Holidays are over. Sofiane Oumiha returned to the gym on Monday after a week of well-deserved rest with his wife, 20-month-old son and barely one-month-old daughter. On May 13, the 28-year-old Toulousain won his third amateur world championship title in the under 60 kg category in Tashkent (Uzbekistan), after 2017 and 2021. An unprecedented performance for a French boxer.
But Oumiha doesn’t have much time to show off: the European Games in Nowy Targ in Poland are fast approaching, from June 23 to July 2. It will be a question of being among the semi-finalists, in order to win his ticket for the Olympic Games in Paris next year. A task well within its limits. During his last Olympics, at home, the Habs will necessarily aim for gold. A goal, but more an obsession for the silver medalist in Rio in 2016, who aligns himself in parallel with the professionals (three victories in three fights).
You fought injured in the world championships. How are you doing today ?
I hurt myself three weeks before leaving. I had a fractured left thumb and a sprained right thumb. It consolidated as the competition progressed, even if I still have pain.
While your sport is not always highlighted in France, your new world title has been much commented on. How did you experience it?
It’s my third title, it’s historic for boxing in France. There were quite a few media requests to which I responded favorably because it allows me to promote my sport. It makes me happy, it’s a kind of recognition.
With a little hindsight, what is your view on this third title, acquired after a final won on points against the young Cuban Erislandy Alvarez Borges (22 years old)?
I proved my continuity at the highest level. I entered the France team in 2009. The hardest thing is not to get there, but to stay there. I show it with my results. Of course, there have been ups and downs, failures. But that’s how we learn. Yes, today, I can say that I am in a magnificent continuity.
Are you going to compete in pro fights before the Games?
I would like. First of all, I hope to qualify in Poland. Then, I might have the possibility of boxing with the pros once or twice before the end of 2023, to then concentrate on the Games.
How do you manage to juggle between professional and amateur boxing. There are different rules, in terms of counting points, duration…
Already, the boxing pro in France, it is difficult, in particular on the financial level, it should not be hidden. When boxers become pros in other countries, such as England, they do not return to Olympic boxing (now open to pros, but practiced by a majority of amateurs).
The rhythm is not at all the same. We have long formats in pro, with 8, 10 or 12 rounds of three minutes. A fight in Olympic boxing is three rounds of three minutes. It goes super fast, you have less time to settle down, to put a tactic in place.
What lessons did you learn from the Tokyo Games, where you were eliminated in the round of 16?
You can be on top and fall overnight. Every athlete has had defeats. The whole thing is to succeed in learning from your failures in order to move forward. You have to get up quickly. I never doubted myself, I just looked for what went wrong, and I moved on.
At the time, your defeat against the American Keyshawn Davis was contested by the French camp. How do you live seeing all your work destroyed by decisions that are not always fair?
I know my sport. Since I was little, I have been immersed in it. It is up to me to do what is necessary to avoid exposing myself to contentious decisions. Despite everything, it can happen, as it has already happened and as it will happen again. You have to keep working, and focus on what you can control.
You are triple world champion and 2016 Olympic vice-champion in the under 60 kg category, but since Rio, this category has been removed from the Olympics and you are applying to Paris in the under 63.5 kg category. Is this a handicap for you?
No way. I have already competed in this category during the European championships, or during the Olympic qualifying tournament (for the Tokyo Games). I can eat a little more (laughs). There may be a little more impact in the blows of opponents, but it’s not obvious.
This Olympic gold medal, do you think of it in the same way as after the silver in Rio in 2016?
No, it’s not the same anymore. Of course I want it. But there are steps to take before that. Thinking only of this medal, I am no longer there. I focus on the goals that come before the Games. Paris is still a long way off. I am no longer the Sofiane Oumiha of 2016, nor even that of 2021. In the meantime, a lot has happened, with the birth of my son, then that of my daughter. I have new responsibilities, I see things differently.
Does fighting in Paris put more pressure on you?
I see it more as a kif. It will be my last Olympic tournament, the final rounds will take place at Roland-Garros, there will be my family… You mustn’t worry too much, that’s how you miss out.
Boxing’s Olympic future was threatened before Paris. Have you been worried?
I am someone who can take the head a lot, but not on that. These are things that we athletes have no control over. I continue on my way. Like before Tokyo, when we didn’t know if the Games were going to take place because of the Covid-19. There is more serious in life. I say to myself: “Don’t worry, continue your preparation and you will see. »
More generally, how do you see the future of boxing, with competition from MMA?
I repeat, boxing in France is complicated. These are also things that are beyond me. I do not know how to explain it. However, we have very good boxers, as we proved during the Rio Games in 2016. We were the discipline that brought the most medals to France (six, including two gold). With good follow-up, it can only work. But currently it is not. The French Boxing Federation has recovered MMA, but it is a discipline that pushes hard. We saw it with UFC Paris (in September).
When you started, you explained that it was sometimes difficult to make ends meet by being a boxer. Is it easier today, especially with the very nice bonus of the Worlds (200,000 dollars, or 182,000 euros for the winner of each category)?
It’s a huge thing, I’m happy, but some think I’ll have everything in my pockets. You take out the taxes, and you go down to 110,000 or 115,000. You have to see that, today, boxing is not too publicized. And when things aren’t publicized, there’s less funding. It’s complicated for a boxer to make a living from it. What keeps me going are the private partners that I approached, and who support me financially.
As I said, the Sofiane of 2016, very young, who darkens, is not the one of today with a family, and all the vagaries of life. I train every day for this sport. In the United States, as in England, many boxers brew money. With us, it doesn’t take. When you look at Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and today Gervontha Davis, Ryan Garcia and Vasyl Lomachenko, they live really well.