From Africa with (tough) love

November 11, 2013


You could call Yohannes Sheferaw the Smiling Assassin, although his official boxing alias is Golden Hands. Either way, there is nothing sinister about this former Ethiopian Olympian.

Yohannes Sheferaw

Yohannes Sheferaw

What you see is what you get, he speaks his mind. He’s a jovial, friendly guy but he’ll tell it to you straight, weather it’s about your boxing style or the state of your physical fitness. He won’t mince his words.

‘That’s me,’ he says, ‘That’s the way I am. I can work with anyone but they have to understand that. I love to teach people boxing for real, that’s my passion.’

Yohannes, 39, started his boxing career weighing 48 kgs and first fought as an amateur at the age of 13. He started to learn the craft at 10. That means he’s had 30 years in the sport. In that time he’s had 165 amateur fights and 11 professional bouts including his 2002 encounter against the former world champion and tough as nails warrior Michael Katsidis in only his second pro fight.

Watch the fight here.

As an amateur, he came to Sydney as a featherweight as part of the Ethiopian national team and stayed. He came as a former three time African national champion and three time east African champion and multiple Ethiopian champion.

Yohannes is known as a slick counter puncher.

Yohannes is known as a slick counter puncher.

Yahannes has the boxing experience at the elite level to be an encyclopaedia of the sport. But he’s also just completed his certificate III and IV in fitness and personal training and has started working out of Boxing Central, training clients and advising our boxers.

He’s available now to work with people who want to lose weight, improve their strength and conditioning or any athlete who wants to learn new skills and do some cross training.

For more information about prices and availability call Yohannes on 0401881644.


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