Munich district of Hasenbergl, which isn’t the greatest area. While others went to school, I hung out with my mates and screwed around until I started boxing. The sport changed everything. In the gym, I didn’t win to begin with. I really took some punches in training. I was a complete write-off – and that really annoyed me. But I persevered; I wanted to keep getting stronger no matter what. I then had my first successes. Things ‘clicked’. I realised that things really can change in life. And then there came a time in training when nobody could give me a black eye any longer.”

What happened after that?

“Only good things, actually. I met my wife. And I finally wanted to work. I took a job as a driver for a dental lab, driving teeth around in an old VW Polo. For €1,300 a month, I was getting up at around 6am every day, and only getting home at 8pm. Then my wife’s father died. He owned a gravel plant, and when we took over the role of supporting the grandmother she offered us this gravel plant. None of the other relatives wanted it. A friend gave me some money and I took over the small family business in Munich. I then drove loaders day and night, 24×7 myself. At the beginning, we had no money for employees – and sometimes not even enough for the diesel. But I simply just had to make a success of the business. Many advised me to sell it, but I didn’t want to. I now have eight employees.”

Today you’re a millionaire, and that’s without the boxing income.

“The gravel plant already generated solid profits, but it also included a nice plot of land with a house. The bank lent me money against the value of the property. And with this money – €3.8 million – I invested in more properties. These included residential buildings which I did up and sold again – for a good price. And so it continued. I seem to have an eye for property.”

Financially speaking, you don’t need to box. Why take the torture in the gym and face the risk of getting injured?

“Each of us has a path to follow, and it isn’t always straight. Boxing put me on the right path. I learnt that you can achieve anything in life if you want. And my goal is to become Cruiserweight World Champion – no matter how. And as much as I pity Ola , I’m going to fight hard to achieve this goal. This means defeating him. But I also want to send a message with this fight: no matter how much crap you’ve had to put up with, you can achieve anything.”