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The casual exchanges during a taxi ride are a quintessential part of British social life, often playing out across London and other cities. On a typical Sunday, a passenger might glance at the driver through the rearview mirror, initiating the familiar small talk with questions like, “Good weekend, mate? Get up to much?” For Bilal Fawaz, however, this kind of conversation carries a unique twist. At 37 years old, Fawaz hopes to reply with something along the lines of “I became a British champion. And then I drove this Uber,” delivered with the same ease as commenting on traffic or weather.
This weekend, Bilal faces one of the most significant moments of his boxing career: a challenge for the British light-middleweight title against Ishmael Davis in Nottingham. His story exemplifies the oft-romanticized figure of the “working-class hero” athlete juggling multiple jobs. Yet, Fawaz’s reality is far from a glamorous tale of grit and glamour. “I’m an Uber driver. I’m a personal trainer. I’m a fitness instructor. And I’m a professional boxer. That’s four jobs,” he explains to BBC Sport during fight week. He elaborates on his demanding schedule, highlighting how every aspect of his life requires constant effort and sacrifice, financially and physically.
Fawaz comes across as composed and thoughtful, with a touch of drama perhaps influenced by his time studying acting. However, his life challenges extend far beyond his demanding work commitments or the intensity of his fights. His difficult journey began long before the ring, shaped by a traumatic childhood marked by abuse and years spent in the care system. Born in Nigeria to a Beninese mother and a Lebanese father, Fawaz endured severe abuse from his mother and was sent to live with an uncle at the age of eight due to his father’s absence. At just 14, he was trafficked to London under the false pretense of reuniting with his father, only to find himself trapped in modern slavery, confined to a house and forced to work with no access to education or freedom.
Reflecting on his early years, Fawaz poignantly describes the toll these experiences took: “My early years, I wouldn’t wish them on anyone. It strips a kid of the feeling of belonging. It strips away safeness, shelter, trust. Imagine a kid bowling around with no one to talk to. That was me.” After he managed to escape, he entered the care system—meant to offer protection but, according to him, failing to do so. Minor convictions from his youth complicated his fight for immigration status, a struggle intertwined with the lack of support and guidance he received. “People don’t tell the youngsters, the young adults, that if you do this, these are the ramifications. If you do that, this is what will happen,” Fawaz recounts. He reflects on the emotional scars these experiences left: “I try to pretend they aren’t there, but they haunt me. They make me wonder: What if I’d had parents? What if I’d had guidance?”
Fawaz found some refuge in boxing, training at the All Stars gym in Kilburn where he thrived as an amateur, eventually becoming an English champion and captain of the national team. Despite these achievements, his unsettled immigration status remained an obstacle. Twice detained and facing deportation threats, he has been caught in a limbo where neither the Nigerian, Lebanese, nor Beninese embassies claim record of him. A judge eventually ruled his detention unlawful, releasing him but leaving him effectively stateless. This unclear status barred him from recognition as stateless under UK law and prevented him from pursuing Olympic ambitions or lucrative contracts due to restrictions on work and travel. In 2022, Fawaz received a work permit and turned professional, determined to make up for lost time. “It’s better to have a portion of something than nothing at all,” he says, “If you keep working hard, the hard work will find a way to engulf the problem and make it tolerable. That is what I’m doing.”
Winning the English title last year against Junaid Bostan brought him recognition, yet contradictions persist. Fawaz questions the irony of being an English champion fighting for a British title without holding a British passport. “How can you be an English champion fighting for a British title and you don’t have a British passport? How can you beat the champion of a country and you’re not a citizen?” he asks. After living in the UK for 24 years, he identifies as British and has a British wife and two young sons, whose passports remind him of freedoms he does not yet possess. Although the Home Office gave him a 10-year path to settlement, which delays his ability to secure citizenship until 2034 or 2035, by which time he fears he may be too old to continue boxing at a competitive level. A Home Office spokesperson noted that the department did not make the decision to place Fawaz on this lengthy route to settlement.
With international travel restrictions preventing him from competing abroad in lucrative bouts, Fawaz is focused on opportunities closer to home, including a fight against the IBF world champion Josh Kelly. He hopes that building his legacy inside the ring might influence his immigration situation. “Maybe the Home Secretary or someone at Parliament can expedite my wait and give me a British passport so I can fight for the country and make it proud,” he says before adding, “Actually, I’m already making this country proud.
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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