The Gypsy who wants to be world champion

With a golden career as an amateur boxer, Spaniard Samuel Carmona reached the professional level with strength. In his fourth pro fight, on February 1st, he knocked out in only one round the experienced Colombian José Antonio Giménez to win the vacant WBA International Flyweight belt.

Sometimes destiny puts our dreams next to our houses: “my family is Gypsy and they didn’t want me to train, but my grandfather always enjoyed watching boxing and as a child, I would watch it with him, until the day they opened a gym next to my house and I started boxing. I was 11 years old”. The 24-year-old, who used to sell clothes on the streets to help his family, started off this way. “I love boxing. I started with an exhibition fight, then Spanish Championship, then I went to the Olympic Games, then I switched to professional boxing and now we are going to try to win a WBA world title, the one I like the most. I intend to be the champion of my weight, I love my country.

I have been lucky enough to be taken by Patriot Promotions, the Russian promotions company, together with Umar Kremlev and Kiril Shchekutyev, and I am very grateful to Russia because they opened up their hands, they gave me all their love, and also I have a good trainer, Carlos Formento, a good manager, Karim Bouzidi. I am at my best, in shape, my family loves me, I’m going to be the father of a baby girl, I’m very happy. I want to do great things and I keep fighting every day to be world champion”. With words of longing and joy, Samuel gives a brief summary of his life so far, with the dreams that move him forward.

The Olympian, who was planning to participate in Tokyo, decided to anticipate his professional debut when his 49 kg category was eliminated. He made a total of 179 amateur fights, won the bronze medal at the European Championship in 2017, and participated in the national youth championships. In 2018 he made it to the World Series Boxing semi-finals with the French team, as Spain had no team.

He has become a promising boxing figure in the Flyweight division: “The strongest part of me is my mindset because I only think about winning to have a better life, which is not bad, but I would like to have even better conditions in life and fight for my family, my wife, my daughter, my people and have a good future. I am very proud of being who I am, of having grown up with my two brothers, my family, who have always been dedicated to the flea markets and in my childhood, I was able to help them with that”. Carmona feels prepared for the best